Ucla Men's Basketball Eager To Mount Deep Tournament Run

PHILADELPHIA — Besides carrying connected nan UCLA legacy, which Mick Cronin says is an grant successful itself, he’s sewage an other inducement present this play that has thing to do pinch uncovering nan champion cheesesteak successful town.

“We’ve sewage to triumph 2 games,” said Cronin, whose Bruins will commencement disconnected going against Central Florida, whose coach, Johnny Dawkins, knows each excessively good from nan years they squared disconnected erstwhile he was astatine Cincinnati successful nan American Athletic Conference. “My girl goes to American [University.]

“I’ll spot her Monday. But I would for illustration to walk a week pinch her.”

That’s because nan East Region will beryllium held successful Washington, wherever AU is located. But for nan Bruins to beforehand to past a Sunday showdown astir apt against powerful Connecticut, Cronin says they’ll first request to incorporate Central Florida’s potent attack.

UCLA coach Mick Cronin talks pinch defender Trent Perry during nan Bruins’ crippled astatine Michigan connected Feb. 14.

(Lon Horwedel / Associated Press)

“Central Florida tin score,” he explained of nan 21-11 Knights, who’ve successfully made nan modulation from nan AAC to nan Big 12. “They’re athletic.

“[Themus] Fulks [averaging 14.1 points and 6.7 assists] keeps maine up astatine nighttime because he tin get successful nan lane whenever he wants. He’s awesome disconnected nan prime and roll. He makes bully sounds and he’s a problem.

“I’ve seen Riley Kugel [14.4 points] since precocious school. He played for a friend of mine, truthful I cognize he’s a very bully subordinate and has gotten amended arsenic he’s gotten older.

“They tin sprout it. They’ve struggled of precocious which intends rule of averages, that’s going to flip. They’re an athletic, fierce team.”

On nan different manus Dawkins, backmost successful nan metropolis wherever he played for 5 years and won an NBA Eastern Conference title while playing alongside Charles Barkley, knows what he’s up against.

“Mick does a awesome occupation pinch his team,” said Dawkins, who earlier coming to Central Florida went 156-115 coaching 8 years astatine Stanford, pursuing a decade serving arsenic Mike Krzyzewski’s adjunct astatine his alma mater, Duke. “Of course. UCLA is simply a storied programme of each assemblage basketball.

“What an astonishing history they’ve had there. and, of course, Coach Cronin is simply a coach I person known from nan American arsenic well. I cognize his squad is going to beryllium really, really talented.

“They’re very skilled and they’re tough.”

Speaking of that legacy, which includes a 1976 Final Four quality present nether John Wooden’s replacement, Gene Bartow, Cronin’s players knew what they were signing up for erstwhile they decided to travel to Westwood.

“It’s decidedly a blessing conscionable to beryllium portion of this, to beryllium portion of nan history, portion of nan tradition,” said elder defender Skyy Clark, averaging 11.7 points per game. “It’s a batch to transportation for sure, but it motivates america to spell retired location and conscionable do what we can.”

UCLA guardant Tyler Bilodeau is congratulated by fans aft beating USC astatine nan Galen Center connected March 7.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

“Yeah, a batch comes pinch these 4 letters we deterioration connected our chest,” added second-leading scorer and apical playmaker Donovan Dent (13.5, 7.6 assists). “We conscionable want to make our names and nan history of it.

“I wouldn’t opportunity there’s other pressure, but we cognize there’s decidedly a modular that needs to beryllium held.”

UCLA guardant Tyler Bilodeau and Dent were injured during nan Bruins’ Big Ten tourney run, but Cronin said Thursday “they looked bully coming [during practice,] truthful sound connected wood.”

Maintaining nan modular first group by Wooden is what lured Cronin from Cincinnati, wherever he won 296 games successful 13 years and took them to nan NCAA tourney 9 times.

“I had a awesome occupation and was adjacent to being nan winningest coach ever astatine Cincinnati,” said Cronin, who’ll beryllium making his 4th tourney quality pinch nan Bruins, including dropping a 2022 Sweet Sixteen crippled to North Carolina successful this building. “But I near to beryllium successful Coach Wooden’s chair and coach astatine nan champion assemblage successful nan country, arguably nan world, and everything that goes pinch it.

“It’s tremendous. I’ve been very fortunate. To coach astatine my alma mater, Cincinnati, and to beryllium nan caput hoops coach astatine UCLA pursuing truthful many.”

On Friday night, Cronin and nan Bruins will return connected nan situation of Central Florida and his longtime adversary Dawkins, mindful location are nary gimmes erstwhile you get this far. No. 5 seed Wisconsin learned that during a nonaccomplishment to No. 12 High Point connected Thursday and top-ranked Duke astir did, having to rally from 13 points down to past No. 16 Siena.

“You sewage to person players,” he said. “If you can’t coach, you’re not going to beryllium successful those tournaments. “The amended players you have, nan further you go.

That’s nan full cardinal to getting successful these things and advancing successful them. Perseverance.”