Cronin Laments Bruins' Tournament Exit

Cronin pointed to UCLA’s loss to Michigan, where similar defensive shortcomings were exposed. Without a lineup equipped to switch seamlessly and contest perimeter shots, UCLA was forced to try and keep up offensively.

“I knew the matchup was going to be a problem, so we were going to have to be a high-execution team today,” Cronin said. “The message was, ‘We know we can’t try to win a 3-point shooting contest.’

"So, if they get hot, we can’t just grab it and shoot it and try to match them, and that’s what we did.”

Cronin emphasized that the team had been drilled on this strategy since learning they would face Wisconsin. In their previous meeting, UCLA had already seen what could go wrong. 

The first half of that game was a struggle, but in the second half, they adjusted, took fewer threes, and focused on high-percentage shots inside leading to a dominant finish. This time, however, UCLA failed to make that same adjustment.

“We took the bait miserably today,” Cronin said bluntly. “They’re a tough matchup for us.”

While the loss stings, Cronin made it clear that setbacks like these are part of the coaching journey. The challenge now is learning from the experience and improving.

“It’s not the first time I’ve lost in my career,” he said. “Like I said, it’s a bad matchup for us. Our big guys struggle to guard the perimeter. … That’s what it is.”

Cronin acknowledged that Wisconsin’s recent struggles from beyond the arc made it a coin flip as to whether they would find their rhythm against UCLA. Unfortunately for the Bruins, the Badgers got hot at the worst possible time.

“They lost three of their last five and shot 25 percent from the 3-point line,” Cronin said. “I told the guys that they were probably going to get hot again. That’s just who they are. We cannot grab it and shoot it and try to match them, and that’s what we did.

"That was the game. When we started doing that, playing like them instead of us, the game was over.”

With the tournament now behind them, UCLA will need to regroup and address the issues that plagued them throughout the year. For Cronin, the focus remains the same: learning from every loss and continuing to build toward a team that can handle matchups like these in the NCAA Tournament.