UCLA basketball's Mick Cronin calls out 'delusional' players after loss to Michigan
01/08/2025 12:42 PM
To say UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin was not happy after the Bruins’ 94-75 loss to Michigan yesterday would be an understatement.
Cronin, known for his sideline outbursts and comments made out of frustration, stayed true to form in the postgame press conference Tuesday after his team allowed Vladislav Goldin to score 36 points and the Wolverines to score more than any UCLA opponent this season.
“We're soft… I have to run on the court to get guys to play hard. It’s crazy. And it’s every day, I’m tired of it. It’s every day. I have the most energy of anybody at practice every day,” the UCLA basketball coach said. “I’m upset with everyone in that locker room, my assistant coaches and my players. I mean, I don’t need to do anything else. I almost got 500 wins, I’m only 53. You’d think I’m coaching the Lakers. It’s a joke. It’s a joke. I come in and I have more passion and energy and pride than everybody, and that’s the problem. That is the truth right now.”
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
Cronin also said that the film of UCLA’s 66-58 loss to Nebraska on Saturday was “embarrassing” and questioned why that defeat wasn’t the wake-up call the team needed.
“The truth of it has been, it’s really hard to coach people that are delusional,” Cronin said. “The hungry dog gets the bone. We got guys that think they are way better than they are. They’re nice kids. They’re completely delusional about who they are.”
With the loss to Michigan, UCLA is now 11-4 on the season but 2-2 in Big Ten play and losers in three of its last four. The Bruins’ two-point loss to North Carolina before Christmas snapped a nine-game win streak. While they were able to rebound following Christmas to beat Gonzaga by three, the Bruins have lost both of their games in 2025.
UCLA will play its next two games on the road — at Maryland on Friday and at Rutgers on Monday — before returning home to host Iowa and Wisconsin.
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