PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Mick Cronin smiled, if just for a second.
Ready within the hallway for the UCLA coach after his group’s newest disappointment was former Bruins large man Adem Bona, one of the vital buoyant gamers to ever put on the college’s jersey.
Cronin shared a hug and a quick change with the Philadelphia 76ers rookie earlier than approaching a handful of reporters to face truths as chilly and exhausting because the cinder block wall behind him.
His group is taking part in a few of the worst protection of his six seasons in Westwood. His guards aren’t giving him practically sufficient and his offense struggles to seek out any constant rhythm.
Add it up and a season that regarded extremely promising as lately as two weeks in the past is now on a distinctly completely different trajectory.
On the identical day the Bruins fell out of the Related Press rankings, they could have bottomed out Monday night with a 75-68 loss to Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Enviornment.
A sputtering offense that received solely six factors — all on free throws — from main scorer Tyler Bilodeau mixed with a sagging protection spelled doom for the Bruins. If a fourth consecutive loss throughout what was imagined to be a bounce-back season isn’t all-time low, then they’re in actual hassle.
“You can’t give up 45 points in the second half and win a conference game, period,” Cronin stated after the Bruins (11-6 general, 2-4 Large Ten) gave up not less than 40 factors for the fifth time of their final seven halves. “I don’t care what the name of your team is and where the game’s being played, you’re not going to win.”
UCLA’s string of setbacks has practically worn out every little thing the group completed in December with victories over Oregon, Arizona and Gonzaga. What’s occurred to a group that held the Wildcats to 54 factors and the Bulldogs to 62?
“Guys’ minds are on other things,” Cronin stated, repeating current criticism of his gamers. “You know, you start thinking you’re winning because of who you are and your talent level — you’re winning because of your defense; you’re always winning because of your defense.”
UCLA’s offense additionally appeared in want of an overhaul after Bilodeau missed all seven photographs and the Bruins made solely six of 19 three-pointers (31.6%), persevering with an prolonged chilly stretch from lengthy vary.
Ahead Eric Dailey Jr.’s 16 factors, matched by Sebastian Mack’s 16 factors off the bench, weren’t practically sufficient for UCLA given its propensity for surrendering straightforward photographs and free throws. The Scarlet Knights (9-8, 2-4) made 16 layups or dunks and would have received in a runaway if that they had not made simply 21 of 31 free throws.
“Teams late in the [shot] clock, they’re just driving and we’re fouling them,” Cronin stated. “It’s just horrible late-clock defense by us.”
One way or the other, regardless of all their issues, the Bruins had an opportunity to finish a comeback from 9 factors down. When Kobe Johnson (13 factors) buried a three-pointer from the wing, UCLA was inside 63-62 with 2 minutes 7 seconds left.
However Rutgers guard Ace Bailey (20 factors, 10 rebounds) countered with a three-pointer from the nook, Johnson made solely one in all two free throws and the Scarlet Knights’ Jeremiah Williams added a reverse layup to place his group again up by 5 factors.
In a single closing indignity, UCLA’s Lazar Stefanovic, making an attempt desperately to foul Bailey within the closing seconds, did so just for the highest NBA prospect to make a shot after Stefanovic grabbed him.
The pressure of his group’s current stumbles revealed itself in Cronin’s ejection towards Maryland and his ripping gamers after a house beatdown by Michigan. The coach tried to reverse his group’s fortunes by altering his beginning lineup Monday, going with Stefanovic over the struggling Dylan Andrews
Cronin stated Andrews was sick however he would have made the change anyway in an try so as to add taking pictures to a lineup struggling to provide offense. It made little distinction, Stefanovic making three of seven photographs on the best way to eight factors.
Within the sport’s opening minutes, UCLA’s strain protection flustered the Scarlet Knights into a couple of turnovers earlier than Johnson picked up his second foul and headed to the bench for the stability of the primary half.
“He made a really bad decision with his foul in the backcourt — 75 feet from the basket, he just whacked the guy,” Cronin stated.
Even with Johnson taking part in all the second half, UCLA couldn’t maintain its defensive depth, a lot to the delight of a sold-out crowd that included Bona and Rutgers-turned-UCLA heart Myles Johnson, who apparently declined to choose a facet based mostly on his customized sweatshirt studying “RUCLA.”
Then once more, the Bruins didn’t give him a lot to cheer about.
Is it too early to start out writing the epitaph for UCLA’s season? Dailey stated the Bruins’ destiny remained fluid.
“We can get back to the team we are,” Dailey stated, alluding to the group’s potential remaining intact. “We just gotta have everybody collectively minded to want it. That’s it. We gotta do things that make sense, that help winning. It can’t just be two, three people, it has to be everybody from the top down to the whole staff.”
Their subsequent probability comes Friday towards Iowa, a season on the brink needing one other surprising swerve.
