Why Cronin Lamented Defensive Play Against Indiana

After a 98-97 double-overtime loss to Indiana on Saturday, it shouldn't surprise anyone that UCLA's head men's basketball coach, Mick Cronin, was peeved at his defense. The Bruins had started to play much more connected and in sync on that end of the floor, and it was leading to wins.

But when you allow a team to score almost 100 on your home floor and come out on the losing end in college basketball, it feels like you did everything wrong.

UCLA HC Mick Cronin wasn't wasting any time in his postgame presser after the Bruins' loss to Indiana. pic.twitter.com/ZQwnCTBByT
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 1, 2026

"The only thing we did well tonight was play out the last two minutes -- clock, score, and that's when they actually listened to me on how to press," Cronin told the media during his postgame press conference. "They didn't listen to the scouting report, I'll tell you that, and that's how you lose."

The Facts

Indiana scored the most points UCLA has allowed all season and did so primarily behind three players: Nick Dorn, Lamar Wilkerson, and Reed Bailey -- who combined for 74 points. The Hoosiers were also the first team since No. 12 Purdue to shoot better than 40% from the field against the Bruins defense, and even Cronin is crediting that to missed shots over his team's defensive efforts.

ucla defens — Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34), forward Xavier Booker (1) and Indiana Hoosiers forward Tucker DeVries (12) go for a rebound in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Yet, UCLA won many of the defensive battles, having more steals and defensive rebounds than the Hoosiers, forcing more turnovers, and scoring more points in the paint. All those categories have helped leead to Bruins' wins lately, but this time, it just wasn't enough.

The Decisive Play

Games like this one can often come down to a singular play, and Saturday was no different. The Bruins tied the game at 97 in the final seconds of the second overtime, and Indiana raced to the other side of the court, eventually awarded an inbound attempt with 1.5 seconds remaining.

Absolutely clutch.@SisleyTrent | #IUBB pic.twitter.com/vVcx3FZJ1r
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) February 1, 2026

The play was reviewed, and while many will contest that it should have been UCLA's ball, the officials kept it with Indiana. As play resumed, three Hoosiers vacated the paint with their defenders, leaving Trent Sisley one-on-one with UCLA's Donovan Dent as he cut toward the basket.

Sisley caught the ball and flung it in the air, drawing a foul, and he would knock down the winning free throw, further angering Cronin, but maybe not quite for the reason you'd think.

"We went over that play five times yesterday at the end of practice, five times last night, and five times this morning," he said. "We showed that play on film 10 times in the last two days. Now, my staff told me it was our ball. I just watched it, and it sure looked like it was off of Indiana's elbow. I'm watching it on a small iPad, but that's what I saw."

Player Thoughts

Cronin's position is understandable, but there was a distinct disconnect between his message and the one his players conveyed after the game. Where he saw a complete failure defensively, his players downplayed the severity of the loss. Maybe it's just a difference in personalities and how they choose to individually look at the situation, but it sure didn't sound like they were on the same page.

ucla defense — Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) and Indiana Hoosiers guard Conor Enright (5) reach for a rebound in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"I don't think our defense was horrendous," Dent said postgame. "Could we have had some better stops and rebounds? Absolutely. But I feel like we were doing a good job on the ball. We held one of their best players to kind of a rough shooting night. I thought we played good defense. We've just got to finish and grab rebounds."

Dent's comments reflect what Cronin has harped on all year, so he's clearly listening to his coach to some degree, but UCLA may want to re-establish what it considers the standard for good defense moving forward.

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