The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team entered College Park, Maryland, with a chance to silence the doubters after Mick Cronin’s comments earlier this week. But after their 79-61 loss to the Terrapins on Friday night, both the Bruins players and Cronin found themselves under the microscope.
Following a back-and-forth first half, with 5:16 remaining in regulation, the Bruins trailed 60-51.
Forward Tyler Bilodeau, who finished with 18 points and four rebounds, missed a free throw, and an irate Cronin confronted a referee. The brief altercation resulted in Cronin’s ejection and the Bruins’ eventual 18-point loss.
Cronin’s extracurriculars aside, the Bruins played an all-around sloppy game. Turning the ball over 21 times, committing an eye-popping 21 fouls, and shooting only 41.5% from the field, the Bruins left their poise behind in Los Angeles.
The Bruins’ turnovers and a lack of life doomed them from the jump.
Given their third straight loss to a Big Ten opponent, UCLA is coming apart at the seams to start the new year.
The 11-4 Bruins test their luck this Monday as they take on Rutgers, desperately looking to get back into the win column.