Mick Cronin’s Bruins are looking like an entirely different unit while suffering through a devastating four-game slump. Their defensive motor seems lacking, and the UCLA team is struggling in transition. Cronin, coming off a late ejection against Maryland, could not get his squad’s offense to go. No one was cutting when they should have. Fast break points were lacking, and the team coordination just seemed off. This losing stretch for UCLA has led to dampened spirits for fans and a question mark about their post-season odds.

On the podcast Locked on UCLA, show host Zach Anderson-Yoxsimer covered UCLA’s big collapse. “UCLA sent Rutgers to the free-throw line 31 times. Rutgers won this game by 7, they made 9 more free-throws while attempting 16 more,” said the podcast host about the Bruins’ offense.

Interestingly enough, the Bruins had 34 points in the paint as compared to 32 for the Scarlet Knights. Their three-point shooting was also slightly more efficient, with the Bruins hitting 6-19 rather than Rutgers’ 6-20. However, where the Rutgers made up for this was their performance at the foul line.

“What the Bruins did not do, almost for the first or second time all year, was force a lot of turnovers. UCLA forced 10 turnovers which is much lower than how they came into the new year forcing 18 turnovers a game,” Zach explained, owing the Bruins’s struggles to their defense.

True to his words, UCLA had only given up about 50 to 60 points on average over a large stretch, although recently that trend has changed for the worse. Over the last three games, the Bruins gave up a lot more points than they should have. Like Zach said, “75 by this team given up is not gonna cut it.”

When a team starts losing, the coach has to answer for a lot. Mick Cronin is receiving a lot of criticism from the fans and media about his coaching style and his lineups. “Cronin talked about an early second foul that limited Johnson’s minutes to 25. Could have been a major difference to this game if he saw more than 30… If he’s missing more than 15 minutes of action, that’s at least a couple of deflections and missed shots or steals.” His rotations are being questioned, with decisions such as limiting Kobe Johnson’s minutes and putting Sebastian Mack on the bench being heavily criticized.

The Bruins head coach has a lot to answer for, as limiting Johnson could be a major reason their defensive efforts weren’t as visible in this game. His next few matchups are against Iowa, Wisconsin, Washington, and USC. Each game will further decide how the rest of the Bruins’ season goes. If Cronin is to stage a comeback, then he must do it soon.

Mick Cronin’s 500 wins, will it happen this season?

Amidst their slump, the UCLA Bruins seem to forget an important milestone coming their way. After coaching in 5 different conferences for over a decade, Cronin is close to a record that would set his coaching resume apart. Five hundred wins is no small feat, but when is he going to achieve this milestone?

With the way the Bruins are playing, it doesn’t seem to be soon. With fourteen matches left in the season, Cronin only has a slight chance of making it to the big five double-O mark. His team would need to pick up the pace and break their losing streak. What makes this task more daunting is that they have to achieve this feat in the Big Ten conference. With juggernauts like Purdue on the horizon, 9 wins out of 14 seems next to impossible.

Another thing to mention is that Coach Cronin is also not focusing on basketball alone. Because of personal tragedy and natural calamity, his mind is in two places. It would be unfair to ask him to zone in on this milestone, but it’s right there for the taking. If the UCLA boys band together, they have the talent to take on the impossible.

Their shooting is a lot better than last year, and the defensive pressure is there. All they need to do is apply it. If UCLA manages to overcome this Big Ten collapse, anything can happen in the post-season. What do you think? Will the Bruins manage to break their slump? Will Mick Cronin reach the 500-win milestone this season? Only time will tell.