3 Takeaways From Mick Cronin Following Maryland Win

The Bruins were able to bounce back against Maryland after seeing massive improvements defensively.

UCLA has struggled this season. After this game, they now firmly sit at 11-5, not the best as it stands now. However, the game against Maryland proved that the Bruins could be a very strong team moving forward. Here are three takeaways from Mick Cronin's press conference.

UCLA Must Improve Defensive Rebounding

Croni — Jan 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Eric Dailey Jr. (3) defends Maryland Terrapins guard Darius Adams (1) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

If you watched the game, the most frustrating issue was UCLA’s inability to rebound, which directly led to a flood of second-chance points. The Bruins were outrebounded 48–29 overall, with 20 of Maryland’s rebounds coming on the offensive glass—a glaring deficiency that kept the game closer than it ever should have been.

"If we could rebound, we’d have won by 30. They wouldn’t have got to 40. They shot the ball 15 more times than us. Our first-shot defense was unbelievably good. They’d have shot 20 percent if we could have got a rebound.”
Mick Cronin

Mick Cronin on Keeping Schemes Private

A common theme amongst coaches is their willingness to give information about the team's game plan. Mick Cronin has proven to be a serious exception. Cronin gave a pretty funny answer when he was asked about his defensive schemes.

"So announcers come to shoot around, then announcers come in here, media come in here. They're smart. You asked the right question. Basketball coaches have diarrhea in their mouth. Yeah, here's what I did. Here's what we do. Why the hell would I tell you?... So yeah, defensively, we made some adjustments, you figure it out. I'm not gonna sit here and tell Ohio State or Penn State."
Mick Cronin

Decision Making Needs Work

There were plenty of examples of Bruin taking really bad fouls, mostly when Maryland had a few seconds left on the shot clock. Donovan Dent had a foul like this during the game, and Cronin was not happy. The Bruins are so close to turning things around; they cannot let decision-making hurt this.

"Decision making, I tell my player this, decision making will probably shape the pattern of your life. So it's very congruent with what you do in basketball. The problem in basketball is that you affect the rest of our lives when you make bad decisions. So as a coach, you can just keep trying to teach guys to make better decisions."
Mick Cronin

Overall great game from the Bruins, lets just hope they are able to build on this fast. Their next real test will be No. 5 Purdue, a game that could seriously make-or-break their season.

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