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Mick Cronin praises Rick Barnes, breaks down Tennessee matchup: ‘It’s a different animal’
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins absolutely eviscerated Utah State Thursday night.
The Bruins defense was excellent, holding the Aggies to just 30% from the field and 12% from range. Usually an excellent offensive team, Utah State had no answers from the jump and fell 72-47 in the Round of 64.
Now, UCLA advances to the Round of 32 to face off against Tennessee, which handled Wofford earlier in the evening. Following the win over Utah State, Cronin spoke on the Vols and the upcoming matchup.
Cronin was specifically asked if the Bruins would be able to bottle up the confidence and toughness they used against Utah State and release it on Tennessee.
“We’ll see. They used to say everybody thought they were tough until they walked in the ring with Mike Tyson. Everybody had a lot to say until the guy with no socks walked in and crushed him,” Cronin said. “It’s a different animal. I’m really happy with our effort tonight. But we’ve been preparing all year to play Saturday.”
Cronin continued: “Hopefully a lot of the Big Ten battles we’ve had will prepare us, because my respect for Coach Barnes is off the charts. Because he does it the right way. He cares about kids. He’s not a phony. He is who he is. And Tennessee got really lucky when somebody else let him go. It’s been great for Tennessee basketball, obviously. They’ve been in a golden era of being at the top or near the top of the SEC. So, they’re always a great defensive team, they take care of the ball. They don’t beat themselves.”
It’s hard to talk about toughness, defense and Tennessee basketball without mentioning hustle guard Jahmai Mashack. In his answer, Cronin made sure to specifically shout out the Fontana, California native, insisting he tried to sign him during his recruitment 4 years ago. Obviously Mashack ended up at Tennessee, but Cronin always he knew he would be a winner.
“They got Jahmai Mashack, who we would have tried to sign but we didn’t have a scholarship,” Cronin said. “We didn’t have a need for him at the time. But I knew he was a winner. He’s a great kid.”
In all likelihood, Saturday’s game is going to be an ugly one. Both UCLA and Tennessee are defense-oriented, and both play at a slower pace. Don’t expect to see more than 70 possessions in this one.
Tip for Saturday’s matchup is set for 9:40 on TBS/TruTV from Lexington, Kentucky.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
