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Mick Cronin eviscerates UCLA team after loss to Michigan

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•01/08/25•

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(Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)

Michigan just wrapped up its first and only West Coast trip of the 2024-2025 season. The Wolverines walked away victorious in both, taking down USC and UCLA. Tuesday night was the win against UCLA and while Dusty May might be a happy camper, Mick Cronin was fiery during his postgame press conference.

Cronin eviscerated his players following the loss, calling the entire team “soft.” He pointed at two critical moments with two specific players when UCLA got stops but failed to get a rebound. Instead, Michigan got an extra possession.

“They shot the ball well,” Cronin said. “But we’re soft. We’re too soft to play hard enough. Even in the crucials, you can’t get an offensive rebound. It’s like a five-point game and Kobe Johnson has a guy take the ball from him. Same thing with Sebastian Mack. We finally do get a stop, can’t get a defensive rebound. They didn’t have a million of them because they didn’t miss too many shots.”

Michigan did shoot the ball well, being over 60% from the floor. Over 50% of the Wolverines’ three-point attempts went in too, going 15-28. A great day for the Wolverines and a quality road win they can hang their hat on throughout the rest of the season.

And Cronin even admits that Michigan presents a special kind of matchup due to size. Two different seven-footers — Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin — are in the starting lineup with three guards, all capable of scoring at different levels. It’s going to be tough for anyone to guard, not just UCLA.

Even so, the Bruins head coach believes certain moments were “back-breaking” and confirmed what he thought of his team.

“So don’t tell me you want to win,” Cronin said. “Just don’t tell me you want to win. To start the game, Tyler Bildoeau gave up 12 points. Two screens, he didn’t say a word. Threes. And then he got dunked on three times. So, just don’t tell me you want to win. We’re soft.”

UCLA is now the one flying across the country, hoping to prove to Cronin they are not “soft.” Friday presents a game against Maryland before a quick Monday turnaround against Rutgers. Two teams the Bruins know will not just fold if there is any adversity.