Mick Cronin wants UCLA boosters to show him the money.
7-seed UCLA could not keep up with 2-seed UConn as the two blue bloods squared off in the second round of March Madness. The Bruins led for most of the first half before the Huskies took control with a double-digit lead after halftime.
UCLA made a late push to trim the deficit to 58-54 with about 7 minutes left. UConn answered with a 9-0 run and cruised to a 73-57 victory.
Cronin was his usual snarky self during his postgame press conference. After initially declining to answer a question about what needs to change for his UCLA squads to get past the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Cronin followed up with a rather polarizing comment.
“I’d like about five more million. There’s my answer,” Cronin said.
“I’d like about 5 more million (dollars).”
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 23, 2026
Mick Cronin on what needs to change for UCLA to get out of the first weekend going forward. pic.twitter.com/9GFJwdh5Pq
Cronin’s answer could be taken a couple of ways.
On one hand, it was somewhat of an indictment of the current state of college athletics, which has changed drastically since the dawn of the NIL era. The success of some programs often depends on which group of wealthy boosters is willing to cough up the most NIL money on a year-to-year basis.
On the other hand, some might consider Cronin’s message a lame excuse from a veteran coach who refuses to take accountability despite sitting atop one of college basketball’s most prestigious programs.
It’s also possible Cronin was just messing with the reporter, as he is wont to do.
UCLA has not made it out of the opening weekend under Cronin in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. The Bruins failed to qualify for March Madness entirely in 2024. The three-year drought comes after Cronin led the team to three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances from 2021 to 2023.
