Sports
Plaschke: Another maddening loss dims UCLA’s March hopes
It was a sequence that symbolized a season.
One moment Pauley Pavilion was rocking and UCLA was rolling, players screaming, fans singing.
“You gotta fight…for your right…to party!”
The next moment, silence.
For one glorious instant Sunday afternoon, the resurgent Bruins had conquered another demon, Dylan Andrews swishing a go-ahead jump shot with six seconds remaining, the bullies from Utah collapsing at his feet.
The next instant, devastation.
Mick Cronin blew it. The UCLA defensive effort blew it. The entire season suddenly became one prolonged slo-motion mistake.
In the final tortuous seconds, Utah’s Deivon Smith dribbled the ball from midcourt and split UCLA’s Will McClendon and Lazar Stefanovic on his way to the basket, where he shot a wild layup over the reach of Adem Bona.
The shot bounced off the top of the backboard and into the hands of Utah’s Branden Carlson, who gently dropped it through the basket at the buzzer.
Utah 70, UCLA 69.
“It feels horrible,” said a forlorn Stefanovic afterward. “I don’t know exactly how to explain it.”
So he repeated himself.
“It feels horrible,” he said.
Such a small margin, such a giant blow.
The Bruins’ hope for revenge after losing by 46 to Utah earlier this year? Gone.
The Bruins’ hope that they could continue a roll during which they’ve won eight of nine games? Gone.
The Bruins’ margin for error in their painstaking attempt to crash next month’s NCAA basketball tournament? Gone.
UCLA, 14-12, must sweep their remaining five games or win the Pac-12 tournament, with both feats seeming all but impossible after Saturday’s debacle.
“We know the position we’re in–win every game that’s left…so it does hurt,” said Stefanovic. “We’ve got to learn from it, get better, understand why we lost and get going from there and try to win the next one.”
Even Cronin can learn from this one, which illustrated how far these Bruins have fallen. He’s one of the country’s best late-season coaches — his four previous UCLA teams each finished strong — yet on Sunday he made a crucial clutch-time error.
After Andrews gave the Bruins the lead, seemingly forcing the Utes to hustle downcourt with no timeouts, Cronin called a timeout. He did what? Yes, he called a timeout.
This unnecessary pause gave Utah a chance to diagram a play…which it did in spectacular fashion.
“I’m sure I’m gonna go home and be mad that I called time out,” Cronin acknowledged afterward. “But I wanted to set my defense so I could slow (Smith) down, but we failed. But that’s why I did it.”
McClendon said they knew what Cronin was trying to tell them on the bench during that timeout. But they just couldn’t pull it off.
UCLA forward Adem Bona shoots between Utah center Keba Keita (13) and guard Gabe Madsen (55) during the first half Sunday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“We should have done a better job of staying in front of (Smith)…things are going so fast…you don’t want to get a foul…we should have just stayed in front of him,” he said, later adding, “When you have a scouting report like that and the coaches do a great job of letting us know, preparing us. ..we’ve got to meet them halfway…we didn’t do that to the best of our ability.”
It’s been like that all season. These Bruins are just too young, too inexperienced, too difficult to coach. Some of that blame falls on Cronin, some of it on the players, and all of it was on display Sunday, when, once again, UCLA basketball didn’t look anything like UCLA basketball.
Cronin was asked what his Bruin kids could learn from this, and he sighed.
“We’ve learned enough,” he said. “We’ve had enough losses.”
Even when they tried to fight, they fought wrong, as leading scorer Sebastian Mack was thrown out of the game midway through the first half after nailing Carlson with a forearm shiver.
When asked about the effect of Mack’s loss, Cronin wouldn’t bite.
“Excuses are for losers,” he said. “I mean, it was still five-on-five…this is not hockey, OK? They weren’t in the penalty. We got to sub somebody in. We didn’t get the job done and that’s on me.”
Throughout the postgame news conference, Cronin ripped himself as much as his players. Granted, he said his team did some “dumb” stuff and he criticized them for, “egregiously unintelligent fouls,” but his usual anger was mostly muted.
“Look, we’re no juggernaut, the guys are competing, I’m proud of that,” he said. “But we’re about winning at UCLA so we got to play a lot smarter.”
A month ago, I ripped Cronin after the Bruins had lost to conference-worst Cal in a game that brought out the worst in the coach. Cronin threw his jacket on the floor during a sideline tirade, then afterward refused to meet with the media. A few days earlier he had publicly and brutally trashed his team. I wrote that it all added up to a meltdown.
“Mick Cronin is slowly dissolving into a powder blue puddle” I wrote.
Shortly after that Cal loss, his team began its hot streak. After Sunday’s loss, it’s apparent that the meltdown has been mitigated.
Cronin looks pale and disconsolate, but he showed up for the postgame rehash and answered every question and accepted full responsibility.
So maybe the coach is evolving…even if his team isn’t quite there yet.
“Look, if you ain’t matured by now…it is what it is,” he said.
So goes the basis for the theme of the 2023-24 UCLA men’s basketball season.
It is what it wasn’t.
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Winning two knockout stage games? That means you’re really in the running to win the World Cup.
Let’s check out the updated odds for which countries will make it to the quarterfinals at FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 1.
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To Reach Quarterfinals
France: -1250 (bet $10 to win $10.80 total)
Argentina: -425 (bet $10 to win $12.35 total)
Morocco: -260 (bet $10 to win $13.85 total)
Brazil: -240 (bet $10 to win $14.17 total)
England: -175 (bet $10 to win $15.71 total)
Spain: -140 (bet $10 to win $17.14 total)
Colombia: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total)
USA: +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)
Mexico: +140 (bet $10 to win $24 total)
Norway: +160 (bet $10 to win $26 total)
Portugal: +175 (bet $10 to win $27.50 total)
Canada: +180 (bet $10 to win $28 total)
Belgium: +185 (bet $10 to win $28.50 total)
Switzerland: +195 (bet $10 to win $29.50 total)
Senegal: +370 (bet $10 to win $47 total)
Algeria: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Egypt: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Ghana: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
The USA is currently one of the favorites to reach the World Cup quarterfinals (Getty Images).
Here’s what to know about this oddsboard.
Recent History: The quarterfinals are kinda a given for France, at least in recent years. The French have made it to at least the quarterfinals in five of the last seven World Cups, and they have made the final in four of the last seven years, winning the tournament twice. Les Bleus are now heavy favorites at -1250 to beat Paraguay and get back to the quarterfinals.
The Host Nations: Before this summer, Canada had never won a World Cup match in two tournament appearances. But that has all changed. Canada is through to the Round of 16 after beating South Africa in the Round of 32. As for Mexico, it has recorded four straight scoreless wins to start the tournament for the first time in its nation’s history. El Tri will look to get back to the quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years after dominating Ecuador in the Round of 32. After its win over Ecuador, Mexico jumped from +290 to +140 to make the quarters. The U.S. looks to replicate the other two host nations’ knockout stage performances against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.
Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda celebrates after the Dodgers beat the Montreal Expos to win the NL pennant in 1981.
(Associated Press)
Years as manager: 1976-1996
Record: 1,599-1,439, .526 win pct
After serving as the team’s third base coach for four seasons, Lasorda took over as manager late in the 1976 season when Alston announced his retirement. He led the Dodgers to the National League pennant in his first two full seasons, losing both times to the Yankees in the World Series. He won his first World Series in 1981, knocking off the Yankees, and rallied his team to a surprise title in 1988 in which the Dodgers beat the heavily favored Athletics. Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, his first year of eligibility.
A fiery and vibrant presence who spent 71 years with the Dodgers, Lasorda managed nine players who won the NL rookie of the year award. The Dodgers also opened the Japanese player pipeline on his watch. Hideo Nomo, the first Japanese big leaguer to permanently relocate to the U.S., joined the Dodgers in 1995. Three decades later, the team features Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on its star-studded roster.
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Back in January, the odds that King James would retire before the beginning of the 2026-27 season were slightly longer than the odds that he would give it another go.
But as of now, it looks like LeBron will, in fact, give it another go but with a team other than the Lakers.
Here are the latest odds for where James could land next season at DraftKings Sportsbook as of June 30.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
LeBron James Next Team Odds
Golden State Warriors: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total)
Los Angeles Lakers: +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)
Cleveland Cavaliers: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Miami Heat: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
New York Knicks: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Detroit Pistons: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Dallas Mavericks: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
San Antonio Spurs: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Milwaukee Bucks: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Brooklyn Nets: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Washington Wizards: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
NBA free agency begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET. However, hours before its official start, LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, made a jaw-dropping announcement.
According to ESPN reporting, Paul notified the Lakers that the franchise could move on without LeBron because he plans to play elsewhere for the 2026-27 season.
James played for the organization for eight years — the longest he’s played for any other team. While in L.A., King James broke the all-time scoring record, won an NBA title and earned his fourth NBA Finals MVP.
The imprint he’s left on the league in his more than 20 years has been immeasurable.
Where will LeBron land next season now that his time in Los Angeles is over?
In addition to his tenure in Los Angeles, he’s played for the Cavaliers and the Heat, winning titles with all three franchises. He won Rookie of the Year, has four regular-season MVPs and is a 22-time All-Star.
James has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 boards and 7.4 assists over the course of his career.
During the 2025-26 season, he helped lead the Lakers to a 53-29 record in the regular season. The team secured the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and defeated Houston 4-2 in the first round.
Eventually, Los Angeles got bounced by Oklahoma City in the conference semifinals, 4-0, which marked LeBron’s last dance in Hollywood.
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