It was the sort of celebration usually reserved for March, in some cramped, faraway locker room.
This one started inside the familiar confines of Pauley Pavilion on Saturday after UCLA’s most exhilarating victory of the season. Athletic director Martin Jarmond made a short speech in the locker room before unveiling the ball he had been hiding behind his back. Jarmond held it out, presenting it to Mick Cronin in commemoration of his 400th coaching victory in Division I.
Guard David Singleton bounded from his seat, leading the charge as every player converged around Cronin and formed one joyous, hopping mass, roaring and laughing about the implausibility of it all.