UCLA Basketball: Despite Blowing Out Trojans, Mick Cronin Optimistic Andy Enfield Can Save USC's Season

This was a classy move by Cronin.

The UCLA Bruins men's basketball team went into Galen Center on Saturday evening and grabbed a much-needed victory over their rivals. UCLA dominated the USC Trojans, and it was the program's first win on the road against USC since the 2018 season.

Additionally, it was the first win at the Galen Center for UCLA head coach Mick Cronin. He relished the win after it ended, but also took some time out to acknowledge his struggling counterpart over at USC.

Cronin praised USC head coach Andy Enfield after the game. He understands how hard it is to keep a team afloat amid rough times, so he showed support for his colleague. 

Andy’s a great coach. Obviously, losing Collier threw everything off for them. They got too many guys in and out. Too many guys hurt, not hurt. And he’ll find a way to right the ship. He always has, since I’ve been in LA.”

Mick Cronin postgame after UCLA's win over USC: "Andy’s a great coach. Obviously, losing Collier threw everything off for them. They got too many guys in and out. Too many guys hurt, not hurt. And he’ll find a way to right the ship. He always has, since I’ve been in LA.”

— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) January 28, 2024

It was a classy move by Cronin and shows who he is as a person. While he enjoyed his team winning, he also knows well enough about the struggles of dealing with a reeling squad.

USC has fallen far down this season, and the Bruins took advantage of that on Saturday night. It was a good victory for this young UCLA team, and they can take this win to continue growing.

The Bruins are playing some of their best basketball of the season right now, and it's resulted in them winning three of the last four games. Their lone loss was to Arizona on the road, but they choked away a halftime lead to drop the game. 

If the Bruins can continue to develop their games the rest of the way, they could make some noise in the upcoming tournaments. Cronin has his guys ready to play each night, and it's been incredible to see the growth of the squad.