The 64-61 loss UCLA suffered against Minnesota on Tuesday not only should not have happened, but it was a loss that the Bruins couldn’t afford to have, considering where they are in the season.
UCLA was riding high going into the home matchup — it had won eight of its last nine and, in doing so, had taken down some of the best teams in the conference.
But Tuesday’s loss was all too reminiscent of the four-game losing stretch it had suffered last month.
The Bruins went just 9-of-19 from the foul line, and their 61 points tied their third-lowest mark of the season.
“We haven’t been through this,” said UCLA coach Mick Cronin after the game. “Win eight out of nine, and you lose humility. And you start worrying about everything but defense.
“And I got guys in that locker room worried about shooting, and you worry about shooting, you worry about your points, whether your shot goes in, instead of worrying about playing defense and getting the ‘W.’ And that’s what happened tonight. That’s exactly what happened.
“And I hear you with the free throws. I mean, I’m not stupid. I can count. OK? You miss front ends — you miss 10 plus two front ends. It’s as bad as could be. You miss 10 free throws in the second half and some front ends. I’m well aware of that.
“But even if we would have won this game, I’m trying to build a team that has a chance in the NCAA Tournament, and it’s just really disappointing that I got guys worried about the wrong things. Because it’s a losing mentality to worry about whether your shot goes in or how many points you have. So, I failed miserably. So, it’s all my fault. We’re worried about the wrong things.
“You shouldn’t be worried about whether the free throw goes in. Be tough enough to go play defense. Things are not going to go right all the time in life; go play defense.”
It should alarm fans that the focus isn’t there this late in the season. You want to be playing your best basketball during the last leg, and UCLA simply did not on Tuesday.
The Bruins will need to find a way to regroup for Ohio State on Sunday.
Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @tcav30 and never miss another breaking news story again.
Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Article by:Source:
