UCLA held a lead through 38 of 40 minutes during Tuesday’s college basketball game against Minnesota but head coach Mick Cronin blames his players and the fans for its collapse. The Bruins still managed to lose even though the Gophers only took their first lead with 62 seconds left on the clock.
It was a total disaster.
UCLA is one of the better teams in college basketball this season at 19-8 with a 10-6 record in the Big Ten. However, a large number of its eight losses were games it should’ve won. Like Tuesday!
The Bruins took a 34-23 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Gophers won 64-61. Defensive breakdowns and 10 missed three throws, including their last six attempts and two on the front-end of one-and-ones, led to the second half collapse.
True to form, Cronin had a lot to say during his postgame press conference. He is one of the most vocal coaches in the sport — especially this season — and often uses a public platform to rip into his players.
Tuesday was no different. Cronin blamed his players for worrying too much about shooting and scoring instead of playing tough defense.
It’s a losing mentality to worry about whether your shot goes in or how many points you have… All we’re worried about is our shooting.
— Mick Cronin
The 53-year-old also took aim at UCLA’s fanbase. He thinks they need to be more supportive, even during frustrating situations like six-straight missed free throws during crunch time.
Our crowd, they make it worse. When a guy misses a free throw, I mean, the stress in Pauley’s crazy when a guy — “Uhhh, uhhh.” I mean, the guy’s not trying [to miss] — how about help the guy? How about cheer for the guy?
— Mick Cronin
To Mick Cronin’s credit, there was some acceptance of responsibility even though his self-deprecating comments were mostly tongue-in-cheek. “It’s all on me,” he said facetiously. It was a subtle jab at all of the backlash to comments about his players earlier in the year.
Mick Cronin: “We’re so poorly coached… It’s all on me.”
— Aaron Heisen (@aaron_heisen) February 19, 2025
Could sense just a tinge of sarcasm in his tone: pic.twitter.com/gUSBSLoHVS
The Bruins are in position to make the NCAA Tournament. They are likely going to be a top-10 seed with a favorable matchup to reach the second round, if not the second weekend, unless these kinds of second-half collapses continue. Mick Cronin has run out of people to blame!