Stephen A. Smith "applauds" Mick Cronin for calling out "soft" & "delusional" UCLA team after loss to Michigan

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith defended No. 22 UCLA coach Mick Cronin after Cronin’s fiery comments following his team's 94-75 home loss to No. 24 Michigan on Tuesday. On "First Take," Smith made it clear that he admired Cronin’s no-nonsense approach to holding his players and coaching staff accountable.

"I don’t know much about Mick Cronin. Let me say this: He can coach my team any day," he said on Wednesday. "I loved what he said. I applaud this man. I’m looking at this guy right now. His career record as a coach is 491-228. That is a 68.3 winning percentage.

"At Murray State, where he started, he was 93-69. At Cincinnati, he was 296-147, that’s a 66 winning percentage, 66.8 at UCLA over the last several years, he is 126-57. That’s a 69 winning percentage. He has been to a Final Four. He has been to three Sweet 16s. Last year, they were, like, 16-17 and missed the NCAA Tournament. This year, he is 11-4.

"What he is saying is, damn it, it ain’t good enough. I have expectations of excellence, and I’m seeing a team that are nice kids that can play, but they don’t want it bad enough, and I got a staff that’s letting them get away with it. That’s what he’s saying."

Stephen A. Smith also emphasized that Mick Cronin’s comments weren’t about a lack of talent but rather a lack of hunger and accountability, and he didn’t hold back on what that means for the players and staff.

"And I don’t blame him one bit, because when he sits up there and says, ‘Yo, I want it more than you,’ you know how damning that is against players and assistant coaches," he said. "He’s 11-4. He ain’t 4-11. He’s 11-4. They’re a Top 25 team in the nation, and he’s like, 'It’s not good enough,' because he’s trying to win a championship, and he knows what he’s seeing ain’t gonna get it done.

"And no coach says that about players if they can’t play, if they ain’t good enough, he says, I gotta go out and get good enough players. That’s not what he said. He’s 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.

"So, if I’m those players, I’d be worried about my scholarship, and if I’m those assistant coaches, I’d be worried about my job. And guess what? When you’re in pursuit of excellence, that’s how the hell it should be."

Mick Cronin blasts his team after home loss to Michigan

Mick Cronin’s frustration was on full display after the Bruins' loss to Michigan. UCLA trailed by 10 at halftime and never found its footing, prompting Cronin to unload in his postgame news conference.

"I mean, we’re soft, aside from, to be fair to you, obviously they have a unique skill set, the way they shoot the ball, but we’re soft," Cronin said after the game. "I have to run on the court to get guys to play hard. It’s crazy, you know? And it’s every day. 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. I mean, I don’t need to do anything else. I almost got 500 wins. I’m only 53. You’d think I’m coaching the Lakers. I mean, it’s a joke. It’s a joke.

"But yet I come in and I have more passion and energy and pride than everybody, and that’s the problem. The truth of it has been it’s really hard to coach people that are delusional. 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. 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."

The Bruins will have a chance to respond to their Mick Cronin and his fiery challenge on Friday when they visit Maryland.