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Mick Cronin having at least one fiery press conference during the college basketball season is as likely as water continuing to be wet. That moment came on Tuesday night after UCLA was blown out 94-75 at home to Michigan, and the Bruins’ head coach truly outdid himself at the podium.

UCLA led the Wolverines 61-60 at the midway point of the second half, and after his team was outscored 33-15 in the final 10 minutes of the game in its own building, Cronin didn’t question the mindset of the Bruins, he poetically told them just how sorry they are as a group.

“So what the truth of it has been, it’s really hard to coach people that are delusional,” Cronin said. “The hungry dog gets the bone. We got guys that think they’re way better than they are. They’re nice kids. They’re completely delusional about who they are.

“I have to run on the court to get guys to play hard,” Cronin continued. “Right now, I’m frustrated with my players and my staff,” he said. “And it’s been this way all year with this team. They’re good guys. The problem, I told them, I said, the toughest guy in the room can’t be me every day. It can’t. It can’t. It’s just, it can’t. You can only do so much.”

Maybe the best part about Cronin’s electric rant is that UCLA is the No. 22 team in the country and entered the game 11-3 on the year. Michigan isn’t a bad team, either, seeing as how the Wolverines entered the game ranked 24th in the nation. 

You would have thought UCLA blew a lead against an NAIA school, not a Big Ten, ranked opponent.

Now, are Cronin’s comments harsh? Sure, that’s fair to say, but they’re also refreshing in a college sports world where most coaches are legitimately terrified of saying the wrong thing, given the monstrous NIL deals already in place and the risk of players jumping into the transfer portal because their feelings may be hurt.

This is Cronin pushing all of his chips into the middle of the table. He’s no stranger to doing so, but this feels a little sooner, therefore riskier, than usual. Maybe this is the talk that puts UCLA back on track, or we’ll look back on it and the college hoops world will pick it apart if the season goes down the gutter.