Mick Cronin wasn't happy with how UCLA vs. ASU was called

LOS ANGELES - The UCLA Bruins came out the other side of Wednesday night's matchup against the Arizona State Sun Devils with a 90-77 victory, but they found themselves on the sour end of the referee's whistle more often than not while doing so. 

The Bruins committed 25 personal fouls to the Sun Devils' 19 in the game, sending ASU to the charity stripe 26 times. The Sun Devils made the most of those opportunities too, making all but one of their free throws in the game.

"They got some guys that can score. They got some guys that are really fast and we got a tough whistle in my opinion. A really tough whistle. But, obviously I'm biased to my side," Cronin said. "They shot 17 free throws in the second half and they were trailing."

The second half was the best example of the disparity in calls between the two teams. The Bruins committed 13 personal fouls and went 6-7 in free throws while the Sun Devils were charged with just six personal fouls while shooting 16-17 from the free throw line. 

It's clear that Cronin was more than displeased with the way the game was being called, though he only revealed so much of his dissatisfaction after the game. 

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

UCLA guard Skyy Clark (55) shoots the ball during a Big 10 basketball game against ASU, Wednesday, December 17th, 2025 in Los Angeles, California

"It puts a lot of stress on me with the fouls they were calling. But, I can't lose anymore hair. I'm concerned about my blood pressure," Cronin said. "Some of those, we made some bad fouls. Some of those, I can't say what I really want to say."

The most egregious example of the Bruins' bad luck when it came to the whistle came around the eight-and-a-half minute mark of the second half. 

ASU senior guard Anthony Johnson drove toward the hoop while UCLA senior guard Skyy Clark defended. Then, Johnson crashed against Clark and sent him to the ground. What appeared to be a charge on Johnson was then called as a personal foul on Clark, much to Cronin's chagrin, and Johnson was awarded two free throws instead. 

"I gotta teach Skyy how to all the sudden, when a guy's going to run you over, to become invisible," Cronin said. "Was there a superhero that can do that?"

Despite the foul trouble and free throw disparity UCLA faced, they did make away with a win. Much of that success can be credited to the efforts of Clark and senior guard Donovan Dent. The Bruin back court combined for 38 points while Clark shot a stellar 6-10 from three. 

"We're kind of the head of the snake," Clark said of his and Dent's roles in the offense. "I think if we get the team going, it'll help the offense a lot. But, honestly, we've got so many dudes on the team that can score."