Bruins Win, But Cronin Sounds the Alarm

The UCLA Bruins left Welsh-Ryan Arena with a 73-69 win over Northwestern, but for Head Coach Mick Cronin, the result wasn’t enough. Despite securing a critical road victory in the Big Ten, Cronin’s postgame message wasn’t about celebration — it was about accountability.

The Bruins built a commanding 14-point lead with just over three minutes remaining before nearly letting it slip away. Northwestern’s late-game pressure forced UCLA into turnovers and rushed possessions, turning what should have been a comfortable finish into a chaotic scramble to the final buzzer.

For Cronin, the near-collapse underscored a recurring issue: a lack of consistent effort, especially on the defensive end.

“I don’t think we played hard enough defensively for part of this Big Ten season,” Cronin said. “We did against Michigan State, who is going to win our league. We did it against them, we did it against Gonzaga, we did it against Arizona, so we’ve done it at a high level. But we haven’t been consistent, and that’s on me.

"It’s my job to try to get us there, because otherwise we’re going home early. Consistent teams will March on.”

While the Bruins secured the win, Cronin made it clear that their standard needs to be higher. Throughout the season, UCLA has shown flashes of elite defensive play, but lapses in focus have cost them valuable wins. If the Bruins want to be a legitimate contender in March, Cronin believes they must hold each other accountable — starting with himself.

“I tell the guys the truth about what it’s going to take, but we’ve all got to accept the fact that we have to hold each other to a really high standard from an effort standpoint,” he said.

Even in victory, Cronin wasn’t satisfied with how the game closed. UCLA had full control until Northwestern’s late surge forced the Bruins to scramble. He pointed to poor decision-making and a lack of composure as major factors in allowing the Wildcats back into the game.

“It’s on me, I have to coach them better. We have to get the ball in and be strong with the ball,” Cronin said. “It was our possession, and we had three timeouts, so there was no reason to be in a hurry. Just keep calling timeout or take the jump ball. But when they don’t do it, I’ve got to coach it better.”

Still, he found positives in UCLA’s effort, particularly on the boards. The Bruins outrebounded Northwestern by 14, limiting the Wildcats, one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the Big Ten, to just four second-chance opportunities.

“This was the best offensive rebounding we’ve had all season,” Cronin noted. “They are second in the league in offensive rebounds, and they only had four. They only got one of their last 20 shots. I don’t think we’ve come close to outrebounding a Big Ten team by 14. So our effort tonight was great until we decided to try to get on Scott Van Pelt’s show.”

Cronin’s humor underscored a key message: effort isn’t the issue — it’s sustaining it. UCLA has shown it can dominate when fully locked in, but its inconsistency remains a concern.

With the regular-season finale against USC looming, Cronin hopes his team takes the message to heart. The Bruins have the talent and physicality to compete with anyone, but they can’t afford to lose focus when it matters most.

And if they do? Cronin has made it clear that accountability starts at the top.

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