Cronin says Bruins `way too cavalier'
USC previous result: Trojans coasted to a 97-60 win over Cal on Thursday, scoring a season high. They were led by Drew Peterson, who had a career-high 30 points, with coach Andy Enfield leaving the senior in until he hit the milestone. USC picked up its 3-point shooting, making 12 of 23 from that range. Freshmen Kijani Wright and Oziyah Sellers impressed during some extra playing time, an encouraging sign.
Stanford previous result: The Cardinal put some fear into No. 4UCLA on Thursday, leading for much of the first half and as late as the 7:13 mark of the second. But Stanford managed only seven points in the final 7 minutes of the game, falling 73-64. The Cardinal primarily attacked the paint against the Bruins, making 18 baskets in the key. Fourteen turnovers ultimately doomed Stanford's upset efforts.
Matchup to watch: Johnson vs. Spencer Jones. This is a fun defensive matchup for Johnson. Jones is a rangy 6-foot-7forward who can get going quickly from 3-point range. And with Johnson averaging 14 points across his past four games, Jones' length will present a challenge for USC's sophomore guard to overcome on the offensive end, too.
USC trend to watch: Peterson was on the court for 33minutes in the win over Cal, the first time in six games the senior hasn't played at least 37 minutes. In the two games prior to Cal, he played 39 as USC was down Joshua Morgan (ankle) and Reese Dixon-Waters. Asked about the wear and tear Thursday, Peterson joked that, because he has only one class in his final semester of college, he's been getting a lot of extra sleep. It remains to be seen if Morgan or Dixon-Waters returns against Stanford, but it's worth monitoring if USC is able to sneak in any additional rest for its rotation players.
March résumé check: USC moved up seven spots from No. 64 to No. 57 in the NET rankings with Thursday's win and the shakeup of other bubble teams losing. This moved USC up to a 10seed facing seven-seed Illinois in Des Moines in CBS's bracketology projections. ESPN's bracket still had USC as one of the first four teams out, however. At No. 106 in the NET, Stanford represents a Quadrant 3opportunity for USC.
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UCLA coach Mick Cronin said his fourth-ranked Bruins came into Thursday night's 73-64 win over Stanford “overconfident.”
“Way too cavalier,” the fourth-year coach said.
Despite the complacency, UCLA extended its home winning streak to 22 games with a victory over the Cardinal, who came into Thursday's game winning six of their previous eight contests.
“I told our guys, `What did you think was going to happen?'” Cronin said. “We handled them at their place, they got some good players on that team, for three days they're getting ready for us, coming in to play one of the best teams in the country on the road.”
The game had the trimmings for an upset — and it felt like one was brewing for multiple stretches — but the Bruins buckled down.
If complacency was an issue against a formidable opponent like Stanford, it might be the bigger concern against Cal on Saturday night. The Golden Bears are 3-23 overall and 2-13 in Pac12 Conference play after losing to USC 97-60 on Thursday night at the Galen Center.
“It's all a coach's paranoia when you have to beat
a team twice, which we have to do the rest of the way other than Arizona,” Cronin said. “It's paranoia because your guys tend to think it's going to be a little bit easier (the second time).”
Senior David Singleton reminded the team of a couple things.
“We're getting closer and closer to March, upsets happen all the time,” Singleton said. “I explained to the guys that we have to play defense and take strides forward getting ready for March; we can't take steps back right now or the season will end early.”
Cronin finalist for coach of the year
Cronin has been named as one of 15 candidates for the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Award.
The fiery coach guided UCLA to 14 consecutive wins midway through the season, marking the program's longest winning streak since a 14-game run late in the 2007-08 basketball season under former head coach Ben Howland.
The Bruins currently rank No. 7 in the country in fewest points allowed per game (scoring defense, 60.0 ppg) and No. 8 in scoring margin (13.9 ppg). UCLA's 22-game winning streak at home is the country's longest, but the Bruins have won their last 33 home games with fans present in the arena (COVID-19 guidelines restricted fans from attending games in Pauley Pavilion in 202021 and during three games in 2021-22).
Cronin, who's in his 20th season as a head coach, was named the 2018 Sporting News National Coach of the Year while serving as head coach at his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati.
The winner will be announced April 2.