Mick Cronin’s angry. What’s new?
Not much, except that the UCLA men’s basketball coach found a new way to express that frustration.
With the Bruins enduring their second consecutive blowout loss, Cronin made an example out of center Steven Jamerson II. With 4:26 remaining in the game, and the Bruins trailing by 27 points, Jamerson committed a hard foul against Michigan State’s Carson Cooper as he broke away in transition. After the foul, he and Cooper went face to face, exchanging pleasantries. After their teammates separated them, Jamerson returned to UCLA’s bench. The officials went to review the foul to determine the severity of the consequences.
Instead, Cronin took matters into his own hands, ejecting Jamerson before the officials could.
Cronin tugged Jamerson by the jersey and told him to leave. When Jamerson pleaded for his coach’s mercy, Cronin pointed at UCLA trainer Dave Andrews to accompany Jamerson to the locker room. Eventually, the senior center obliged, jogging off the Breslin Center court as Michigan State fans waved him goodbye.
Jamerson, nonetheless, began his college basketball career as a student at Michigan State. Needless to say, this wasn’t the homecoming he was hoping for.
“I guess [Cronin] upgraded that to a flagrant two,” Spartans head coach Tom Izzo joked. “That’s the first time I saw a coach do it. But that sounds like Mick, so he’ll get that straightened out.”
Three days after UCLA lost 86-56 to No. 1 Michigan, the Bruins fell 82-59 to the Spartans. Before this road trip, UCLA had won five of its last six games, rebuilding momentum around its season. Everything unraveled across three days in Michigan.
Jeremy Fears Jr. had 16 points and 10 assists. The Spartans (21-5, 11-4 Big Ten) bounced back with a strong performance after losing three of four games and falling five spots in the AP Top 25 this week.
The Bruins (17-9, 9-6) have lost two straight games after winning five of six.
UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau scored 22 points but didn’t have much help. None of his teammates were in double figures until Skyy Clark made some late shots to finish with 12 points.
Fears made three 3-pointers in the first half and Michigan State took a 43-23 lead into the break. He finished with four 3s, a career high. The Spartans were 8 of 14 from beyond the arc in the opening period and finished with a season-high 14 3-pointers on 27 attempts. Coen Carr also scored 16 points for Michigan State. Carson Cooper had 12 and freshman Jordan Scott added 11. Jaxon Kohler provided nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Bruins, coming off a 30-point defeat Saturday at top-ranked Michigan, have lost consecutive games by 20-plus points for the first time since the 1944-45 season, according to Sportradar.
Bruins center Xavier Booker, who transferred from Michigan State last April, had two points and two rebounds in 25 minutes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
