Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins didn’t have the best Big Ten debut season last year.
The No. 4-seeded Bruins lost their first and only Big Ten Tournament game to No. 5-seeded Wisconsin, 86-70 in the quarterfinals. At the 2025 March Madness tournament, No. 7-seeded UCLA suffered a second round loss to No. 2-seeded Tennessee, 67-58.
But things seem to be looking up for Cronin this season as he begins his seventh year leading the Bruins’ men’s basketball program. The head coach was ranked No. 5 among conference coaches in On3’s preseason top-10, released Monday.
Here’s what On3 college basketball analyst James Fletcher III had to say:
“Mick Cronin continues to operate as one of college basketball’s most fiery personalities, working to build the UCLA program to the level he wants it on a consistent basis. His track record speaks for itself, with plenty successful runs which he must now turn into a consistent string of seasons. As the roster-building quickly swings back to where it should be after a hole two seasons ago, there is no reason to believe they should slide anywhere in the Big Ten. However, with big investment from rival programs comes a challenge of holding on,” Fletcher wrote.
Fletcher’s ranking of Cronin isn’t the only boost the Bruins’ program has received ahead of this season.
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In ESPN’s most recent 2026 March Madness Men’s Bracketology Predictions, Joe Lunardi has UCLA as a No. 4 seed in the West region, one of 11 Big Ten teams Lunardi predicts will make the tournament. Other predicted No. 4 seeds are Arkansas, Auburn and Illinois.
CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein mentioned another big factor for UCLA in his July 28 reaction video on Twitter.
“Mick Cronin has been coaching a long time, but he has never had a point guard as a head coach with the ceiling and passing capabilities of New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent. [Dent] might be pound-for-pound, inch-for-inch, a top two point guard in college basketball in 25-26, along with Purdue's Braden Smith,” Rothstein said.