What Mick Cronin Said After Benching UCLA Starters in Sac State Win

A 79-48 blowout win over Sacramento State on Tuesday didn't come easy. The UCLA Bruins (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten) had to look themselves in the mirror with the help of coach Mick Cronin's benching four of his regular starters. Eric Dailey Jr. was the only regular starter to take the floor.

Starting alongside him were Trent Perry, Jamar Brown, Brandon Williams and Stevem Jamerson II, and the message was received. They set the tone by not allowing the Hornets to score in the first six minutes of the game. Once the regular starters took the floor (Donovan Dent came in five more minutes after them), the tone remained.

ucl — Nov 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins assistant coach David Singleton reacts along with the bench during the first half against the Sacramento State Hornets at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

However, an energetic start to the game waned as UCLA's offense faltered in the second half, returning to its early-season form.

Dailey led all scorers with 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Xavier Booker followed off the bench with 12 points and eight rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting while playing most of the second half in foul trouble.

Cronin spoke to the media after the game and detailed his decision. Below is a transcript of his full postgame press conference.

Mick Cronin Postgame vs Sacramento State

ucl — Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts to a play during the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game against the Arizona Wildcats at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Opening statement

“Good win. I hate to see a player get hurt. I hope the best. Jeremiah Cherry went down holding his knee. That was me one time back in 1989, so I hate to see that. Here’s the story of the game: first half 33 deflections, second half – nine. The guys that started the game set the tone, that’s what they did in practice yesterday when they won by 20.

"They set the tone today. I gave the other guys a chance because they need to practice coming out of the locker room with more energy, and they didn’t get the job done. Our defensive rebounding continues to be a problem. We forced 41 misses, they [Sacramento State] got 14 of the 41. It seemed really bad to me. We’re not going anywhere if we don’t get better on the defensive backboard. Eric Dailey Jr. took it to heart. I think Steve Jamerson II was having a great game, but then he twisted his ankle. We’ll see tomorrow how he feels.”

ucl — Nov 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) scores past Sacramento State Hornets guard Mikey Williams (1) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On effort on loose balls

“What I tell the team is, like we got beat the other night, that I have no problem losing on the scoreboard. I have a problem when I don’t think we played hard enough, or smart at the end of games. That I have a problem with. So, as Danny Glover said in Lethal Weapon, ‘We’re gonna die, we’re gonna die my way’. So, I just can’t stomach playing any other way. I never had to ask Jaime Jáquez to dive on the floor. He struggles shooting, Adem [Bona] can’t shoot, and Jalen Clark’s not a shooter, and they’re all in the NBA. And Tyger Campbell was the toughest dude of all time at 5’10”.

"That team was gonna win a title. Not because of Mick Cronin, because those four guys, with Amari and Dave on my staff, those guys had unbelievable hardened toughness. Unbelievable. We played Colorado here one time; we were supposed to lose, and they had a good team. And they just started stealing every ball, it was unreal. It was unbelievable to watch. Now I’ll never forget that. Like we were supposed to lose that night. So, I mean do you want me to give out brownie buttons for guys diving on the floor? I don’t know.”

ucl — Nov 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Jamar Brown (4) and forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) defend Sacramento State Hornets guard Jahni Summers (4) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On Eric Dailey's response

“Practice. He’s great in practice, he got 10 rebounds. Four assists, one turnover. The biggest problem in coaching, Mike [Bibby]’s got it now, because he’ll never coach a player as good as him. It’s an interesting conundrum as a coach. But they all think they’re gonna be him, which is comical.

"It’s really, really hard, really, really hard, to get guys to realize, Eric Dailey’s rebounding as a college player will directly correlate to his chances of being a pro, I would say 20x more than his scoring percentage. His rebound percentage. Because nobody is ever gonna run a play for him if he makes the NBA. Ever. But, you know, Eric’s a tough dude.”

ucl — Nov 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Eric Dailey Jr. (3) stops a shot by Sacramento State Hornets guard Prophet Johnson (16) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On the likelihood of sticking with starting lineup

“We’ll see how guys practice. Right now, we’re in a mode of trying to learn how to play hard enough to earn the jersey that they wear. I have great respect for the jersey. I left my hometown, and coaching at my alma mater, I feel terrible that they haven’t been to the tournament in a while, because of how much respect I have for UCLA basketball. And I try to respect that my players play with that kind of effort and show that same respect.”

On difference in deflections per half

“I gave the guys to start the second half, and they didn’t set the tone. Their energy was low. The guys that brought the energy didn’t start the second half. So, that goes into my assessing; how are we going to get off to a good start?

"A lot of coaches, like Tommy Lloyd doesn’t start [Anthony] Dell’Orso. Whether it’s that you’re trying to bring a sixth man off the bench, my feeling is, you better start the lineup that’s gonna play the best defense possible and not turn it over. We’re searching. It’s early. I tried to start my defensive lineup tonight. Gives you the best chance to get off to a good start, and I wanted to get off to a good start.”

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