UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Explains Huge Advantage 2024 Team Has

The Bruins are seeking a rebound year.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA men's basketball head coach Mick Cronin is feeling much more confident about his 2024-25 Bruins team than last year's squad heading into UCLA's first Big Ten season. The 2023-24 Bruins fell short of their usual standard, finishing with a losing 16-17 record and missing the NCAA Tournament.

Cronin acknowledged that the turnover from the year before played a big role in last year's struggles. Prior to last season, the Bruins had made the NCAA Sweet 16 three years in a row, including a run at the NCAA Final Four in 2021. Following the 2023 NCAA Tournament, the Bruins lost Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell, Jaylen Clark, and Amari Bailey, leaving them with a young and inexperienced roster for the following season.

"We had some great teams three years in a row and then we just lost them all at the same time," Cronin told Andy Katz on Big Ten Men's Basketball. "We weren't in a position in NIL to compete for the top transfers so we ended up with way too many freshmen. I was really proud of the guys for finishing fifth in the Pac-12 last year, being so young, and losing our top five leading scorers from the year before."

Their younger roster struggled at the beginning of the year, leaving them in a tough position to try and make a run. UCLA did go on a winning streak during late January and February but was never able to fully turn their season around.

In the offseason, with an improved NIL, Cronin went and revamped the roster with transfers Kobe Johnson, Skyy Clarke, Eric Dailey Jr., Dominick Harris, Tyler Bilodeau, and William Kyle III. These players, who Cronin calls the best players on their previous teams, are expected to fuel a much better performance for UCLA this season.

Along with their new additions, they did retain several of their best players from a season ago, who will have one more year under their belt. Dylan Andrews, the scoring leader a season ago, is back with Lazar Stefanovic and Sebastian Mack.

“Our talent level is decidedly different, and we’re much older," Cronin added. "So depth is going to be our friend. We’ve got some veteran guys who wanted to come together.”

The Bruins will begin their shot at a redemption season this November, likely starting with non-conference play before facing their Big Ten rivals during the winter.