Mick Cronin meltdown timeline: Every interview crashout, viral moment involving fiery UCLA basketball coach

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UCLA coach Mick Cronin has found much success in over two decades as a head coach, but that success has come with plenty of viral moments.

Cronin is not afraid to speak his mind, to the point that his temper can overshadow the games at hand. Whether it was at Cincinnati or now with the Bruins, Cronin is always good for a rant or meltdown every year.

While Cronin's career includes over 500 wins, 16 NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the Final Four, he is still largely known for his penchant to meltdown. Therefore, here's a look back at some of his biggest meltdowns as a head coach.

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Mick Cronin meltdowns

Cincinnati: Dec. 10, 2011

Cincinnati and Xavier is always a fierce rivalry, and the two teams had a heated brawl in a 2011 matchup. Xavier was up 23 at the time, but the fight happened with less than 10 seconds left in the game.

At his postgame press conference, Cronin went off on his players, saying he was "embarrassed" and he would seriously consider kicking players off the team. 

Here's a piece his rant, per the Cincinnati Enquirer:

"There's no excuse for any of it. On our side. On their side. Guys need to grow up. We accept full responsibility, and it will be handled. There is zero excuse for that in basketball. You've got to learn how to win on one side, and you've got to learn how to lose on the other side."

"The fact is guys are here to get an education. They represent institutions of higher learning. Xavier's been a great school for years. We're trying to cure cancer at Cincinnati. I (work at a place) where they discovered the vaccine for polio and created Benadryl. I think that's more important than who wins a basketball game. And our guys need to have appreciation for the fact that they're there on a full scholarship, and they better represent institutions with class and integrity."

"If my players don't act the right way, they will never play another game at Cincinnati. Right now I just told my guys I will meet with my AD and my president, and I'm going to decide who's on the team going forward."

HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5

Cincinnati: March 1, 2014

In an American Athletic battle between Cincinnati and UConn, Cronin needed to be held back when arguing a foul call with the officials, leading to a technical foul.

After the game, Cronin said there was a double standard with the way referees treated coaches.

"My beef with that is guys like Mick Cronin and Buzz Williams of the world, we deal with some of it," Cronin told ESPN. "When nobody gets in the Jim Boeheim's face or Mike Krzyzewski's face."

Cronin added that he wanted to give referee Teddy Valentine the technical foul.

"He got in my face, I didn't get in his face," he said. "Am I allowed to T him? That's what I asked him."

Cincinnati: Dec. 2, 2017

The Cincinnati-Xavier rivalry once again boiled over, this time in a feud between Cronin and Xavier player JP Macura. In fact, both Cronin and Macura were assessed technical fouls in the game.

After a Muskateers win, Cronin had to be held back from arguing with the Xavier bench.

Finally, at his postgame press conference, Cronin told the media that he would never want to coach Macura.

Cronin and Xavier head coach Chris Mack both had passionate media sessions, as Mack fiercely defended his player.

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Cincinnati: March 18, 2018

As a No. 2 seed, Cincinnati blew a big lead to No. 7 Nevada, wasting a chance to move on to the Sweet 16. The Bearcats were up 22 at one point, but the Wolfpack came all the way back to earn the victory while Cincinnati was sent packing.

Cronin was understandably upset by the loss, but it wasn't just about missing out on the Sweet 16, as he explained in his press conference.

"Doesn't matter to me," Cronin said. "You care about the Sweet 16, I don't. I care about winning a national championship. That stuff's all for recruiting and resumes."

UCLA: Jan. 10, 2025

In a game against Maryland, Mick Cronin was given a technical foul and ejected after consistently berating the officials. UCLA was down nine points at the time, and Maryland would go on to win by double-digits.

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UCLA: Jan. 18, 2025

UCLA's move to the Big Ten requires the team to travel east several times during the year, which can have an impact on the players. When Cronin was asked about the travel, he went on a rant, saying UCLA has seen the Statue of Liberty twice in a month.

"The Big Ten teams get to come to Los Angeles, where it's 70 degrees, one time a year. They don't even have to switch hotels. We're 12 miles apart," Cronin said. "Are you kidding me? Please tell me you’re kidding me. Is this a plant? Is this a planted question? You cannot be serious. Meanwhile, we've seen the Statue of Liberty twice in the last three weeks while we were landing. We also saw the Capitol building. And we're still got to go back. And then we've got to go back for the Big Ten tournament."

UCLA: Feb. 17, 2026

In a Big 10 matchup against Michigan State, Cronin made the rare move to eject one of his own players. Forward Steven Jamerson III committed a hard foul and got in a Spartans' player's face, which annoyed Cronin to the point where he sent Jamerson to the locker room.

After the game, Cronin got into a heated exchange with a reporter who asked about Michigan State's student section.

"I could give a rat's ass about the other team's student section," Cronin said. "I would like to give you a kudos for the worst question I’ve ever been asked."

A few days later, Cronin told the media that he apologized to Jamerson, as he thought the play was different than what he thought.

"I already apologized to Steve, OK?" Cronin said. "It's the only reason I sent him to the locker room. I thought he literally made a dirty play and tried to wipe the guy out. Once I saw the film, I mean, he still got an F-1. To be honest with you, I don't even know if he deserved that."

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