Mick Cronin on UCLA's loss to Villanova: 'We're not tough enough right now'

UCLA dropped 1-3 on the road or on neutral floors (5-3 overall) this season after losing at Villanova 65-56 on Saturday night. The Bruins were outscored 40-27 in the second half as Mick Cronin’s squad finished the game shooting 36.7 percent from the floor.

Cronin explained what went wrong to shift the tides in favor of the Wildcats, as the game was knotted at 45 with just over six minutes remaining in regulation. Villanova went on a game-changing 17-4 run over the next four minutes that included four-made three-pointers.

“We had three plays that beat us,” Cronin said after the loss. “We walked away from a shooter twice, and we didn’t get a rebound on a missed free throw. With that being said, give them credit – always give the other team credit. They have a program with a lot of pride. They had an unbelievable crowd tonight, playing off-campus. They had all these people here after they lost a few in a row.

“It’s impressive. Big credit to their fanbase for having the type of crowd they had. That’s what happened in those three plays. We’re just not tough enough right now. Our margin for error isn’t what it has been.”

The Bruins did make a comeback bid, cutting the lead all the way down to six with 45 seconds remaining — but Villanova held on behind Tyler Burton‘s 18-point, 10-rebound double-double performance for the Wildcats.

Lazar Stefanovic led the way for UCLA during the comeback attempt with five consecutive points and finished the game with a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds. Adem Bona fouled out during the contest but scored 11 points and eight boards in the loss before leaving the game.

Cronin’s squad have now dropped three of their last five games dating back to the Maui Invitational. One of those two wins was a 28-point blowout against Chaminade, while they managed to squeak past UC Riverside on at home Nov. 30 by one point.

Things won’t be letting up for the Bruins, however as UCLA has another marquee matchup on a neutral floor coming up this Saturday, as they head to Atlanta to battle Ohio State (8-2) in the CBS Sports Classic. That game will tip off at 3 p.m. ET live on CBS, which will immediately be followed by No. 9 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Kentucky approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Bruins and Buckeyes.