UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Details What Led To Bruins Falling To Villanova

The Bruins are now 5-3 on the year.

On Saturday, your UCLA Bruins fell to the Villanova Wildcats, 65-56, to see their record drop to 5-3 overall on the season.

6'7" senior forward Tyler Burton notched an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double to pace the Wildcats to victory. The club is now 7-4 this year.

Junior Bruins wing Lazar Stefanovic enjoyed particularly good game, scoring 14 points on 5-of-19 field goal shooting (2-of-7 from deep) and 2-of-2 free throw shooting, while grabbing nine boards and dishing out three dimes. Sophomore power forward Adem Bona chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, a steal and an assist.

After the loss, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin spoke candidly about his team's deficiencies, writes Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times.

“We’re just not tough enough right now; our margin for error isn’t what it has been,” Cronin said. “We’re the youngest team in the country playing a team that’s maybe the oldest team in the country, so we can’t have those kind of mistakes.”

Though that may be hyperbole, it's still not far off.

As Bolch notes, when it comes to on-court NCAA experience, the Bruins currently rank as No. 320 out of 362 Division I teams, per basketball number-cruncher Ken Pomeroy.

Don't forget to join our community at LA Sports Report, where we celebrate all things Bruins!