UCLA Basketball: Sebastian Mack's Patchy Showing Vs Wildcats Dismissed By Mick Cronin

Is it a trend or a blip?

For the second straight game, UCLA Bruins freshman guard Sebastian Mack submitted a dismal night in a 65-56 losing effort to the Villanova Wildcats. The 6'3" guard scored six points on 3-of-10 shooting splits, grabbed three rebounds, dished out two dimes and snagged one steal.

Head coach Mick Cronin, however, isn't concerned about Mack's poor scoring efficacy just yet, per UCLA Communications.

“He’s a freshman figuring it out on the fly," Cronin explained. "Most freshmen are sitting on the bench.”

On the year, the Chicago native is averaging 13.6 points on 38.4% field goal shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest.

But Cronin makes a salient point: Mack, a four-star recruit, may still be facing a major learning curve as he adjusts to the NCAA level. 50 of Mack's 87 field goal tries this year have been at the rim, according to "KJ Live" star KJ. 

He specializes at getting to the cup. His shooting within the painted area in general has been solid, but perhaps Mack would benefit from a tweak or two to his long-range sniping. At present, he's connecting on 23.5% of his 2.1 triple tries a night.

Don't forget to join our community at LA Sports Report, where we celebrate all things Bruins!