What happens here could earn UCLA a return trip in two weeks.
All it would take is for the Bruins to sidestep concerns about Jaylen Clark’s absence and how it could affect their NCAA tournament qualification.
Mick Cronin didn’t seem the least bit concerned when a reporter told the coach that he had spoken with ESPN support analyst Joe Lunardi about UCLA’s alleged need to win the Pac-12 tournament to get a No. 1 seed.
“Did you talk to who?” Cronin asked Tuesday.
“Joe Lunardi,” the reporter replied.
“I’m not sure who it is,” Cronin said deadpan.
“ESPN,” the reporter continued.
“Yes,” Cronin said, “I have no comment on that. I’d rather you talk to my dad, someone who really knows basketball.”
Hep Cronin, the Bruins’ unofficial good luck charm dating back to their 2021 Final Four run, is expected to be among the coach’s family members in attendance at T-Mobile Arena when the UCLA (27 -4), the top seed, play Washington or Colorado. in the quarterfinals on Thursday at noon.
It will see a team that won 10 straight games move to No. 2 in the nation, even as the Bruins quietly mourn the loss of Clark to a lower leg injury that could sideline him for the entire postseason.
Elsewhere, Mick Cronin remained optimistic when asked if his team’s high ranking and the indefinite loss of their best defensive player were causing anxiety as the Bruins try to follow up a runaway Pac-12 regular-season championship with their first conference tournament title since 2014.
“Nah, hell no,” Cronin said. “…We are going to Topgolf tonight for some fun in Las Vegas. You know, it’s time to let it break, it’s time to believe in your team, it’s not time to be anxious at all.
Jokes and smiling so often you almost expected him to say the rest of his team’s itinerary would include Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil instead of playing in the Pac-12 tournament, Cronin was clearly trying to keep the mood light. . . The heavy stuff will come soon.
Clark’s absence will be a big story no matter how long the Bruins last in the tournament. The Pac-12 defensive player of the year did not travel with the team, Cronin said he would provide the NCAA tournament selection committee with more information on Clark’s status in the future if the committee requested.
Being shy could have its benefits. Cronin was an assistant to Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins in 2000 when the committee dropped the Bearcats to the No. 2 seed after star Kenyon Martin suffered a broken leg in a Conference USA tournament loss. USA against St. Louis.
The committee acknowledged that seeing so little of the Bearcats after Martin’s injury limited their ability to gauge how different they were without the national college player of the year, but that didn’t stop them from penalizing the team.
Cincinnati lost to No. 7 seed Tulsa in the second round.
Lunardi said earlier this week that the committee would be watching closely how the Bruins fared without Clark. They will no doubt see more of David Singleton, Dylan Andrews, Will McClendon and maybe even Abramo Canka, whose roles seem to expand with Clark out of the picture.
“I was telling Abramo, Dylan and Will, the guys like those before the Jaylen incident happened, to be ready,” said UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., the Pac-12 player of the year. “You never know, this is the craziest time of the year, we need you to be ready, you’re here for a reason, you’re here to help us win games.”
A good showing at T-Mobile Arena could ensure a happy return for UCLA. The West Regional will be played in the same building, giving Bruins fans another chance to fill the venue.
Their recent memories there have not been good, the Bruins losing back-to-back games against Illinois and Baylor in November as part of a non-conference tournament.
“I’ve been thinking about it and potentially we’ll play three games in Las Vegas” this week, UCLA center Adem Bona said. “So I want to increase the count to make it 3-2.”
That would make three down, two to go in a couple of weeks.
