On a night that spiraled almost from the opening tip, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin made sure the strangest moments came after the outcome was no longer in doubt.
With just under five minutes remaining in UCLA’s eventual 82-59 loss to No. 15 Michigan State on Tuesday night, Bruins backup center Steven Jamerson — a former Michigan State student — was whistled for a flagrant foul after taking down Spartans senior Carson Cooper from behind on a dunk attempt. The two went face-to-face, jawing briefly before teammates separated them. Officials headed to the monitor to review the play.
But Cronin took matters into his own hands.
Before the referees could determine whether the foul warranted a flagrant 1 or flagrant 2, the UCLA coach made the call himself, ejecting Jamerson and sending him to the locker room. It was a stunning sight in a game already well decided. Even Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had to chuckle afterward.
“I guess he upgraded that to a flagrant 2,” Izzo joked. “First time I saw a coach do that.”
It turns out that was just a prelude to what would come next.
In a postgame gathering with reporters, Cronin was asked about Michigan State’s student section chanting the name of former Spartans forward Xavier Booker, who transferred to UCLA this past offseason.
“I could give a rat’s ass about the other team’s student section,” Cronin said. “I would like to give you kudos for the worst question I’ve ever been asked.”
When the exchange grew tense, Cronin accused the reporter of raising his voice, a claim the reporter denied. “I coach UCLA. I don’t care about Michigan State’s students. Who cares?”
The optics were alarming, particularly for a program reeling from consecutive 20-plus point losses for the first time since the 1944-45 season. On a night when UCLA needed to make a statement, its head coach delivered the statement instead.
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