Mick Cronin calls out college basketball: 'A shame we don't have a salary cap'

Mick Cronin called for a salary cap in college basketball and said the sport is like Major League Baseball with an uneven playing field. This came after UCLA beat Rutgers Tuesday night 98-66.

Cronin might’ve not referred to Rutgers being undermanned specifically in this era of college basketball, but the UCLA coach credited Steve Pikiell for utilizing what he has. To be fair, the Scarlet Knights went all in on lottery picks Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey last season, despite not making the NCAA Tournament in 2025.

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If anything, Tuesday’s game was over as the second half began. UCLA led Rutgers 52-40 and ended up winning by 32 points. Cronin, whether he was offering support for his opponent or not, does not like the structure of college athletics.

“I give Rutgers credit, they got a lot of young kids,” Cronin said. “You know, there’s haves and have nots in the money world. And Coach Pikiell is a great coach. He really is just, you know, it’s a shame we don’t have a salary cap, and everybody was playing even, but this is baseball, not not the NFL. This is MLB.”

While not an exact figure of his earnings, UCLA did land New Mexico’s Donovan Dent in the transfer portal this offseason. NIL played a factor for last year’s Mountain West Player of the Year as his NIL valuation comes in at $620,000 while his roster value is at $590,000.

But, as Cronin, Pikiell and others play with the cards they are dealt, or utilizing them, that’s the reality of the sport right now. UCLA has found some success this year, sitting at 16-7 overall. They are 7th in the Big Ten at 8-4 in conference play.

Cronin isn’t afraid to speak his mind either. After a loss to Ohio State back in  late January, he put the struggles of his players on himself. Ironically, he referred to his recruitment of them! Gotta wonder if a salary cap would’ve helped or hampered him.

“We only got 13 defensive rebounds of their live ball shots, of their 25 misses. They got 12. We got 13. You got no chance,” Cronin said. “Highly disappointed in getting our ass kicked physically and our inability to play defense. I offer no excuses. Blame me. Blame me, I recruited them. I signed them as free agents. We’re not gonna win meaningful games if we can’t stop the other team.

“You can’t give up plus-80 and win, on the road. You’re not gonna get 90. Can’t do it. We scored 74 points on the road in the Big Ten. You should have a big-time shot to win. Our defense is an embarrassment today. Last couple games, it was great. Today, we couldn’t guard them.”