Mick Cronin shares the key to UCLA's defensive success

UCLA entered the NCAA Tournament with one of the top defenses in the country and has ridden that success to the Sweet Sixteen. The Bruins enter Thursday’s game against Gonzaga ranked No. 2 in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom — and Mick Cronin said a quote from his former boss, Bob Huggins, is the reason for the emphasis on that side of the ball.

“I learned from Coach Huggins 20 years ago … you’ve got to be able to erase mistakes,” said Cronin, who worked under Huggins at Cincinnati. “You can’t just be good. You’re not always going to be perfect. Defense, the great teams can erase mistakes. And you do that with the athletes. The better athletes you have, you have a much better chance to erase a mistake.”

UCLA had two players on the Pac-12 All-Defense Team, led by Defensive Player of the Year Jaylen Clark. However, the Bruins have gone without Clark through the NCAA Tournament due to an injury, meaning other players have to step up. Adem Bona was also named to the All-Defense Team, and Cronin cited the athleticism the rest of the team brings as reasons for the sustained success on defense.

“There’s times where there might be a guy open but Amari Bailey is such a great athlete that he deflects the pass, or Adem Bona changes the shot, Kenneth Nwuba blocks the shot,” Cronin said. “Combine that with the seniors that we have, back to the experience, they’re in the right place 99% of the time. But the freshmen are so athletic, their athleticism supersedes their inexperience at times and their toughness. As you know, I’m a big believer in that.

“The two that have started for us all year, unbelievably tough, athletic kids. Amari Bailey is an unbelievably tough, athletic kid, and so is Adem Bona. We’ve been able to keep it going without the best perimeter defender I’ve ever coached in the Pac-12, Defensive Player of the Year Jaylen Clark. We just had the makings of a team that could be great defensively.”

UCLA’s defense came through in a big way to get the Bruins to the Sweet Sixteen. They held UNC Asheville to 53 points in the Round of 64 and kept Northwestern to 63 points on 37.3% shooting from the field in the second round. That led them to the Sweet Sixteen against Gonzaga, which tips off Thursday night at 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS.