Mick Cronin Magic? UCLA is turning the season with upright gains

On By Littum

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Los Angeles-When UCLA head coach Mick Cronin publicly calls his team or goes out on other keys, love the College Basketball World to shoot back to the sixth-year head coach. How could it be constructive? How can his team succeed?

Well, maybe there’s a method of madness.

After a sluggish four-match losing row to start 2025 and some fiery words from their coach, Bruins has turned the manuscript and rattled six wins in a row. The latest is perhaps its most impressive yet: Removed No. 9 Michigan State In front of a revitalized Pauley Pavilion.

“You can call them the hottest team in the league right now and deserve it,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.

Cronin’s Rants could be one of several reasons why Bruins are driving high and challengers in the Big Ten. During the four-game sliding, which included two losses with double digits, the violation was an average of 65.5 points per Battle and made less than 45% of its buckets in each competition. Three of them were also in different time zones, something Cronin complained about.

UCLA started the season strongly and looked like a challenger to a top four seeds in the NCAA tournament, but the string with poor losses pushed it against the bubble area.

Then Bruins returned to the West Coast and things started clicking on. They have not left the Pacific Time Zone in three weeks and the offense has collected it. In the five subsequent games average the 80.8 points per Battle and made more than half of its shot in four of these wins.

“We knew we had to do something after these losses and I think we did a good job of getting along and focusing on day by day, focusing on the next day and just trying to keep Us through it, “said Tyler Bilodeau. “We knew we would get over the hump and we just have to keep doing it.”

The increase of 7-foot

There has been a catalyst during the race and it accidentally happened. In the victory 21 January over Wisconsin, 7-foot-3-inch Spain native Aday Mara went into the game after not having any playing time before and dominating Badgers completely. Offensively and defensively, Wisconsin had no response to Mara’s dominance near the bucket when he released a career high 22 points.

Since then, Mara has seen her role rise, go from getting garbage time and spot minutes to the benefit of the home crowd to being a difference producer on the field. He can effortlessly grab rebounds, shows that finesse is supporting around the edge, and his long arms result in opposite players having their shots weakened into the crowd or completely missing the net.

“I saw him early in the year and I didn’t think he was very good,” Izzo said. “I saw him in the last four or five matches and I think he’s really good. He creates some problems for you offensively.

“That kid gets really good,” he added.

The defense gets Spartans

The wrongdoing has scored for Bruins, but Tuesday’s victory over the Spartans was a vintage performance from a Cronin team. UCLA shot only 35% off the field – that’s the worst shooting night of the season – and in the second half went almost eight minutes without a field goal when Michigan State itching back.

But what did it do to stay in the game? Cause destruction defensively.

Michigan State turned the ball over 16 times. Izzo haunted fans sitting in the court should have had helmets “because the ball was just kind of flying over there.” These revenue led to the Spartans unable to get into transition opportunities and 19 points off turnover for Bruins, who only hosted the ball three times in the competition.

“I said to the guys if we come to the NCAA tournament and we play every game with three revenue, we cut the nets down,” Cronin said.

The defensive intensity was something Izzo didn’t think his team handled well and called it “the most physical game I’ve been in the Big Ten for a long time.” The physical nature is the reason why a hard bucket of Uclas Eric Dailey Jr. With seven seconds left was the game winner.

Whether it shoots in a high percentage or calls defensively, UCLA finds ways to win at the right time. In addition to the home crowd going from a snooze party to a violent one, Bruin creeps against becoming a march madness lock, getting the double town of the Big Ten tournament and winning the conference.

Could the fiery criticism of Cronin be the reason why Bruins turn it around? Does not exclude it.

“They lost four in a row, and everyone declared them dead,” Izzo said. “Sometimes you need a shock and he gave them one.”

“You better hope he continues to shout.”