UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Blames Himself For Bruins' Disappointing Season

Mick Cronin takes on the full blame for the Bruins less than stellar season.

The UCLA Bruins will begin their final two games of the regular season on March 7, when they will take on #5 ranked Arizona. They will also face off against Arizona State to finish things up. 

The hope was that Mick Cronin would have been able to inspire his young team enough to put them in the best possible place to win games. While the season began strongly, the Bruins' youth began to show. 

It has been a rollercoaster season, with the team dropping four games in a row following their impressive six-game win streak. Instead of trying to place the blame on anyone else, Cronin took ownership. 

“Same thing as always – come in here every day with a great attitude and a great effort, regardless of result.”

Coach Cronin, speaking about expectations with his team going into this week’s two home games pic.twitter.com/Wn2IU536Dv

— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) March 5, 2024

Cronin was asked about his ability to recruit and train teams, which led to being asked what his "level of responsibility" is for the season not going the way he wanted. 

In normal fashion, Cronin simply answered, "100%." 

Cronin added, "Who else would it be?" He was asked if it was on the players and he stated "They did the best they could." He also indicated that the team got stuck in a rebuilding year, and they have certainly done the best they can. 

The Bruins season is still not over. They have shown great toughness and grit despite adversity, and they could still make a splash in the Pac-12 Tournament. They would have to win out to make the NCAA Tournament. 

Coach Cronin knows this team is young and knows they will likely be far more successful next season, it will just take a bit more rebuilding to get to that point.