UCLA's free fall reaches new depths with California's loss

Never one to hide his feelings, Mick Cronin was finally at a loss for words on Saturday night.

UCLA's coach was not present to speak with reporters after his team's latest loss. Instead, he sent his assistant, Rod Palmer, to analyze the implications.

Could it go any lower than that for the Bruins?

It's hard to say. There are still more than two months left in the season.

The only certainty is that the Bruins have sunk to new depths at Pauley Pavilion, falling to an opponent that has won just one game over the past five weeks and has lost its last 19 Pac-12 games since last season.

UCLA changed all that, giving California a shred of life while its already bleak outlook darkened.

A new point guard rotation, different lineups, more minutes for players who are rarely used… nothing has worked for the Bruins over Loss 66-57.

UCLA (6-9 overall, 1-3 Pac-12) has lost four straight games at home for the first time since the 2002-03 season — coach Steve LaVine's last — while also falling to the Golden Bears inside Pauley Pavilion for the first time since February 2010.

It's been a frustrating turnaround for the Bruins, who have lost seven of eight games and are staring at the possibility of a reversal from first to worst in the conference standings after winning the Pac-12 by four games last season.

In addition to skipping his session with reporters, Cronin also did not complete his usual post-game radio interview, nor did he make players available to speak with the media. Palmer said Cronin is still talking with the team and doesn't want to keep reporters waiting.

What is Cronin's message to his players? Palmer said he hasn't changed.

“You have to play harder if you want a different result,” Palmer said. “You have to do different things if you want a different result and we didn't do those different things. We stressed that in practice but for some reason, whatever it may be – it may be youth, it may be inexperience – we don't get the job done.”

When Cronin last addressed reporters, after the loss to Stanford on Wednesday, he questioned the quality of his players and said that freshman guard Ilan Fipplewell's exit from the game after just 21 seconds was due to defying instructions and committing a turnover.

“That's on him, not me,” Cronin said of Fipplewell's quick hook. “As I tell players at this level, tell them it's tough. So you can quit and go home, make excuses and transfer like 1,900 guys, or you'll get better. Look in the mirror. But you've got to look in the mirror first.”

Cronin also hinted that his roster could look vastly different next season if players don't toughen up.

“You can't call your mother; “She can’t help you,” Cronin said. “You have the opportunity of a lifetime, and it may not last forever depending on how you perform.”

The Bruins didn't look quite as fresh after three days as they immediately fell into a big hole against Cal with their offense continuing to falter. As badly as they played, trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half, the Bruins cut the deficit to 61-55 with 1:44 left before Cal's Jalen Cone hit a stunning 3-pointer.

It was that kind of night for UCLA, which was also pushed out by 10.

“You either hit somebody or you're going to get hit, and we got hit a lot,” Palmer said.

Cronin was so surprised by the referee's call — not to mention the way his team was playing late in the first half — that he threw his jacket on the bench, earning a technical foul.

UCLA coach Mick Cronin, right, yells at a referee during the first half of the Bruins' loss to California on Saturday night.

(Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)

Nothing came easy after a wholesale roster turnover necessitated seven freshmen and bigger roles for returning seniors Adam Bona and Dylan Andrews.

Seeking to turn around his team's flagging fortunes, Cronin instructed Sebastian Mack to take over the starting point guard duties from Andrews, who was stuck in an epic tailspin.

It only made things worse.

The Bruins missed their first five shots and committed three turnovers while giving up the game's first nine points.

Cronin then gave Jan Vaid a few minutes at point guard and things didn't get much better. So the coach turned back to Andrews, whose four points in quick fashion led the Bruins to a 32-23 halftime lead.

Presumably intended to take pressure off Andrews, who was shooting 24.5% from the field over his previous four games while recording nearly as many assists, the move only led to more turnovers and sloppy offense for the Bruins.

“The coach is trying to put the ball in people's hands to score, people who can score, and a lot of times they think they should score when in reality they should score if they can, but look for the open person if Palmer says: ‘They can't.'” And that's the disconnect. there. So we just have to make sure to use each other, share the ball with each other, and hope things get better.

Andrews never found a good shooting game, finishing with 10 points while making four of 12 shots. Mack led UCLA with 20 points and center Adam Bona added 14 points, but the Bruins made just two of 10 3-pointers in a poor showing. Another from a distance.

Guard Jaylon Tyson scored 22 points on nine-for-12 shooting for Cal (5-10, 1-3), whose previous wins came over St. Thomas, Cal State Bakersfield, Santa Clara and UC San Diego.

At this point, it's unclear if their victory over UCLA qualifies them as the Golden Bears' best team this season.