Mick Cronin fires back at reporter for asking about next year after UCLA loss to Tennessee

The UCLA Bruins got knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 32, falling to the Tennessee Volunteers. It was a hard-fought game and one that Cronin wasn’t over yet by the time he was speaking to media following the game.

One reporter asked Cronin about next, year, preferencing the question by acknowledging that it was “probably way too early” to start thinking about next season. At that point, Cronin cut him off. He wanted to stop from looking at the future in the moment.

“Then don’t ask,” Mick Cronin said. “Then don’t ask.”

Despite that, the reporter managed to finish his question, wondering when Cronin will begin looking forward. However, Cronin fired back at him, explaining exactly why he didn’t want to look ahead at next season in the immediate wake of the loss.

“Right now, guys, it’s 12:40 a.m. and our season just ended. That’s it. You’re gonna ask me about next year? Right now, my biggest concern is how bad the seats are on the Allegiant flight,” Cronin said. “On that terrible plane that we’re gonna have to fly home tomorrow. The cheese. The plane version of the cheese… And is there any chance that Doug got me some hot food because I don’t eat on gameday, that I got something edible? Not next year. Not right now, guys.”

The 2024-25 season was the sixth for Mick Cronin at UCLA. After missing the NCAA Tournament last season, he had the Bruins back in the Big Dance as a seven-seed. There, they managed to win a first round game, but that win was all they managed. It remains a step behind the Final Four and two Sweet Sixteens Cronin finished within his first three tournament appearances at UCLA.

The game against Tennessee itself was a tightly contested one in which both defenses stood out. In a 67-58 game, UCLA managed to win the turnover battle but the Volunteers shooting 11 for 22 from three-point range ended up being too much to overcome.

Whether Mick Cronin wanted to discuss the future or not following the loss to Tennessee, the calendar is forcing him to dive headfirst into the offseason. Even though the NCAA Tournament is still underway, the Transfer Portal opened up in college basketball ahead of the Sweet Sixteen. With UCLA out of the NCAA Tournament, several players have already entered the portal. That includes multiple forwards, so Cronin has some work to do for next season.