Michigan State gave UCLA its second straight 20-plus-point defeat in a bounce-back win that saw UCLA head coach Mick Cronin eject one of his own players.
UCLA was down 27 with just under 4:30 left to play in the game. Michigan State pushed the ball up the court for what seemed like an easy fast break dunk. UCLA’s Steven Jamerson II trailed the play, went up for the block, and fouled Michigan State’s Carson Cooper, causing him to land awkwardly. He bumped Cooper midair, causing his feet to fall out from underneath him.
Cronin immediately subbed Jamerson out of the game and seemingly pointed to the tunnel, telling Jamerson to go. The play was eventually ruled a flagrant 1.
Jamerson would not return to the court and would end up with 2 points in just 8 minutes.
After the game Cronin was asked about the decision to eject his own player, and he had this to say:
You know, true toughness is how you compete and how you go to work every day. Steve’s a good kid. He made a bad decision. But if you want to be a tough guy, you need to do it during the game, for a blockout, for a rebound. So, I was thoroughly disappointed; the guy was defenseless in the air. I know Steve was trying to block the shot, but the game’s a 25-point game. You don’t do that.
Michigan State would go on to win 82-59, bringing their overall record to 21-5 and 11-4 in Big Ten play. UCLA drops its second straight and falls to 17-9 on the season and 9-6 in Big Ten conference play.
How did Tuesday’s loss affect UCLA’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64? At Kalshi, the Bruins are now trading at 62 cents per contract for “yes” and 43 cents per contract for “no.” Another tough matchup looms large this weekend when a ranked Illinois squad heads out to LA.
