"Gonna regret what he said": Pat McAfee calls Mick Cronin's "delusional" rant "ridiculous"

After the No. 22 UCLA Bruins fell to No. 24 Michigan Wolverines 94-75 on Tuesday, UCLA coach Mick Cronin delivered a blunt postgame criticism of his team. He said that his players' approach to their growth and attitude towards the game has plagued the program. Cronin went on to say that his players overestimate their skills, labeling them as "delusional" and "soft."

North Carolina Tar Heels football program general manager Michael Lombardi flipped the narrative on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Thursday. He suggested that Mick Cronin might regret his outburst, questioning his leadership and the impact of his comments on the players' faith in their coach.

McAfee called Cronin's rant "the most ridiculous head coach press conference of all time."

"I think he's gonna regret what he said," Lombardi said (Timestamp: 1:22). "I think, to me, leadership is standing in front of people. ... Your team is a reflection of who you recruit, and if you don't like who you recruit, you gotta change that. You gotta take accountability for it.

"Leadership is about standing in front of players when things go bad. You stand behind them when things go well. ... What he talked about, that is a great conversation to have with the team in the locker room behind closed doors. It's not a conversation to have in America. ... You lose trust in that situation. ... You are either coaching it or allowing it to happen."

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Stephen A. Smith praised Mick Cronin's honesty

Mick Cronin's comments have sparked a debate among college hoops fans and notable faces in the global basketball landscape. So, when Stephen A. Smith asked about his opinion with "ESPN's First Take" moderator Molly Qerim, he commended the UCLA coach's honesty and straightforwardness.

"I don’t know much about Mick Cronin. Let me say this, he can coach my team any day," Smith said (Timestamp: 2:00). "I loved what he said. I applaud this man. I’m looking at this guy, right now. His career record as a coach, Molly, is 491 and 228. That is a 68.3 winning percentage."

Smith sided with Cronin questioning the team and coaching staff's fire to win. He also pointed out that the coach trusts his program, expressing that Cronin wishes the players to step up their game instead of wanting to rebuild his roster.

"And no coach says that about players if they can’t play," Smith said (Timestamp: 3:50). "If they ain’t good enough, he says, I gotta go out and get good enough players. That’s not what he said. He is saying, 'No, we got talent. These brothers don’t want it. They don’t want it. And I got a coaching staff that ain’t holding them accountable.'"

With that, Stephen A. Smith not only warned UCLA players of losing their scholarships but also Mick Cronin's coaching staff.