UCLA's Cronin Gets Honest About Unpredictable Nature of His Team

UCLA's rout of Utah State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was rather surprising.

Mar 19, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; UCLA head coach Mick Cronin speaks with media during NCAA Tournament First Round Practice at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Mick Cronin's UCLA squad played some of its best basketball of the season against Utah State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

The Bruins soundly defeated the No. 10-seeded Aggies, 72-47, a game in which UCLA, which is known for its defense, locked Utah State down, finishing with six steals and seven blocks.

Offensively, the Bruins shot 48.1% from the field and 41.7% from range.

It was unclear what UCLA team fans would be getting on Thursday, given the fact that it never really is clear, considering how inconsistent this team has been at times throughout the season.

Cronin iterated this with honesty when asked after the game if he had "a sense the guys were as locked in as they were going to be" on Thursday.

“I mean, it would be easy to say yeah, but then I would start turning into some other coaches," Cronin said. "Who the hell knows, man? I mean, I wish I knew. There's times you think they're really ready to play in this sport, and you lay an egg. Tough to say.

"It scared me when Eric [Dailey Jr.] went out with the second foul. He's a guy, him and Sebastian [Mack], they're not afraid to say something to their teammates. They're not quiet. Eric, in his 22 minutes, he was all over the damn place. You've got to have a guy, confidence matters."

Cronin takes pride in the program's history and its Division I-best 11 national titles. With that resume, he believes his team is held to a special standard.

"I'm trying to infuse confidence in these guys," Cronin said. "They're the ones -- they're the only one in this tournament that practices under 11 banners, championship banners, only one.

"And when we walk out there with them uniforms on, everybody knows them uniforms. So, you have to have an air about you.” 

The good news for Bruins fans is that this performance came at the right time. While unpredictable, this team can build on this outing and carry it through the tournament. And if it does so, the sky is the limit for how far it can go.

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