In some ways, this loss felt like one that had been coming for awhile.
UCLA has been playing some good but not great basketball in recent weeks but gotten away with it, entering today having won eight of their past nine games. But eventually that luck was bound to run out, and so it did against the Utah Utes, as Utah hit a tip-in with 0.2 seconds left to stun the Bruins and make their improbable journey to the NCAA Tournament that much harder, as they lost 70-69.
We’ll get to the final play in a second, but the story starts early in the first half when Sebastian Mack picked up a flagrant two foul and was ejected from the game. The foul was justified, and Mack had no business going high on a screen at midcourt. With Mack gone, it meant a lot more Will McClendon, and while Will had a solid offensive day, his defense has taken a major downward turn this season. Throw in some Jan Vide minutes to go with Lazar Stefanovic having to play most of the game with his recent defensive downturn, and it allowed Utah to stay in the game despite UCLA continually building seven point leads. Mack has also been a go-to scorer late in games, so while UCLA was able to find offense throughout, it was a more grindy affair than handing the ball to Mack and letting him work.
It also did not help that Adem Bona was constantly in foul trouble. Bona only played 18 minutes, with 12 of those coming in the first half. With Bona only playing six minutes in the second half, Utah was able to feast on the defense of Kenneth Nwuba, who played a ridiculous 13 minutes compared to just one for Aday Mara. Utah continually took advantage of Nwuba’s defense, and offensively Nwuba is such a black hole that the Utah defense was able to constantly send double-teams at every other UCLA player on the court. Honestly I’m hoping this game will be the breaking point for Mick Cronin’s love of using him in the second half of games over Mara. Just let Mara try at this point, it could not be any worse.
The second half was basically characterized by one long defensive collapse. Utah shot 50% from the field in the second half, constantly getting guys open and taking advantage of a suspect UCLA defensive effort. It almost worked out because UCLA kept getting clutch baskets from different contributors, but eventually that luck had to run out.
The final play feels like a Mick Cronin Special at this point. UCLA went with a full-court press up one, which is a reasonable choice designed to make the clock start immediately, but not a great choice when the opposing team has a Deivon Smith, who wants nothing more than to get going downhill in a hurry. Utah got him the ball in the open court and let him go, as he sprinted past Lazar Stefanovic and Will McClendon, who inexplicably was reaching for the ball rather than playing good defense. Smith got to the rim where Adem Bona was able to alter the shot, but that took him out of the play and McClendon and Stefanovic failed to box out Brandon Carlson, who tipped in the winner. Just not a great defensive plan given the opponent’s skillset, and an example of how missing Mack (and, in a lesser stance, not developing Illane Fibleuil enough to play him in these kinds of situations) led to a missed opportunity.
UCLA’s season is not over - they still have five games to go with a few Quad 1 opportunities still on the table - but this was a tough loss to take, and a great example of how this team may have come a long way recently but still has a ton of room to grow. The Bruins likely need an extremely-strong close to the season to have a shot at being on the bubble, but this does not feel great in the moment.
Go Bruins.
Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.
Couldn’t agree more with the “Mick Cronin Special “ comment. I’m counting at least 3 last second losses on full court plays. Granted will give Suggs credit in ‘21 but loss last year and tonight just more evidence Mick hasn’t figured out game ending scenarios. Tonight might be the worst because defense was simply non existent and he/team completely unprepared for the inbounds play and drive. Very disappointing.
Didn’t watch the game, but curious how it is that Utah didn’t foul in the last 12 minutes of play besides a few intentional fouls? Were they really that good? Did ucla stop driving toward the basket and settling for jump shots? Seems likely with Mack in the shower
It was a poorly officiated game. Mack was boneheaded. Bona committed a bonehead 4th foul. UCLA couldn't stop the Utah PG from penetrating the defense all night. People will focus on the last play of a game UCLA should have won by 10. That's my summary for you.
Disappointing to call a final time out to set your defense and that’s what you came up with… pretty obvious they were going to try and get smith the ball… ucla just let him wander up the court without being touched
Yes. The reason yoiu call the time out is to prevent penetration. The execution was poor and nobody blocked out. They're still having a similar discussion in Missouri.
i really hate this move and it ALWAYS happens in college. i don't think it's even allowed in the NBA. There is ZERO chance Utah would have been able to run that play without a timeout.
They don't need to run a play to score. All they have to do is get the ball to #5 and let him go like he was all game long. Frankly, I think the criticism is silly. Had Mick not called a timeout and Utah scored, he'd be getting criticized for not calling a timeout. Such is the life of a coach and Monday Morning QBs.
i tend to think that kids that young are much less likely to score in 6 seconds if they do not have a play drawn up. but you are right he would have taken criticism in the alternative, incorrectly in my view.
Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. I think you call timeout to set up your defense, remind your young players not to foul and to box out on any missed shots. Timeout or not, the players have to execute properly. Maybe with last year's experienced players, you don't call timeout. Frankly, we should have been up by 10.
Utah ran a great inbounds play that the Bruins didn't seem prepared to defend against, but Bona did a fantastic job of altering the layup and causing the missed shot. Just unfortunate that no Bruin boxed out to get the rebound, otherwise, they would be celebrating Dylan Andrews as the final basket hero of the game.
It was a physical, chippy game--the SPTRs didn't help, either. Maybe also some trash talking going on by the visitors that the Bruins didn't take too kindly to on their home floor, causing Mack to lose his composure. Even with the unexpected loss of their leading scorer, the Bruins still nearly managed to win this game.
What he did was totally unacceptable and not befitting one of our athletes. It also seemed very out of character for him, too, as I'm never seen him do anything I'd consider dirty. I wonder what all really happened that preceded that.
I just got home around midnight after hanging out with a few acquaintances in West LA after the unfortunate loss. Many left Pauley disappointed and disgruntled also. Most of your comments coincided with my own on court observation. I can summarize it with one sentence. This is all part of a growing process for our team. I was not happy about the outcome but at this stage, what can I say ? These young players are learning at their own pace, one game at a time. Tough as it is, let's just say this is a bad, bad game which paradoxically is what they needed for growth and progress.
May be yet another learning/teaching moment, but still a big letdown, not the sort of payback most were expecting to give Utah, unfortunately. At least some good news during the lost weekend was that Christian (son of Robert) Horry was signing on as a walk-on for the 2024-5 season. Curious to see how far and fast he can develop at UCLA under Coach Cronin.
Can't remember when last-second shots defeated both the men and women of Westwood during the same weekend. Hurts the men more, though, as a Pac-12 tournament championship now seems to be their only viable path to March Madness. Maybe they were so fired up to get revenge for the 46-point embarassment in Utah that they played (and coached) without the necessary discipline and focus that would have helped them to prevail and keep the winning streak going. It sucks, but hope they can bounce back and finish the sweep of U$C on Saturday. Go Bruins!
Mick coached here in Cincy--had good enough talent for Big East and AAC but often no go-to guy for points at the end. D was solid---coached under Huggins prior to the Cincinnati. Had concerns that the transition to the No Defense Conference (Pac 12 in both hoops and also football) would eventually bite Mick in his back end. I've attended enough Pac 12 games when residing in AZ and also the tournaments in Vegas to determine that the players already have the NBA All-Star game mentality over the season and leave their non-existent D back at the playgrounds. That is, if they ever had it at all.
We would not have lost this game if Mack did not commit the flagrant 2 and get ejected. Mack could have seriously injured the Utah player. There is no excuse for what he did. None.
Perhaps Mack could learn a thing or two from Coach DeShaun Foster about self discipline and respect for your opponent.
Perhaps, but we also would not have lost this game if Bona had not committed so many bonehead fouls so that he only played 18 minutes. And with Bona out, his two backups are like UCLA playing four against five. Nwuba is Nwuba--a body to fill a space. Mara, to my eye, is also a detriment when on the court. There is a reason why Cronin pulled him after watching Utah easily score due to his lack of defense and then missing a two foot hook shot all in a one minute span. He lacks athletic ability; he is slow, no lateral movement and can not make a basket from three to four feet out from the rim. You can teach basketball skills to somebody but you can not teach athleticism to a 7' 4" person who lacks athleticism. Understand Dmitri suggesting he should play because "it could not be any worse" but it also could not be any better. Do not see an upside for Mara and assuming Bona is gone this Season, Cronin best start early for a search for a center for next year.
There were many factors for sure, and a team of SPTRs proved detrimental.
Agreed... Mara does not have natural athleticism, but George Zidek lacked athleticism and he destroyed Corliss in the '95 Tilte game. But yes, we need to recruit a great center and I would also say we need an instant impact player at the 4.
But with all that aaid if Mack played, we would have won this game.
Like kingjim said to me at the end of the game thread, it's not all on Mack, and I agree with him. But Mack's behavior does merit special mention though because of how far it landed outside the scope of acceptable play. I also agree with you that we almost certainly win with Mack not losing his mind and staying in the game instead. We also win if Bona plays more than 18 minutes - and if Cronin leaves him on the court longer. We also win if any of the 5 Bruins at the end play any defense on Utah's final 2 possessions. Or if we shoot a better percentage from 3. Or if Nwuba and Mara contributed anything. Or...
Right. I think in any team sport, you have to accept the premise that any loss is a team loss. Certainly there are times one player may have a terrible game and theoretically bear a greater burden, but even then, team is team is team, and there are other players who have the opportunity to pick up the slack. At the end of the night, teams win and teams lose. That's gotta be the mindset for any team player.
I think I just saw Mack's behavior as a defining moment at the beginning of the game that set the stage for our demise. But yes, you could definitely call it a D5 avalanche from that point forward.
Mack's bad behavior might also end up being the defining moment of the final portion of this regular season, as we await word of how many games he'll be suspended. Will be even harder for a team that already has a hard time scoring to also lose their top scorer.
Elbowing someone in the neck or Adam's apple can not only cause damage to your ability to breathe properly but can also be life threatening. There could definitely be a severe punishment in terms of suspension.
I honestly do not understand why Mack would do something that could cause grave harm or worse yet death to another person. He deserves whatever punishment he gets.
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
The Bruins haven't been capable of putting together 2 consistently good halves of basketball lately, so I think a lot more "hopium" would be required for them to win the 3 or 4 consecutive games to get the automatic bid. But as this season has shown, everybody in the Pac-12 is beatable...
Imho, that is the biggest mystery of this team... I have no idea why they can't put together 2 good halves. I realize they are young but it just strikes me as so odd that every single game they blow leads with the proverbial scoring droughts. I don't know why this pattern persists but it has firmly become this team's unfortunate trademark.
This is a bad loss. It reflects poorly on the poise and preparation of the coach and the players. I don't accept "youth," "growing process," "learn and move on."
and if you heard Cronin after the game, he said the previous 6 wins werent great wins. Team has not been playing great even though they've come out on top a lot.
The last few weeks were fun, but this was always a rebuilding year. We have a bad roster. Mick has done a tremendous job the last month getting the most out of it and almost pulled off last night against a superior team. He still might have more in him and I would not totally rule out a conf tournament run.
Cronin calling his own players stupid is something I will never accept. His sideline tantrums and resulting technicals are embarrassing. Yes, we have horrible refs in the Pac-12 but he needs to maintain his composure and show maturity.
I want good character kids who are disciplined, respectful and enthusiastic and bring honor to the Four Letters - the 3 pillars of Coach Foster.
If Cronin doesn't like the speed of growth on his team then that's on him...
For example, Cronin often calls the fouls our players commit 'dumb' fouls. Maybe he and his staff need to teach his players how to not commit 'dumb' fouls. Why has Bona not improved in this area?
And Cronin needs to trust his players enough to not call a 'low IQ' timeout and allow Utah to set up a play that wins the game.
Exactly. Sea and I were conversing down thread and here is part of one of my long winded 🤣 comments...
I honestly don't know what to make of this team or season or Cronin.
Cronin is an enigma to me - he is as inconsistent in the way he treats his players as the players are on the court. He loses his temper as easily as Mack gets a flagrant 2.0. And his end of game management has been historically abyssmal.
I can't put my finger on CMC other than to say that every season under him has been a rollercoaster of highs and unbelievable lows, of having great great teams and nightmare endings e.g. Gonzaga over and over again. Of hearing him state his players have low IQ to actually showing a dose of humility and admitting his mistakes.
In some way, the one and done mindset and expectation is deeply entrenched in major NCAA programs. I am old school, I still remember players sitting on the bench, playing few minutes except garbage time until almost their junior or senior season when they fully blossomed. People never expected too much contribution before the era of one and done fundamentally changed the NCAA landscape. You may also recall that watershed year when two spectacular high school seniors, Bill Willowby being one, skipped college altogether and played well in the pros. That was jaw dropping events then. Today, players are expected to play well from the get go and then they are gone to the pros once the season ends. I am not making excuse for the current team but may be some of them are indeed subpar recruits compared to any of our previous teams. I left the Utah game disappointed also. But I am confident they will bounce back like before. What else do we have left at this stage ? Can we have a late season trade ????????????? LOL !!!!!
I agree Henry... the 'one and done' has done a lot to damage the game and loyalty at the college level is becoming a rarity.
But we really don't have any players who are ready for the NBA - I know Bona will likely leave but he is not a great shooter, and could benefit by staying.
I believe we need to focus on getting players like JJJ, Tyger, Singleton etc as they do exist and the UCLA brand still carries weight. Yes, you can sprinkle in a few like K Love and Amari Baily, but the majority of the roster should be players with great character who want to stay, grow into greatness, and hang another Banner.
I honestly don't know what to make of this team or season or Cronin.
Cronin is an enigma to me - he is as inconsistent in the way he treats his players as the players are on the court. He loses his temper as easily as Mack gets a flagrant 2.0. And his end of game management has been historically abyssmal.
I can't put my finger on CMC other than to say that every season under him has been a rollercoaster of highs and unbelievable lows, of having great great teams and nightmare endings e.g. Gonzaga over and over again. Of hearing him state his players have low IQ to actually showing a dose of humility and admitting his mistakes.
No matter what you think of Coach Foster in terms of his experience, I am certain of these things: 1) His players love him and are his biggest champions. They will run through walls for him. 2) He lives and breathes his pillars of discipline, respect and enthusiasm which are pillars for success. 3) He is a compassionate and passionate leader and developer of young men 4) He is loved by the Bruin community.
I just don't see consistent qualities in Cronin even though he has won a lot of games and I do think he is a good but not great coach.
Re abysmal end of game management and Gonzaga over and over.
We are living a Groundhogs Day nightmare. How to escape?
Re this year
The team cannot score (a characteristic of CMC's career), panics and collapses. The association of Bruins with Poise has been severed. Opponents recognize and feast on it. The intimidation factor of the mere name "Bruins" has been lost forever.
The proverbial Groundhog's Day nightmare is spot on. Yes, Cronin's teams rarely score a lot of points and unless the defense is stellar, we become very vulnerable which often leads to implosion.
What is keeping Cronin from hiring a great offensive coach that can instill schemes that would complement the defense?
Per Cronin, Sebastian Mack will not be suspended. Let's hope this was just a one time mistake and that he can handle future adversity in a more mature way.
I was expecting him to miss at least the U$C game, but I guess his early ejection and Carlson's easy, game-winning tip-in served as adequate punishment. He and the Bruins are fortunate to avoid any suspension time.
Agreed. We will need to win out plus win the Pac-12 Tourney to have a chance to dance. This Sat against suc with Collier back is going to be a tough game despite suc's record. Even though we only have two road games against the Wash schools, I could see us winning them all or losing multiple.
Mick must have been furious with the defense on the final 6 seconds.
Mack needs to grow up.
thug move by a good kid
But why, Evan?
kids make mistakes. may warrant a suspension. He could have seriously injured that kid.
Yes, it was at least a serious mistake. I hope he doesn't have a streak of vicious in him. He's an aggressive hoop attacker.
Couldn’t agree more with the “Mick Cronin Special “ comment. I’m counting at least 3 last second losses on full court plays. Granted will give Suggs credit in ‘21 but loss last year and tonight just more evidence Mick hasn’t figured out game ending scenarios. Tonight might be the worst because defense was simply non existent and he/team completely unprepared for the inbounds play and drive. Very disappointing.
Didn’t watch the game, but curious how it is that Utah didn’t foul in the last 12 minutes of play besides a few intentional fouls? Were they really that good? Did ucla stop driving toward the basket and settling for jump shots? Seems likely with Mack in the shower
It was a poorly officiated game. Mack was boneheaded. Bona committed a bonehead 4th foul. UCLA couldn't stop the Utah PG from penetrating the defense all night. People will focus on the last play of a game UCLA should have won by 10. That's my summary for you.
Disappointing to call a final time out to set your defense and that’s what you came up with… pretty obvious they were going to try and get smith the ball… ucla just let him wander up the court without being touched
Yes. The reason yoiu call the time out is to prevent penetration. The execution was poor and nobody blocked out. They're still having a similar discussion in Missouri.
Some of the young'uns ain't old enough to remember that. What a mighty event on the road to #11!
i really hate this move and it ALWAYS happens in college. i don't think it's even allowed in the NBA. There is ZERO chance Utah would have been able to run that play without a timeout.
They don't need to run a play to score. All they have to do is get the ball to #5 and let him go like he was all game long. Frankly, I think the criticism is silly. Had Mick not called a timeout and Utah scored, he'd be getting criticized for not calling a timeout. Such is the life of a coach and Monday Morning QBs.
i tend to think that kids that young are much less likely to score in 6 seconds if they do not have a play drawn up. but you are right he would have taken criticism in the alternative, incorrectly in my view.
Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. I think you call timeout to set up your defense, remind your young players not to foul and to box out on any missed shots. Timeout or not, the players have to execute properly. Maybe with last year's experienced players, you don't call timeout. Frankly, we should have been up by 10.
Harkening back to Marcus Johnson's call of Tyus Edney's coast to coast journey in 1995..
"..no baby, no baby.."
Utah ran a great inbounds play that the Bruins didn't seem prepared to defend against, but Bona did a fantastic job of altering the layup and causing the missed shot. Just unfortunate that no Bruin boxed out to get the rebound, otherwise, they would be celebrating Dylan Andrews as the final basket hero of the game.
Looked at the replay of the mack ejection and wow it was a clear elbow to the neck area - flagrant 2. Don't know what mack was thinking.
It was a physical, chippy game--the SPTRs didn't help, either. Maybe also some trash talking going on by the visitors that the Bruins didn't take too kindly to on their home floor, causing Mack to lose his composure. Even with the unexpected loss of their leading scorer, the Bruins still nearly managed to win this game.
What he did was totally unacceptable and not befitting one of our athletes. It also seemed very out of character for him, too, as I'm never seen him do anything I'd consider dirty. I wonder what all really happened that preceded that.
Did he have any post-game comment about what he was thinking? That foul embarrasses me as a Bruin.
he would have done a lot of good for himself by going over to see if the kid was ok. instead he went to the bench and hoped to not get ejected.
A rare occasion where Cronin was outcoached at the end. His technical didn’t help matters. Love Cronin, though. We’re lucky to have him.
amen
As DD wrote in his article, it hasn't been that rare. End game scenarios - more so on offense - haven't been Cronin's specialty.
I wasn't a fan of the play he drew up for Andrews, even though it worked.
I just got home around midnight after hanging out with a few acquaintances in West LA after the unfortunate loss. Many left Pauley disappointed and disgruntled also. Most of your comments coincided with my own on court observation. I can summarize it with one sentence. This is all part of a growing process for our team. I was not happy about the outcome but at this stage, what can I say ? These young players are learning at their own pace, one game at a time. Tough as it is, let's just say this is a bad, bad game which paradoxically is what they needed for growth and progress.
May be yet another learning/teaching moment, but still a big letdown, not the sort of payback most were expecting to give Utah, unfortunately. At least some good news during the lost weekend was that Christian (son of Robert) Horry was signing on as a walk-on for the 2024-5 season. Curious to see how far and fast he can develop at UCLA under Coach Cronin.
It is a teaching moment for him, analogous to kids losing temper and fight in school.
Can't remember when last-second shots defeated both the men and women of Westwood during the same weekend. Hurts the men more, though, as a Pac-12 tournament championship now seems to be their only viable path to March Madness. Maybe they were so fired up to get revenge for the 46-point embarassment in Utah that they played (and coached) without the necessary discipline and focus that would have helped them to prevail and keep the winning streak going. It sucks, but hope they can bounce back and finish the sweep of U$C on Saturday. Go Bruins!
So now they learn a good lesson on self infliction. For the remainder of this season, let's hope there aren't anymore of such mistakes.
Mick coached here in Cincy--had good enough talent for Big East and AAC but often no go-to guy for points at the end. D was solid---coached under Huggins prior to the Cincinnati. Had concerns that the transition to the No Defense Conference (Pac 12 in both hoops and also football) would eventually bite Mick in his back end. I've attended enough Pac 12 games when residing in AZ and also the tournaments in Vegas to determine that the players already have the NBA All-Star game mentality over the season and leave their non-existent D back at the playgrounds. That is, if they ever had it at all.
We would not have lost this game if Mack did not commit the flagrant 2 and get ejected. Mack could have seriously injured the Utah player. There is no excuse for what he did. None.
Perhaps Mack could learn a thing or two from Coach DeShaun Foster about self discipline and respect for your opponent.
Perhaps, but we also would not have lost this game if Bona had not committed so many bonehead fouls so that he only played 18 minutes. And with Bona out, his two backups are like UCLA playing four against five. Nwuba is Nwuba--a body to fill a space. Mara, to my eye, is also a detriment when on the court. There is a reason why Cronin pulled him after watching Utah easily score due to his lack of defense and then missing a two foot hook shot all in a one minute span. He lacks athletic ability; he is slow, no lateral movement and can not make a basket from three to four feet out from the rim. You can teach basketball skills to somebody but you can not teach athleticism to a 7' 4" person who lacks athleticism. Understand Dmitri suggesting he should play because "it could not be any worse" but it also could not be any better. Do not see an upside for Mara and assuming Bona is gone this Season, Cronin best start early for a search for a center for next year.
There were many factors for sure, and a team of SPTRs proved detrimental.
Agreed... Mara does not have natural athleticism, but George Zidek lacked athleticism and he destroyed Corliss in the '95 Tilte game. But yes, we need to recruit a great center and I would also say we need an instant impact player at the 4.
But with all that aaid if Mack played, we would have won this game.
Like kingjim said to me at the end of the game thread, it's not all on Mack, and I agree with him. But Mack's behavior does merit special mention though because of how far it landed outside the scope of acceptable play. I also agree with you that we almost certainly win with Mack not losing his mind and staying in the game instead. We also win if Bona plays more than 18 minutes - and if Cronin leaves him on the court longer. We also win if any of the 5 Bruins at the end play any defense on Utah's final 2 possessions. Or if we shoot a better percentage from 3. Or if Nwuba and Mara contributed anything. Or...
In other words, it was a complete team loss... :-(
Right. I think in any team sport, you have to accept the premise that any loss is a team loss. Certainly there are times one player may have a terrible game and theoretically bear a greater burden, but even then, team is team is team, and there are other players who have the opportunity to pick up the slack. At the end of the night, teams win and teams lose. That's gotta be the mindset for any team player.
Thanks, Greg. It was obvious in the first half the team had no rhythm , never got it, either.
I think I just saw Mack's behavior as a defining moment at the beginning of the game that set the stage for our demise. But yes, you could definitely call it a D5 avalanche from that point forward.
Mack's bad behavior might also end up being the defining moment of the final portion of this regular season, as we await word of how many games he'll be suspended. Will be even harder for a team that already has a hard time scoring to also lose their top scorer.
Elbowing someone in the neck or Adam's apple can not only cause damage to your ability to breathe properly but can also be life threatening. There could definitely be a severe punishment in terms of suspension.
I honestly do not understand why Mack would do something that could cause grave harm or worse yet death to another person. He deserves whatever punishment he gets.
Grayson Allen
I bet he is anguishing over it too.
Yes.
Hope it's just a one-time mental lapse. Accumulating Flagrant-2 fouls also don't look good on a player's resume...
Precisely. It reflects on one's character.
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
--John R. Wooden
Argh, morning after blues...
Truth.
Try taking some "hopium" and you'll feel much better. I'm already having visions of a regular season sweep of those clowns across town... :-)
Can we please add another vision of winning the Pac-12 Tourney and dancing...
The Bruins haven't been capable of putting together 2 consistently good halves of basketball lately, so I think a lot more "hopium" would be required for them to win the 3 or 4 consecutive games to get the automatic bid. But as this season has shown, everybody in the Pac-12 is beatable...
Imho, that is the biggest mystery of this team... I have no idea why they can't put together 2 good halves. I realize they are young but it just strikes me as so odd that every single game they blow leads with the proverbial scoring droughts. I don't know why this pattern persists but it has firmly become this team's unfortunate trademark.
Hey Jim, in the non-basketball world... Did my book arrive safe and sound? 💙💛
Why practice dunks? During warmups there were a lot of them, but during the game only a couple along with several 2-foot misses???
This is a bad loss. It reflects poorly on the poise and preparation of the coach and the players. I don't accept "youth," "growing process," "learn and move on."
and if you heard Cronin after the game, he said the previous 6 wins werent great wins. Team has not been playing great even though they've come out on top a lot.
Bet on it. They will learn and move on, as you said.
Learn and move on my foot. See below.
I read the article too. This is a down year in every aspects of it. If nothing else, there is always the next season to look forward to.
Yes, indeed, Tamara, It's a beauty, congratulations! Jess has some friends with young kids she reads to. Your book is in her hands, now. Thank you!
Yay! I am so happy 💙💛 Thank you so much for your friendship and support - it means the world 💙💛💙💛
The last few weeks were fun, but this was always a rebuilding year. We have a bad roster. Mick has done a tremendous job the last month getting the most out of it and almost pulled off last night against a superior team. He still might have more in him and I would not totally rule out a conf tournament run.
No, Henry, CMC disagrees with you. But it's to be expected from the low IQ players (his words, not my words) he assembled.
From Fan Nation:
Bruins head coach Mick Cronin said that he is tired of hearing about how his team can learn from losses.
“We’ve learned enough. We had enough losses,” said Cronin.
Cronin likely expected more growth at this point in the season.
Cronin calling his own players stupid is something I will never accept. His sideline tantrums and resulting technicals are embarrassing. Yes, we have horrible refs in the Pac-12 but he needs to maintain his composure and show maturity.
I want good character kids who are disciplined, respectful and enthusiastic and bring honor to the Four Letters - the 3 pillars of Coach Foster.
If Cronin doesn't like the speed of growth on his team then that's on him...
For example, Cronin often calls the fouls our players commit 'dumb' fouls. Maybe he and his staff need to teach his players how to not commit 'dumb' fouls. Why has Bona not improved in this area?
And Cronin needs to trust his players enough to not call a 'low IQ' timeout and allow Utah to set up a play that wins the game.
It's kind of hilarious how he calls them "great kids" after wins, and dumb after losses.
Exactly. Sea and I were conversing down thread and here is part of one of my long winded 🤣 comments...
I honestly don't know what to make of this team or season or Cronin.
Cronin is an enigma to me - he is as inconsistent in the way he treats his players as the players are on the court. He loses his temper as easily as Mack gets a flagrant 2.0. And his end of game management has been historically abyssmal.
I can't put my finger on CMC other than to say that every season under him has been a rollercoaster of highs and unbelievable lows, of having great great teams and nightmare endings e.g. Gonzaga over and over again. Of hearing him state his players have low IQ to actually showing a dose of humility and admitting his mistakes.
Not all great kids are smart.
You must have taken 'traditional logic' in school 🤣
In some way, the one and done mindset and expectation is deeply entrenched in major NCAA programs. I am old school, I still remember players sitting on the bench, playing few minutes except garbage time until almost their junior or senior season when they fully blossomed. People never expected too much contribution before the era of one and done fundamentally changed the NCAA landscape. You may also recall that watershed year when two spectacular high school seniors, Bill Willowby being one, skipped college altogether and played well in the pros. That was jaw dropping events then. Today, players are expected to play well from the get go and then they are gone to the pros once the season ends. I am not making excuse for the current team but may be some of them are indeed subpar recruits compared to any of our previous teams. I left the Utah game disappointed also. But I am confident they will bounce back like before. What else do we have left at this stage ? Can we have a late season trade ????????????? LOL !!!!!
I agree Henry... the 'one and done' has done a lot to damage the game and loyalty at the college level is becoming a rarity.
But we really don't have any players who are ready for the NBA - I know Bona will likely leave but he is not a great shooter, and could benefit by staying.
I believe we need to focus on getting players like JJJ, Tyger, Singleton etc as they do exist and the UCLA brand still carries weight. Yes, you can sprinkle in a few like K Love and Amari Baily, but the majority of the roster should be players with great character who want to stay, grow into greatness, and hang another Banner.
Laz transferred here because he "wanted to win championships." His former team swept the Bruins, including an historic thrashing.
I honestly don't know what to make of this team or season or Cronin.
Cronin is an enigma to me - he is as inconsistent in the way he treats his players as the players are on the court. He loses his temper as easily as Mack gets a flagrant 2.0. And his end of game management has been historically abyssmal.
I can't put my finger on CMC other than to say that every season under him has been a rollercoaster of highs and unbelievable lows, of having great great teams and nightmare endings e.g. Gonzaga over and over again. Of hearing him state his players have low IQ to actually showing a dose of humility and admitting his mistakes.
No matter what you think of Coach Foster in terms of his experience, I am certain of these things: 1) His players love him and are his biggest champions. They will run through walls for him. 2) He lives and breathes his pillars of discipline, respect and enthusiasm which are pillars for success. 3) He is a compassionate and passionate leader and developer of young men 4) He is loved by the Bruin community.
I just don't see consistent qualities in Cronin even though he has won a lot of games and I do think he is a good but not great coach.
Re abysmal end of game management and Gonzaga over and over.
We are living a Groundhogs Day nightmare. How to escape?
Re this year
The team cannot score (a characteristic of CMC's career), panics and collapses. The association of Bruins with Poise has been severed. Opponents recognize and feast on it. The intimidation factor of the mere name "Bruins" has been lost forever.
The proverbial Groundhog's Day nightmare is spot on. Yes, Cronin's teams rarely score a lot of points and unless the defense is stellar, we become very vulnerable which often leads to implosion.
What is keeping Cronin from hiring a great offensive coach that can instill schemes that would complement the defense?
Per Cronin, Sebastian Mack will not be suspended. Let's hope this was just a one time mistake and that he can handle future adversity in a more mature way.
I was expecting him to miss at least the U$C game, but I guess his early ejection and Carlson's easy, game-winning tip-in served as adequate punishment. He and the Bruins are fortunate to avoid any suspension time.
Agreed. We will need to win out plus win the Pac-12 Tourney to have a chance to dance. This Sat against suc with Collier back is going to be a tough game despite suc's record. Even though we only have two road games against the Wash schools, I could see us winning them all or losing multiple.