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UCLA has historically boasted one of the best men’s basketball programs in the country, but the Bruins took a big step back last year after missing the NCAA Tournament. It seemed like the team was back on track after getting off to a 10-1 start this season, but head coach Mick Cronin does not seem to think that’s the case based on the fiery rant he went on in the wake of a loss to Michigan on Tuesday.
It’s been close to 30 years since the men’s basketball team at UCLA secured a national championship, but Mick Cronin came pretty hot out of the gate by leading the Bruins to the Final Four a year after he left Cincinnati to replace the job Steve Alford lost when he was fired on New Year’s Even in 2018.
Cronin followed up that run with a couple of Sweet Sixteen appearances before things took a turn for the worse last season when UCLA failed to secure a March Madness invite after going 15-16.
The Bruins got off to a solid start in 2024 with the help of a nine-game winning streak that included a victory over #12 Oregon, and while they were sitting at #15 last week, they fell to #22 heading into this one following a defeat at the hands of Nebraska and may end up out of the Top 25 entirely after losing to #24 Michigan in a 94-75 rout at home on Tuesday night.
Cronin got the chance to air some grievances at a postgame press conference where he did not mince words while chucking his players (and his assistant coaches) under the bus during a diatribe where he criticized their lack of energy and passion while calling them “soft” and “delusional” before taking aim at “guys who think they’re way better than they are.”
Mick Cronin went OFF on his players following their loss to Michigan 😳
“We’re soft… Every day, I have more passion and energy in practice than anybody else. I’m tired of it. It’s a joke… The truth of it is, it’s really hard to coach guys who are delusional” pic.twitter.com/abGQdPkfQN
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 8, 2025
UCLA will have the chance to bounce back against Maryland on Friday in a game where those players will probably be dealing with some tired legs based on how many suicides they’ll be running at practice over the next couple of days.
There’s still plenty of time for the team to turn things around, but with conference play in full swing, it’s hard to be super optimistic about what’s to come based on Cronin’s assessment of the current situation.