Indiana Basketball Coaching Search: UCLA’s Mick Cronin

UCLA coach Mick Cronin has an impressive resume and would cultivate toughness within the Indiana basketball program. Is a hefty buyout at a historic program enough to keep him in Los Angeles?

UCLA coach Mick Cronin against Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The up-close look at candidates has created an interesting wrinkle in the Indiana basketball coaching search.

Last week, Michigan coach Dusty May brought the Big Ten-contending Wolverines to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and left his alma mater with a victory. Hoosier fans gave the former Indiana student manager and staff member an ovation and got an in-person perspective on his coaching style. 

There will be a similar dynamic Friday – to a lesser degree – when UCLA and coach Mick Cronin face the Hoosiers at 8 p.m. ET. Cronin isn’t a beloved alumnus or Indiana native, but his track record stacks up well against other candidates to replace Mike Woodson in Bloomington.

Let’s break down the viability of Cronin as the Hoosiers’ next coach.

What makes Cronin an attractive choice for Indiana

The resumes of Indiana's last two head coaches, Woodson and Archie Miller, had holes that Cronin’s does not. There was reason to buy into the idea that a Bob Knight protege like Woodson could restore Indiana basketball glory, but he was a longtime NBA coach whose only collegiate experience came as a player. Miller had a great run at Dayton, but he lacked high-major coaching experience. 

Cronin is an established college coach who has had success at the Power Five level, both in regular-season conference play and in the NCAA Tournament. He’s done so at multiple stops. Woodson and Miller could not say the same. He’s also just 53 years old, so a long-term stay would be possible.

In his first head coaching gig, Cronin went 69-24 with two NCAA Tournament appearances at Murray State. After a slow start at Cincinnati, he rattled off nine straight seasons with an NCAA Tournament appearance and at least 22 wins, plus six seasons with at least 26. His success began in the Big East, and he adapted and improved in the American Athletic Conference.

Cronin’s run at Cincinnati included two conference titles and a top-three conference finish in each of his final six seasons. Ranging from a No. 2 to a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Cronin reached the Sweet 16 just once. But he was a model of consistency, culture building, toughness and winning for nearly a decade.

That landed him the job at UCLA, where he immediately went 19-12 in year one and finished second in the Pac-12 in 2019-20, when the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. The following season, UCLA earned a No. 11 seed and defeated Michigan State, No. 2 seed Alabama and No. 1 seed Michigan before losing to No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the Final Four. UCLA reached the Sweet 16 as No. 2 and No. 4 seeds the following two seasons, with a combined record of 58-14 overall and 33-7 in Pac-12 play and a regular-season conference title.

Cronin lost the core of those successful teams – Jaime Jaquez, Tyger Campbell, Jaylen Clark, Amari Bailey and David Singleton, three of whom went to the NBA – and fell to 16-17 with a largely new roster in 2023-24. It was his first losing season since 2007-08, something that was never in question under Cronin for more than a decade. 

Perhaps some of that was due to UCLA not immediately adapting well to the new world of NIL and the transfer portal.

“Not there. There’s a big gap,” Cronin said of UCLA’s NIL support in January 2024.

Indiana would have ample NIL resources for Cronin – some say top five or top 10 nationally. 

Cronin has proven he can win in five different conferences at the high-major and mid-major levels. That suggests a high floor with Cronin at Indiana, and that’s not to say the ceiling couldn’t be high, either. But for a program with just five Sweet 16 appearances since 1994 and none since 2016, Cronin would almost certainly bring the Hoosiers back to consistent NCAA Tournament appearances. And he’s shown he’s capable of making deep runs.

Cronin’s UCLA teams were perhaps best known for toughness and defense, but they’ve also had a few seasons with impressive offensive numbers. Here’s a look at UCLA’s offensive and defensive efficiency numbers in six seasons under Cronin, according to KenPom.

• 2024-25: 44th offensive efficiency, 11th defensive efficiency
• 2023-24: 152nd, 50th
• 2022-23: 21st, 2nd
• 2021-22: 12th, 16th
• 2020-21: 11th, 46th
• 2019-20: 51st, 112th

Why Cronin wouldn’t come to Indiana

Cronin’s buyout is perhaps the biggest restriction. When Cronin signed a new six-year contract in March 2022, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times reported Cronin’s buyout would be $16 million through March 31, 2025, and $10 million through March 31, 2026. It pays him $4.1 million annually, which Indiana could easily surpass. 

Indiana’s coaching search could feasibly stretch into April, with the Final Four scheduled for April 5 in San Antonio, Texas. Even if Indiana makes the hire a few days after the Elite Eight on March 29 and 30, $6 million would be chopped off Cronin’s buyout. It would still be a hefty price, but not unreasonable.

Part of the reason for UCLA’s turnaround from 16-17 last year to 18-7 and 9-5 in its first year in the Big Ten is improved NIL funding. Cronin told the Los Angeles Times in June 2024 that UCLA’s NIL “grew exponentially,” which helped it land four of the top five scorers and retain a few key returners. 

The other consideration is that Cronin might have an appetite for a new job. After all, he’s already made a Final Four and two Sweet 16 appearances at one of the sport’s most prominent programs. Los Angeles is also much different from Bloomington, for better or for worse. But in the most basic sense, he can win big at UCLA. 

Is it realistic to expect Cronin to become Indiana’s next coach?

Cronin may not be one of the top few choices, but if Indiana swings and misses on its first options, it could look to Cronin shortly after. 

His coaching credentials are strong, and he’s a proven winner with plenty of time left in his career. He is intense and fiery on the sidelines, and he’s not afraid to criticize players in press conferences. That is unattractive to some, despite his winning ways.

Take this quote from Jan. 7 for example.

Mick Cronin went OFF on his players following their loss to Michigan 😳

“We’re soft… Every day, I have more passion and energy in practice than anybody else. I’m tired of it. It’s a joke… The truth of it is, it’s really hard to coach guys who are delusional” pic.twitter.com/abGQdPkfQN

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 8, 2025

UCLA lost the next two games after those comments, and then won seven straight before Tuesday’s five-point loss at Illinois.

The Indiana job will be highly coveted by many coaches because of its financial resources, national exposure, brand prominence, recruiting ground and upcoming revenue-sharing opportunities that will be maximized with the Big Ten’s TV deal.

Cronin may also view the Indiana job in a better light geographically. He grew up in Cincinnati, attended the University of Cincinnati and coached in Ohio and Kentucky from 1991-2019. 

A new challenge that comes with the UCLA job is extended travel in the Big Ten. UCLA is 18-2 in the Pacific and Mountain time zones this year, but 0-5 in the Central and Eastern time zones. Cronin ranted in January about how travel imbalances put UCLA at a disadvantage.

Perhaps that would increase his desire to return to the midwest and coach the Hoosiers if he got the opportunity.

Mick Cronin on UCLA's travel, and if other teams coming out west balances it out:

"Oh, a Big 10 team has to come to LA, where it's 70 degrees, once. You're asking me to feel sorry because Iowa had to come to LA for a few days? We've seen the Statue of Liberty twice in 3 weeks!" pic.twitter.com/NQgmenQvVY

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 18, 2025

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• MEET THE OPPONENT: UCLA, just outside the top 25, comes to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Friday night. CLICK HERE

• POSSIBLE COACHING CANDIDATES: Hoosiers On SI examines some possible choices for the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE.

• BRAD STEVENS TO IU?: Many fans want Brad Stevens to become Indiana’s next basketball coach, but he wasn’t interested before. What would make him interested now? CLICK HERE

• DUSTY MAY NEW CONTRACT? Michigan is reportedly working on keeping basketball coach Dusty May in Ann Arbor to counter interest from Indiana, his alma mater. CLICK HERE

• TODD'S TAKE: If Todd Golden were running Indiana's coaching search, the first call would go to Matt Painter. CLICK HERE.

• WOODSON EXIT: Indiana and Mike Woodson are working towards ending his four-year tenure as Indiana coach. CLICK HERE.