Mick Cronin‘s brand of basketball – tough, relentless, hard to score – should play well in a conference that values those traits.
So how is it going for the UCLA coach and his team in their new conference?
“We’re having a hard time adjusting to Big Ten basketball,” Cronin acknowledged Thursday.
The Bruins have lost four games in a row against conference veterans after winning two games against other Big Ten newcomers Washington And Oregon.
UCLA’s problems go well beyond not looking like one of Cronin’s best teams due to inconsistent guard play and a slump on defense. The coach said his players were no match for their counterparts who adopted a more physical style.
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They’ve been pushed around, beaten and worn down by opponents who have been much tougher in beating the Bruins (11-6 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) by an average of 13 points during their losing streak.
“Big Ten basketball is different,” Cronin said. “It’s a much more physical game.”
The Big Ten motto – “Dream big” – might sound more like “Dream of bigs” when it comes to a team that often uses a 6-foot-9 forward. Tyler Bilodeau as its greatest actor. Could UCLA get stronger by using more 7-3 center candidate Mara and 6-9 ahead William Kyle III?
“We tried,” Cronin said, pointing to Mara’s unnecessary fouls and inability to rebound against Rutgers and Kyle’s lack of consistent production as reasons for their limited minutes. “It’s not your size that matters. That’s the size of a guy playing.
By this measure, 6-6 forward Kobe Johnson can walk big as he is the team’s leading rebounder (5.7 per game) despite being their sixth tallest player. Cronin said the coaching staff had discussions with Mara (3.2 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game) and Kyle (2.5 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game) about being more productive but had need players to hold themselves accountable.
“You know, at some point, guys,” Cronin told a small group of reporters, “you’ve got to have players who say, ‘Enough is enough.’ »
Cronin’s players at Cincinnati often argued in practice, he said, to show that they felt losing was unacceptable.
“There has to be a standard, you have to fight for it, this just can’t be OK,” Cronin said. “It can’t be good in the locker room. It can’t just be me thinking this can’t be okay, so we’ll see. …It’s a challenge for people in the (transfer) portal era. Are you really interested in this or are you a player for hire?
Johnson, guard Sébastien Mack and forward Eric Dailey Jr. were among those who spoke this week, Cronin said, but had to back up their remarks with their play before a crucial game against Iowa (12-5, 3-3) Friday night at Pauley Pavilion.
“We just tried to keep the focus on the fact that we have to stay together no matter what because we were just on the other side of it last year,” the guard said. Skyy Clark said, referring to the team’s success in December. “You know, we were winning a lot of games, we felt good. So, we know we can do it because we’ve done it before, so we just need to get back on track.
Among the solutions UCLA is seeking are better defense and fewer fouls. The good news? One can lead to the other. The Bruins’ recent spate of fouls was triggered by being out of position on defense, prompting players to grab to prevent easy baskets. There were also some stupid fouls, such as Johnson hitting a Rutgers player deep in the backcourt several minutes into the game, forcing him to sit out the rest of the first half with two fouls.
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UCLA’s defensive decline was reflected in a lack of deflections. The team fell short of Cronin’s desired threshold of 40 deflections — defined as tipped passes, interceptions, blocks or loose balls recovered — during its losing streak. Against Rutgers, the Bruins only recorded 28 deflections despite constant pressure all game.
Pick and roll defense has also been a team-wide issue, with guards failing to funnel ball handlers to big men and big men failing to stop dribble penetration.
Almost nothing looked like what the Bruins wanted in their new conference.
“We need to get back to how we started the season,” Johnson said, “and get back to playing that brand of basketball.”
Injury Updates
Clark admitted his shoulder continues to bother him after suffering several hits this month against Nebraska.
The pain began when Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel, a transfer from UCLA, pulled him onto the field, and it was exacerbated when Clark hit a screen and then fell on the same area. Clark said he suffered a deep bone bruise and a slight sprain of the ligaments connecting the collarbone to the shoulder blade.
“It’s definitely been uncomfortable,” Clark said. “But once the adrenaline kicks in (during matches), it relaxes a little bit. But yeah, I did a lot of rehab with (athletic trainer Tyler Lesher) and all that, so we went for it.
Cronin said leader Dylan Andrewswho was limited to five minutes against Rutgers because of severe cold symptoms, was feeling better. Andrews was a full participant in the portion of practice open to reporters Thursday.
Etc.
A team official confirmed the game against Iowa will take place at Pauley Pavilion as UCLA prepares to return to in-person instruction next week after leaving campus following the recent wildfires in Southern California.
This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
