What Mick Cronin Said Following Loss to Gonzaga

Here is what the Bruins head coach had to say after the harrowing loss

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

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

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

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 done

Mick Cronin On Defense

Brandon Williams Impact

Dec 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Brandon Williams (5), forward Steven Jamerson II (24) and Oregon Ducks forward Devon Pryor (22) reach for a rebound during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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 guy

Mick Cronin on Brandon Williams

On Playing "Smart"

Dec 13, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin and Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few after the game at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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

Dec 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | 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.

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