Bruins Basketball Suffers the Consequences of Upset Loss

UCLA has lost its spot in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings.

Feb 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA head coach Mick Cronin reacts during the first half in a game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Yannick Peterhans-Imagn Images / Yannick Peterhans-Imagn Images

UCLA basketball entered the 2024-25 season with tremendous promise, coming in at No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25.

But the Bruins' upset loss to New Mexico on Friday has set them back quite a bit.

UCLA was bounced from the latest AP Top 25 rankings and didn't even receive a single vote.

It's not a surprise; there are plenty more teams deserving of a ranked spot at this point in the season, and a loss to a much inferior opponent when you're in the bottom fifth of the rankings will more often than not knock you out.

“We’ve got a lot of new guys, but they don’t understand that when you put the UCLA jersey on, and you play a team like New Mexico, that went to the NCAA Tournament last year," said UCLA coach Mick Cronin after Friday's loss. "We have one guy who played in the NCAA tournament last year [William Kyle III], they have a bunch of them. You put that UCLA jersey on, kids grew up hearing about all of the great players at UCLA, and they are coming to play.

"We were not ready for their intensity. At the end of the day, that’s what they pay me for. We tried, they did not listen, they learned the hard way. Ultimately, I don’t blame them, I blame the coaching staff. We weren’t ready for the intensity of this game. It was very obvious. Sebastian Mack couldn’t take the ball from them, and he’s anything but a soft kid.”

The Bruins will have an opportunity to bounce back when they host Boston University on Monday. Fans will be hoping Friday's loss, while disappointing, set the team straight.

“It’s always good to play a game early like this, for me to be able to assess where we’re at and what needs to happen, get a dose of reality," Cronin said. "I tried to tell them for the last three days, you know, they’re fast, they’re athletic, they got to the tournament last year. [Nos.] 22 and 23 are fifth-year guys, they’ve been there three years at least, or more. Four of their top six are back this year and they won the Mountain West. I knew they were coming to play, I was looking to see how we were going to respond.”

Monday's contest is set for 7 p.m. PST, 10 p.m. EST.

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