Mick Cronin won’t find many positives to take away from Tuesday night’s UCLA game at Michigan State. The Bruins were thoroughly outclassed in an 82–59 road defeat, and the lasting highlight—or lowlight—from the night for UCLA came with just over four minutes left, with Cronin sending one of his own players to the locker room.
With 4:26 remaining and the Spartans up 77–50, Bruins forward Steven Jamerson II was called for a technical foul after getting into it with Carson Cooper, whom he had just fouled on a fast break.
Cronin clearly took exception with the incident, and sent Jamerson off the floor.
After the foul, UCLA HC Mick Cronin ejects his own player, Steven Jamerson III. pic.twitter.com/KOFMCDRYjg
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 18, 2026
It had to be an embarassing moment for Jamerson, and put a bow on another rough road loss for UCLA in Big Ten play.
UCLA continues to struggle in its Big Ten road trips to the Midwest
The Bruins dropped to 17–9 and 9–6 in the Big Ten with Tuesday’s loss. UCLA is 6–1 in league play at home, with an upset win over Purdue, and the only loss coming by one in double overtime against Indiana. Cronin’s team is also 2–0 in more traditional conference road trips against Washington and Oregon. Trips across the country, however, have been a major issue for UCLA.
With Tuesday’s loss, the Bruins are 1–5 in trips to the Midwest or East Coast, with the sole win coming against Penn State, one of the league’s worst teams. UCLA has a point differential of -75 in those six games, with back-to-back losses of 30 points at Michigan and 23 points at Michigan State making an ugly stretch of results even uglier.
Cronin took the opportunity after his team’s upset of Purdue in January to call out the Big Ten for its scheduling, a game that came after UCLA was on the road for four of five games to start 2026.
“I don’t think they care about basketball,” Cronin said. “Truly. That’s just my opinion. … We’re in a league in the Midwest. So that’s just gonna be what it’s gonna be. But you ain’t got to play five of the first seven on the road, and then come home and get the team picked to win the league on two days rest.”
It was nothing new for Cronin, who took aim at the schedule in 2025 as well, his program’s first year in the Big Ten after leaving the Pac-12.
The Bruins finish with three home games in their final five, and one road trip to crosstown rival USC. The last trip to the Midwest comes on Feb. 28, for a game at Minnesota. Cronin has to hope the lighter schedule down the stretch results in some big wins—and a few are available with No. 10 Illinois and No. 9 Nebraska making trips to Pauley Pavilion.
In his Tuesday bracket watch posted hours before Tuesday’s ugly loss, Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney had UCLA as one of his last four teams in, and bound for a first four game as a No. 11 seed. The blowout loss threatens to put Cronin’s team on the outside looking in with March Madness right around the corner.
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