UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Reveals "Softest Mindset" Team Can Have About Road Games
Your UCLA Bruins seem to have found their groove as we hit the final month of the regular season. Currently, your Bruins are 11-11 and have won five of their last six games.
It's fair to say the Bruins are on a hot streak. Not to take anything away from the Bruins, but most of their wins came at home. UCLA has taken care of business at home, but it's something they should do.
Now, the real test will approach for these young, up-and-coming Bruins team as they hit the road against two NorCal rivals, the Cal Golden Bears and the Stanford Cardinal. They will be critical games as the Bruins look to get on the right side of .500.
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin doesn't care where the game is played, home or away; he expects his team to come out on top. In a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times' Ben Bolch, Cronin explained why it's not okay to lose road games just because teams are in enemy territory.
“It’s not OK to lose just because you are on the road," Cronin said. "That is the softest mindset as you can have, and it’s the opposite of everything I’m about. I try and project preparation and toughness eliminate where the games are at.”
The Bruins have won seven of their 11 games at home. Meanwhile, their other four wins came on the road/neutral site.
UCLA's road record isn't too hot, but two wins over their Pac-12 rivals this weekend could tell us a lot about this team. They are playing their best basketball now, and there's no sign of that slowing down.
As we all know by now, Cronin gets sick to his stomach when they lose. It's never a great feeling, and Cronin and his team don't intend to have that feeling this week.
