Nothing will ruin UCLA head coach Mick Cronin's night more than reminding him that he has to face Tom Izzo and Michigan State, as college basketball reporter Andy Katz learned the hard way.
UCLA beat Rutgers 72-59 on Thursday to secure Cronin's first-ever Big Ten Tournament win. The hot-headed coach rode the high of that victory into his post-game interview with Katz, where he could not stop focusing on the reporter's shoes.
“By the way, those shoes, man, can't hide money,” Cronin said. “Wow.”
Cronin's energy shifted slightly when Katz asked him for his thoughts about an upcoming third-round matchup with Michigan State. Cronin joked that Katz “ruined his night” by reminding him that he would have to lock horns with Izzo once more.
“Thanks for ruining my night. Give me two seconds. I got to play with Coach Izzo? They took us to the woodshed last time. It would be a good game for us. We've got some skilled guys, but we've had trouble with physicality. It's no secret with our team… They're the hardest-playing team because they got a Hall of Fame coach that's a legend. It's going to be a big challenge for us.”
We can't get enough of Mick Cronin's postgame interview with @TheAndyKatz 😆#B1GMBBT x @UCLAMBB pic.twitter.com/GSCakr3YuE
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 13, 2026
Michigan State's 82-59 win over UCLA in the regular season handed the Bruins their second-worst loss of the year. Only Big Ten-leading Michigan did them worse, pummeling Cronin's team by 30 in its previous outing.
UCLA's 23-point loss to Michigan State featured one of the most awkward moments of the 2025-2026 college basketball season, when Cronin ejected his own player after picking up a flagrant foul. An angry Cronin sent forward Steven Jamerson II to the locker room for what he deemed a dirty play before changing his mind upon viewing the replay and apologizing to his player after the game.
