Mick Cronin decries Pac-12 officiating after early foul trouble on Adem Bona vs. Oregon: 'Completely ridiculous'

UCLA held a 34-29 lead over Oregon at the half of a Pac-12 tournament quarterfinal on Thursday. Yet Bruins head coach Mick Cronin was irked when speaking with the Pac-12 Network at the half.

Cronin’s reason for the ire? His star center Adem Bona had gotten two fouls in rapid succession early in the first half. As a result, Bona finished the half with two points and two rebounds in four minutes played.

“They did the best they could,” Cronin said of the rest of his roster. “It’s ridiculous the way way Bona is treated in our league. Completely ridiculous.”

He cut off the next question with more distaste for the officiating.

“I don’t know how long we’re going to get him. It’s been going on all year to him,” Cronin said, pausing before cutting off another question. “It would be nice to play him though, wouldn’t it? That’s something I would’ve like to have seen.”

With a five-point halftime lead, Cronin was asked what he needs to see from the offense in the second half (aside from more Bona minutes).

Against the Ducks, Cronin identified one key: Protecting the ball and limiting turnovers.

“Well we gotta get Lazar [Stefanovic] involved. He didn’t play much either in the first half. The whole key against them is taking care of the ball. If we don’t turn it over, we’re going to be alright.”

Cronin tried the mindset of his team going into the conference tournament

UCLA has been up and down throughout the entire season, ending with a win against Arizona State following a five-game losing streak. Cronin was asked about his team’s mental state, claiming it’s been good all season. He knows the players are out there trying and the losses have not come down to no effort being displayed.

“Tough to say,” Cronin said. “It’s been quick. I gave them Sunday off to freshen up, hoping it’s going to be a long week. They had a good workout yesterday. But our mental state has been good all year. I’ve been telling people that all year. This team has never cared for lack of caring or lack of effort. That hasn’t been anything we’ve fought all year.”

Going on streaks has been UCLA’s main theme in Pac-12 play. They have two different losing streaks of four games and then five, with a run of six consecutive wins also mixed in there. Consistency, from a winning perspective, has not been present.

Luckily, the Bruins got a nice draw in the Pac-12 Tournament with who they are lined up against. First up will be Oregon State, a team UCLA has already beaten twice this season. Making it three in a row would mean a matchup against Oregon (1-1 but won the latest contest on Feb. 3.)

A poor start could have doomed the season from the get-go but Cronin believes there is some noise to be made moving forward.

“Somehow, we were able to get to fifth place so we’ve got a seed that gives us a couple of teams that we’ve had success against,” Cronin said. “But that doesn’t mean anything this week. Everybody is 0-0.”