UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin was ejected during the Bruins’ 79-61 loss to Maryland on Friday. Cronin received two technical fouls after screaming in the direction of the referee on the sideline, even briefly stepping onto the court floor.

Cronin’s ejection was particularly unusual because he apparently decided to get himself ejected. After the game, Cronin said it was his choice so that he could send a message as he felt the game was already over. He exited the game with just over five minutes remaining.

“I wanted out—I’d had enough, to send a message, [that] I’m tired of it,” Cronin said. “… I have to defend my players and if you can just mug guys and chop their arms off, throw them out of the way, it’s hard to run any offense.”

The ejection comes after Cronin blasted his players for being “soft” in their 94-75 home loss to Michigan on Tuesday.

“We’re soft.” Cronin said Tuesday. “It’s crazy. It’s every day, and I’m tired of it. It’s every day. I have the most energy of anybody at practice every day, I’m upset with everybody in that locker room. My assistant coaches and my players.

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

The Bruins have now lost three straight games, all against Big Ten conference opponents. They have fallen to 2-3 in conference play, and already dropped to No. 22 in the AP Top 25 poll earlier this week. With this loss, they could drop out of the rankings altogether.

For a team looking to rebound after an inconsistent 2023-24 season and return to the NCAA tournament, this three-game stretch is especially disappointing. After beating ranked teams in Gonzaga and Oregon earlier in the season, the Bruins played sloppily in this matchup, committing 21 turnovers against the Terrapins. They will have to clean up their play and defense to regain their status as serious contenders.