Mick Cronin had his fair share of lapses and highlights during the UCLA squad's loss to Marquette. He saw Sebastian Mack step up for the Bruins but it was just not enough to get them over the hump. Shaka Smart's wits along with Oso Igdoharo's on-court leadership allowed for the Golden Eagles to strike their opponents at the end of two halves. But, the Golden Eagles coach does not want to underestimate their opponents amid the Maui Invitational loss. He unveiled his thoughts on UCLA after the game wrapped up with a 69 to 71 scoreline, via Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.

“If they keep getting better they’re going to be a heck of a team,” was the assessment that Shaka Smart had after their road to the Maui Invitational finals came to an end.

Mick Cronin's UCLA was limited to three double-digit scorers in the game with only one of them surpassing 15 points. Even Sebastian Mack struggled to knock down his shots. He only managed to sink six out of his 14 attempts. Marquette, on the other hand, also left a lot to be desired in their game.

Tyler Kolek could not pop off despite playing 33 points. He may have only notched nine points on seven attempts but still made an impact. UCLA guarded him well but his level of facilitating was on another level. Kolek got nine dimes and five rebounds to help the Golden Eagles edge out the Bruins.

Is there an intense rivalry brewing between these two teams and will we see them during March Madness?