Why UCLA’s Cronin Isn’t Celebrating After Blowout Win

The Bruins seemingly dominated in all facets against Cal Baptist in their first exhibition game Wednesday night.

UCLA walked away with a 100-53 win over the Lancers in a game that was lopsided from the very beginning. The Bruins passed both the eye test and lit up the stat sheet, exceeding just about every area in the box score.

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Mick Cronin Is Not Satisfied

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

However, despite the dominant win, Mick Cronin is not satisfied. In his postgame press conference, he noted one weakness that UCLA may have to turn their attention to before they play against a top-10 team in Arizona on opening night.

“We had some shot selection I thought we got to improve on. You know, 45% here in this game is going to equate to about 37% against Arizona,” Cronin said.

He continued, “It’s the hardest thing. It’s like the final frontier in coaching is getting guys to get to the next advantage and hunt for layups and open shots. Don’t settle. You’re just helping the other team. You take tough shots against Arizona opening night, we’re going to be in deep trouble.”

Mar 13, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin yells at his team in the game against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite UCLA’s offense scoring 100 points on the night, Cronin is correct in his assessment. Arizona will obviously present a much harder defense, and there were many players on UCLA’s roster who were flat-out inefficient against Cal Baptist.

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Box Score Inefficiencies

Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty was not afraid to shoot the ball in the exhibition matchup, taking 15 shots on the night, but only making five. In fact, he was 2-for-10…

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Publish date : 2026-10-24 13:00:00

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