Mick Cronin breaks down final play of Pac-12 championship loss to Arizona
UCLA fell 61-59 to Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship Game and the Bruins ended up as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Mick Cronin didn’t point the finger at any one player on the floor.
Dylan Andrews missed a shot in the end and Tyger Campbell missed critical free throws down the stretch. But that did not mean Cronin didn’t appreciate his team’s effort.
Cronin described how the final play of the game went down in the loss.
Wide open shot to win the game,” Cronin said. “It is what it is. Tyger’s beating himself up over a missed free throw, but that had nothing to do with some of our bad fouls and defensive breakdowns. Those are controllables. I’ll take Tyger at the line and put my career on the line with Tyger at the line. It’s a fact.
“Dylan had a great look, great pass by Jaime — I think you found him, right? Great pass by Jaime. In that situation I try to train the guys don’t try to do too much. Take what they give you. Instead of forcing it, you throw it, you got a wide open look to win the game. We’ll take it. It is what it is. Get some rest, get ready for the real tournament.”
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Andrews finished with eight points in 13 minutes. Campbell had 16 points, four rebounds and two assists in the contest.
Leading the way was Amari Bailey, who had 19 points, seven rebounds and one assist. Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 13 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.
UCLA earns No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament
UCLA drew a No. 2 seed in the 2023 edition of March Madness and got UNC-Asheville Thursday in the first round.
With several top teams hampered, NCAA committee chair Chris Reynolds said injuries matter a ton. He listed off several Top-4 seeds who are dealing with player or coach injuries that the committee had to consider leading into the bracket reveal.
“(It affects seeding) a great deal,” Reynolds said. “When you think about it? You have Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, UCLA. All have player availability issues. And, also, Coach Self being out? It’s something that the committee talked about throughout the course of the year. It certainly played a factor in seeding and selection.”