Bruins' Cronin Couldn't Be Happier with Team's Last Two Wins

UCLA coach Mick Cronin gave his team immense praise after their rivalry win over the USC Trojans on the road on Monday night. Without leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau, the Bruins have stepped up in a major way to earn a few key conference wins.
Jan 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts against the Southern California Trojans at the Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jan 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts against the Southern California Trojans at the Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The UCLA Bruins (15-6, 6-4) could not have responded better from their four-game losing streak to open January, as they have now have won-straight after their rivalry road win over the USC Trojans (12-8, 4-5) on Monday night.

The past two games of UCLA's recent winning streak have come on the road, taking down the Washington Huskies and quickly turning around to play their crosstown rival in a very hostile environment. This team has taken a monumental stride over the past two weeks.

Coach Mick Cronin spoke to the media following Monday's win and gave his team immense praise for their performance over the past few games. They have been without leading scorer, junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, after he suffered an ankle injury in the opening minutes against Washington.

"Any win is a great win, period, end of story, in this league, and we just won two in a row, on the road without our leading scorer," Cronin said. "Not many teams in the country [are] going to win on the road in a rivalry game against a great coach, a heck of a team of older guys, without their leading scorer. So, to ask me if I'm happy, understatement."

The Bruins did what was necessary down the stretch to earn another statement win on the road against their in-state rival. Cronin revealed that in the final stages of the game, junior guard and starting point guard Dylan Andrews left the game with full body cramps and would not return.

"Tyler being out obviously changes us offensively, but then we had to play the last eight minutes, our point guard [Andrews] cramped up, can't come back in, he's in full body cramps," Cronin said. "So now we're playing without Dylan and without Tyler, on the road, in a rivalry game. Eventually they start playing well, it's just a great win for us."

The response that Cronin received from his team without two of their top players was nothing short of incredible. Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack hit a clutch 3-pointer in the final 2 minutes, junior guard Skyy Clark pulled down a late offensive rebound, and several others contributed.

It has been very impressive to see how this group has bounced back after hitting rock bottom just a few weeks ago. They were 2-4 in conference play with a declining trajectory, but quickly remedied those issues with four-straight Big Ten wins to put them back in the conference title conversation.

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