Mick Cronin has made his standard clear for UCLA men’s basketball: top 10 in both offense and defense. That’s the line he draws for an elite team.
In a recent conversation with CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Cronin said the Bruins were above average nationally last season, but still not at the level he expects from one of his teams. He traced that belief back to his time on Bob Huggins’ staff at Cincinnati from 1996 to 2001, where Huggins used to stress that great teams have players who can erase mistakes because mistakes are going to happen on defense. Cronin also pointed to Kelvin Sampson’s Houston teams, where Sampson has consistently had rim protectors who can cover for breakdowns, sometimes two in the same game.
That kind of player - a mistake eraser - changes everything. Adem Bona filled that role for UCLA, though the results were uneven. Since then, the Bruins haven’t had anyone in that mold.
Unless there’s a late addition through the eligibility litigation, Cronin is heading into the season with a 14-player roster, and he’ll have to work with what he has. The task now is less about ideal construction and more about getting the most out of the group already in place.
Even without that type of anchor, UCLA has found a way to win in Big Ten play. The Bruins are 26-14 across two seasons without a mistake eraser, tied with Purdue for fifth in the league over that stretch.
Cronin has already shown he can survive conference play that way. The bigger question is whether he can do enough without one when March gets here.
In Other News...
UCLA Camp Is Already Raising One Early Concern For Bruins Fans
A week into UCLA training camp, there are already signs that the Bruins are getting a better read on where some key pieces fit. Receiver Matthews has apparently been more involved in the offense, which is the kind of development the staff wants to see this time of year, while Wayne Knight continues to look like a dependable option in the backfield. There is enough positive momentum in those spots to suggest the offense is sorting itself out in a few important areas.
The concern, at least for now, is on the other side of the ball. Malik Hartford appears to be trending in the wrong direction, and the bigger worry is whether UCLA's defensive front line will be able to hold up against the run when the season starts for real. Training camp is designed to surface problems before they become full-blown issues, and this one already looks like it could stick around for a while. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Backfield Battle Could Finally Fix A Longstanding Problem
UCLA is heading into the season with a clear push to lean harder on the ground game under coach Bob Chesney, and the backfield looks like the part of the roster most likely to make that plan work. Transfer Wayne Knight joins a group that already includes returning backs Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas, giving the Bruins a deeper and more varied set of options than they have had in recent years.
For a program that has too often struggled to get much going on the ground, the chance to finally build a reliable rushing attack matters well beyond one position battle. Chesney has made it plain that surviving the season at running back takes more than one or two capable options, and UCLAs challenge now is turning that depth into something durable enough to hold up when injuries, fatigue and the grind of the schedule set in. [Read more 🡒]