Dec 13, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin during a timeout in the second half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

What Mick Cronin Said Following Loss to Gonzaga

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI
By Andrew L. Ferguson Jr | Last updated Dec 15, 2025 2:00 PM ET

It was a rough game for the Bruins, losing to No. 8 Gonzaga 82-72, in a game that was well within reach later in the second half.

Mick Cronin would address everything that he felt when wrong in this one. Things need to shape up soon for the Bruins or this could be a long season. Here are the major takeaways from Cronin's presser.

Defensive Struggles

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Defense played a decisive role in the Bruins’ loss. To their credit, Gonzaga is one of the nation’s most efficient offensive teams, and Mick Cronin believed UCLA’s offense did enough to keep them competitive. Here is what he said:

You know, you shoot, you're 25 for 51 from the field, 7 for 15 from three,
and 15 and 19 from the foul line on the road. You should have a chance to win at the end or win or at least have a chance to like that. We just couldn't get the job done defensively. We tried zone, man, double, triple team in the post. You name it, we couldn't get the job doneMick Cronin On Defense

Brandon Williams Impact

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Brandon Williams was having a very solid game in just the five minutes he played before he went down with an ankle sprain. He scored four points on 2-3 shooting as well as one steal. Without him, the Bruins lost a key piece in their rotation. Here is what Cronin said about Williams:

We were playing Brandon at the time. Yeah. It's okay. Tough kid, probably tougher than all of them, to be honest... I would've liked to see what would have happened, if he wouldn't have gotten hurt, because he was the most effective guyMick Cronin on Brandon Williams

On Playing "Smart"

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Mick Cronin believes that the team is lacking the smartness that makes good teams great. And it shows, UCLA committed 32 fouls throughout the game, bad ones at that. Cronin wants to see players follow the scouting report more thoroughly, something that could have decided the game.

Our problem is we can't follow the scouting report. We're not; we don't play smart. We've got to try it. We've got to get this party on. Effort's not our problem. We did not play smart at all. That is perplexing. I can assure you, I mean, it's my 23rd year. won a lot of games, guys. It's because you... You play smart on defense. You make them beat you without their strength. You've been doing this a long time...We just, we're really not playing smart.Cronin on Team's Intelligence

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This Bruins team has struggled all season to take the next step forward. If the defensive issues aren’t addressed, UCLA could be in for a rough tournament run come March.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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