UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Impressively Unconcerned With Preseason Pac-12 Ranking

The man doesn't lack for confidence.

Your new-look UCLA Bruins men's basketball program may have gotten the relative cold shoulder in a preseason survey of media members' expectations for their conference, but it sounds like their head coach is paying it no attention, per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times.

The Bruins were ranked third within the Pac-12, behind the media favorite Arizona Wildcats (which earned 18 of the 26 first-place votes) and the crosstown rival USC Trojans. UCLA and USC both notched four first-place votes. Oregon and Colorado rounded out the top five.

But Cronin appeared unconcerned.

“I’m more concerned with [what] my longtime girlfriend Christine’s getting at Gelson’s for me to cook because I can grill,” Cronin said when asked about being picked to finish third despite a massive influx of talent. “We’ve got a private plane, so I live in Encino, we’re going to land in Van Nuys, I expect to be on the grill by 6.”

Most of the core of his Sweet 16 team from a year ago is gone, with Jaime Jaquez Jr., Amari Bailey and Jaylen Clark all selected in the draft. Sophomore center Adem Bona has assumed a leadership role with the club during practices thus far this season, and the team will not be hurting for talent among its new additions, top-lined by freshman forwards Berke Buyuktuncel and Aday Mara, plus junior transfer wing Lazar Stefanovic.

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