Mick Cronin Puts Price Tag on Improving UCLA After Another Disappointing Season

UConn eliminated UCLA in the second round of the men’s NCAA tournament on Sunday night. The Huskies took the lead midway through the second half and slowly but surely pulled away in the final minutes to advance to the Sweet 16.

Meanwhile, the Bruins' often frustrating season is over without advancing to the second weekend of the tournament for the second straight year. Both years UCLA has been in the Big Ten it has been a No. 7 seed in March and been eliminated in the second round. Coach Mick Cronin was asked if anything needs to change in the program after a another disappointing year for the Bruins.

At first, Cronin did not seem interested in the topic, but then before the next question was asked, he did mention something he could use to help the program.

“I’d like about 5 more million (dollars).”

Mick Cronin on what needs to change for UCLA to get out of the first weekend going forward. pic.twitter.com/9GFJwdh5Pq
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 23, 2026

"I'd like about five more million. There's my answer," Cronin said after insisting he was only worried about consoling his players.

This is not the first time that Cronin has talked about wanting more money for his program. Earlier this month, he suggested that schools be allowed to exceed the current revenue sharing cap in order to retain players. Via ESPN:

"You should be able to go over the revenue share to be able to retain players," Cronin said. "Very few of these guys are going to be able to retire on [NIL money], so we need to encourage guys not to transfer."

Cronin began his head coaching career at Murray State in the early 2000s before spending more than a decade at Cincinnati. In 2019 he took over the UCLA job, taking the Bruins to the Final Four in just his second season. He has been rewarded with multiple contract extensions, but he does not seem to be totally enjoying the school's switch from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten during the NIL era. In January, he ripped the conference for the schedule and said they cared more about football than basketball.

"I want to thank the Big Ten for giving us five of our first seven on the road, bringing Purdue here on Thursday night when we don't get back in L.A. until Saturday night and giving us the team picked to win the league on two days' rest after five of our first seven on the road," Cronin said. "Really, I want to thank the Big Ten for that."

He also had problems with the schedule during the 2024-25 season.

This season he has had a number of incidents that had nothing to do with the schedule. In January, he accused his players of being "soft" and "delusional," ejected one for getting a technical during a loss and then went after a reporter following the game.

The bad news is even if he gets his $5 million that won't change the fact that UCLA is in a conference that mostly consists of teams in other time zones. It seems unlikely that he'll suddenly be a more cheerful coach if players decide to stick around with some extra cash, but you never know. Maybe in this case money can buy happiness.

More March Madness from Sports Illustrated