UCLA's Mick Cronin Reveals His Final Four Predictions

The UCLA Bruins won’t be participating in the Final Four this season, but head coach Mick Cronin revealed his prediction for the championship round earlier this week.

The Bruins were knocked out in the Round of 32 by the UConn Huskies in this year’s tournament, and the Final Four will feature some familiar foes for Cronin. Big Ten rivals Illinois and Michigan, UConn, and Arizona — which beat the Bruins 69-65 on Nov. 14 — will take part in the final weekend to cut the nets down.

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

UCLA went just 1-3 against those opponents this season, with the lone win coming Feb. 21 against Illinois, when Donovan Dent made the game-winning layup at the buzzer in overtime to seal a 95-94 victory. Nonetheless, Cronin is more than qualified to offer his takes on the Final Four now that the field is set.

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) reacts UConn Huskies in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

On an appearance with Wake Up Barstool, Cronin shared how he believes the Final Four will go.

“Vegas always tells the truth, I’m sure it’s Michigan, Arizona, and then UConn, Illinois,” Cronin said, regarding the tier difference in the matchups. “Whoever wins Michigan/Arizona will be favored in the final. Michigan, to me, has more firepower."

UCLA head coach Mick Cronin reacts to a play against Michigan State during the first half of Big Ten tournament quarterfinal at United Center in Chicago on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"In fairness to Arizona, we played in November, and it was early, and they had three great freshmen, and they’re much better players right now than they were in November. To me, when Michigan takes their time offensively, and they don't take early contested threes, and they make you defend them, I think they're clearly the best team, and their size is going to pose a problem for what Arizona does to people, which is punish you at the rim.”

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

“Although Arizona can definitely win because they have NBA players — Brayden Burries is unbelievable, Koa Peat plays in the NBA, I think Krivas in the middle plays in the NBA, and Kharchenkov’s going to play in the NBA,” Cronin added. “I just think Michigan shoots the ball better when it comes down to it. You put a gun to my head, I'd go Michigan.”

As for the other game between UConn and Illinois, Cronin said, “Never discount UConn,” given their experience on deep tournament runs. All in all, it seems like Cronin believes the winner of Arizona vs. Michigan in the Final Four will be the eventual national champion. Both the Wildcats and Wolverines have been arguably the two most dominant teams in college basketball this season.