Tag: Mick Cronin

What UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said about Michigan State basketball after NCAA Tournament win

Mick Cronin was highly complimentary of Michigan State following his team’s win over the Spartans.

Michigan State basketball dropped a frustrating, disappointing game to UCLA last night in a game that, in all honesty, both teams probably shouldn’t have had to play. The Spartans lost by 6 to the Bruins in overtime of a First Four play-in game that seemed to only exist as a ratings draw for the opening slate.

Nevertheless, UCLA came out victorious, but Bruins head coach Mick Cronin was highly complimentary of Tom Izzo and MSU in his post game remarks.

You can watch his full press conference here:

You can see the most interesting quotes from Mick Cronin about Michigan State below:

Michigan State Basketball vs. UCLA: Where to Watch, Odds, Game Preview & Prediction

Check out the game details, keys to the match-up, and my game prediction in this Michigan State-UCLA preview.

It’s time to dance.

Michigan State will help tip off the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Thursday night in a First Four match-up against UCLA. The winner will move on to face No. 6 seed BYU in the first round on Saturday.

Michigan State enters this match-up with wins in five of their last eight games, while UCLA has lost four straight to backdoor their way into the big dance. Which of these blue blood programs will move on to the next round and which will head home?

Let’s take a look at this match-up, with game details, things to watch, and last but not least my prediction for this game.

San Jose State at UCLA: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

San Jose State at UCLA: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More Spartans looking to regain form against formidable foes Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire Prioleau has tinkered with his lineups, but can he find the right formula? …

[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]

San Jose State at UCLA: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

Spartans looking to regain form against formidable foes

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

Prioleau has tinkered with his lineups, but can he find the right formula?

WHO: San Jose State (3-4, 0-0 MWC) at ULCA (5-3, 0-0 Pac-12)

WHEN: Sunday, December 1 — 5:00 P.M. PT / 6:00 P.M. MT

WHERE: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA

WATCH: Pac-12 Network (cable subscription required); Get a free one-week trial of FuboTV.

LISTEN: TuneIn

ALL-TIME RECORD: UCLA leads the series, 8-1

ODDS: UCLA -17, per KenPom

PREVIEW: San Jose State will be looking for an upset victory on Sunday night as they travel down to Pauley Pavilion to do battle with UCLA.

The Spartans come into the game on the heels of two disappointing losses to Portland State and Oregon State. Things were looking up for Jean Prioleau’s team after beating Hofstra in the opener and snagging another early win over a Grambling State squad that could win the SWAC.

But the other shoe dropped hard, with SJSU losing their last two games by a combined 50 points.

This drop in production comes at an unideal time for a team that plays its next four games against UCLA, Utah State, San Diego State, and Stanford. In fact, the Bruins might be the easiest opponent of the Spartans’ upcoming slate.

The Bruins also find themselves in the midst of a slide. After starting the year at 4-0, UCLA has lost three of its last four. They picked up a cheap win over Chaminade, the host of the Maui Invitational, but otherwise dropped games against Hofstra, BYU, and Michigan State.

Mick Cronin’s side saw early success going inside to big man Jalen Hill, but the redshirt sophomore has gone quiet in the past two games. Hill scored in single digits against both the Cougars and the Spartans after a 24-point explosion against Hofstra.

Nobody else on the Bruins has consistently stepped up when Hill has struggled.

Prince Ali, Tyger Campbell, and Cody Riley are all capable options, but none of them appear to playing at a level to truly take over a game as the primary scorer. UCLA was able to skate through their first four games, but their lack of scoring punch outside of hill has exposed a weakness that other teams can and should exploit.

That means that the San Jose State frontcourt will have their work cut out for them on Sunday evening.

Prioleau ran out a new starting lineup for the first time against the Beavers on Wednesday, starting former Wake Forest big man Samuel Japhet-Mathias. The transfer center responded by scoring a team-leading 10 points. Omari Moore also started in place Seneca Knight but had little impact in just 15 minutes on the floor.

Knight and fellow double-digit scorer Richard Washington Jr. combined to shoot just 2-for-15 off the bench. They have been the Spartans’ leading scorers over the first handful of games, but were nowhere to be found in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Shooting woes also followed Christian Anigwe, who shot 1-for-8 against Oregon State. The sophomore forward did secure 14 rebounds and block three shots, though.

But those issues are just about the shots they actually get off. Nearly a quarter of the Spartans’ possessions never make it that far, instead ending in a turnover. To put that in context, San Jose State ranks 308th in turnover rate, per KenPom.

There’s a lot that Jean Prioleau needs to get cleaned up if SJSU stands a chance at UCLA. But on the bright side for the Spartans, they’re catching the Bruins on a cold streak.

Prediction: UCLA 81, San Jose State 63

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1361]

UNLV at UCLA: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Streaming, Odds, More

UNLV at UCLA: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Streaming, Odds, More Runnin’ Rebels looking for first-ever win against UCLA Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire UNLV is coming off two straight OT losses WHO: UNLV (1-2, 0-0 MWC) at UCLA …

[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]

UNLV at UCLA: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Streaming, Odds, More

Runnin’ Rebels looking for first-ever win against UCLA

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

UNLV is coming off two straight OT losses

WHO: UNLV (1-2, 0-0 MWC) at UCLA (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12)

WHEN: Friday, November 15th — 9:00 P.M. MT / 8:00 P.M. PT

WHERE: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA

TV: Pac-12 Network

STREAM: Pac-12 Network (cable subscription required); Get a free one-week trial of FuboTV.

RADIO: TuneIn

SERIES RECORD: UCLA leads, 5-0

ODDS: UCLA -7, per KenPom

PREVIEW: TJ Otzelberger’s first three games have been a pretty mixed bag, as UNLV sits at 1-2 after Tuesday night’s overtime loss to California. It was the second time in as many games that the Rebels fell in extra time.

But though the results are the same, there were far more positives for UNLV in the Cal game than there were against Kansas State.

For starters, Amauri Hardy didn’t have to do all the scoring. He still ended up with 15 points, but Donnie Tillman and Eli Mitrou-Long both topped him, scoring 17 and 16, respectively.

Tillman’s big game was exactly what UNLV needed. The transfer had a nice debut, but his 16 points against Purdue-Fort Wayne were propped up by a lot of trips to the line. Against the Golden Bears, Tillman was able to score from the field, hitting 5-of-10 from inside the arc and burying his first three-pointer in a Rebels uniform.

Also encouraging is that Tillman played 41 minutes against Cal, compared to a combined 42 minutes against Purdue-Fort Wayne and Kansas State. If UNLV is going to rise above their station, Tillman needs to build off of Tuesday’s performance.

But the Rebels face a difficult task in heading to one of college basketball’s most hallowed halls, Pauley Pavilion.

In their third consecutive game against a Power 5 opponent, UNLV heads to Westwood to take on UCLA and their new head coach, Mick Cronin. The Rebels have never beaten the Bruins in five tries. Their last meeting, a 77-75 thriller, took place in 2015.

This year’s UCLA team comes in with a 2-0 record, but they aren’t without their question marks, either. Their opener was a struggle against Long Beach State. The Bruins eked out a four-point victory over the Beach, but didn’t shoot particularly well.

Sunday’s tilt with UCSB started out looking like it would be another long game for the Bruins, but UCLA took over in the second half. Sophomores Jalen Hill and Jules Bernard both hit the 20-point mark. Hill was dominant inside, finishing with 22 points, ten rebounds, and three blocks.

Prince Ali and Chris Smith both scored in double figures, but shot a combined 4-for-18 from the floor. Freshman Tyger Campbell was held to just two points after scoring 15 against Long Beach State. Campbell did add six assists, proving his worth as a distributor in Mick Cronin’s offense.

UCLA could find themselves in the hunt for a top-half finish and a potential trip to the NCAA Tournament this March, but they will need to start playing the full 40 minutes if they are going to reach their potential.

UNLV needs to contain Hill inside and make the Bruins prove that they can hit the long ball effectively. But if UCLA is making their shots, it’s going to be difficult for the Rebels to hang.

They would also probably prefer to avoid another overtime.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1361]