Mick Cronin knows exactly who to blame for the UCLA Bruins’ ugly 86-74 loss on Saturday to the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Cronin expressed his disappointment over the outcome of the game, particularly with the defensive effort his team showed on the court. He also called himself out for the way the Bruins played.
“Highly disappointed, the 54-year-old Cronin said, via the official X account of the team. “I offer no excuses. Blame me. I’m the one who recruited them. I signed them as free agents.”
Coaches are always easy targets after tough losses, and Cronin was not going to wait for others to blame him.
The Bruins shot just 40% from the floor, but they outshot Ohio State from the field by a considerable margin, 62-53. However, the Buckeyes were much more efficient with their shots, in large part because of UCLA’s faulty defense.
Ohio State hit 53% of its attempts from the field. Moreover, the Buckeyes registered a 137.7 defensive rating, the highest UCLA allowed in a game so far in the 2025-26 college basketball season by a mile.
As it stands, the Bruins are now 12-6 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten play. The loss to Ohio State was also another failed attempt by UCLA to secure an important Quadrant 1 victory, something it has only done once, thus far in the campaign.
It is not about to get any easier for the Bruins, as they are scheduled to face off against the No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers on Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, Calif.
