Things went sideways fast for UCLA on Tuesday night. Then they got strange.
Videos by FanBuzz
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Down big at Michigan State, Bruins head coach Mick Cronin appeared to eject one of his own players during an 82-59 loss in East Lansing.
With just over four minutes left and the Bruins trailing by 27, center Steven Jamerson II was whistled for a flagrant foul after hitting Michigan State big man Carson Cooper from behind on a dunk attempt. Jamerson, a former Michigan State student, was immediately sent to the locker room by Cronin.
After the game, Cronin did not dance around it.
"True toughness is how you compete every day," he said. "Steve's a good kid. He made a bad decision. But the guy was defenseless in the air. In a 25-point game, you don't do that."
The scene even caught Tom Izzo off guard.
"That's the first time I've seen a coach do it," Izzo joked. "But that sounds like Mick."
The loss marked UCLA's second straight defeat by more than 20 points, following a 30-point loss at top-ranked Michigan. According to Sportradar, via ESPN, it was the Bruins' first time suffering back-to-back 20-plus-point losses since the 1944-45 season.
Cronin's frustration did not end on the floor.
Michigan State fans repeatedly chanted the name of Xavier Booker, a former Spartan who transferred to UCLA last spring. Booker finished with two points and two rebounds.
Asked about the chants postgame, Cronin snapped.
"I could give a rat's ass about the other team's student section," he said, calling it the worst question he had ever been asked.
It was that kind of night.
