It is an ugly scene right now for UCLA men’s basketball and head coach Mick Cronin. A dreary and disappointing season got a lot worse in a no-show blowout loss at Michigan State. Cronin then made headlines for dressing down a reporter after the game. The pattern of Cronin not having his team prepared and then venting after a bad loss just keeps repeating itself at UCLA. One has to wonder when this negative news cycle is going to end.
Roadkill
UCLA has been absolutely atrocious on the road in Big Ten play this season. The Bruins have not only lost, but lost badly, on a regular basis. They were badly outclassed by Iowa, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Michigan State. They never even came close in those losses. Struggling Washington and Oregon teams and a bad Penn State team were the only Big Ten squads which gave UCLA road wins in the conference. Any team with a pulse kicked UCLA up and down the court.
One win
The Bruins have one really good win on their resume, the only reason they are still in position to get an NCAA Tournament bid. That Purdue win — in which UCLA trailed by six points with 95 seconds left before rallying to steal one from the Boilermakers — is the only achievement of note all season long, and we’re in the latter half of February.
Mick Cronin has failed
Mick Cronin isn’t coaching well, but at least he will admit that. He has done so this season. Yet, fans don’t want to hear a coach take ownership of his failings when said failings keep recurring. UCLA hasn’t been a good program since 2023. The Jaime Jaquez-Tyger Campbell years were fantastic, and Cronin will always receive due credit for that strong three-year run. However, the last three years have been nothing short of a disaster, with hardly any March success and — very possibly — two seasons without making the NCAA Tournament. UCLA hasn’t slightly declined from the 2021-2023 gold standard. It has plummeted. This thing isn’t working out.
Donovan Dent
No one can say UCLA failed to make a splash in the portal last offseason. Donovan Dent was widely viewed as a very big get for Cronin and the program. Not molding Dent into a superstar is squarely on Cronin as much as it is on Dent himself. If prime players can’t thrive under an established head coach, what does that say about the larger operation?
UCLA fatigue
Does UCLA want to fire its men’s basketball coach right after hiring a new football coach? Probably not. Being realistic, the school probably does need to hang onto Cronin for one more season and take a breath. Giving Cronin one last chance to get it right seems reasonable and fair, given that Cronin did take UCLA to the Final Four and did give the program one of its better three-year runs in recent memory.
2027 is a hot-seat season if Cronin stays
The 2027 season has to be it for Cronin if results are not back to the UCLA standard. The Bruins would need to be a No. 5 seed or better in March Madness. Being a 7 seed or an 8 seed is not what UCLA coaches are paid to achieve.
Mick Cronin has a choice to make
UCLA might not fire Mick Cronin, but Cronin could call “game over” and set out on another job. He’s still young enough to start fresh somewhere else. Syracuse, which is almost certain to fire coach Adrian Autry, could be an intriguing landing spot for Cronin, who formerly coached at Cincinnati and would not be a fish out of water in the ACC. Interestingly enough, the Cincinnati job is also likely to come open, with Wes Miller likely to be canned. Cronin could pick from any of several jobs if he is sick and tired of his UCLA run. Given how everything is going right now, that would not be the worst outcome for all parties involved.
Mick Cronin postgame classic
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA might not fire Mick Cronin, but coach could seek other jobs
Reporting by Matt Zemek, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
