First and foremost, Cronin has the largest (known) buyout out of any coaching candidate, as he’s owed a whopping $20 million if his deal is broken before Mar. 30, and $16 million before Mar. 31, 2025. However, there are rumors that his buyout could drop to zero because of a loophole in his contract. While it’s likely that Cronin would fit the bill as a coach who Heird *wants* to coach Louisville, he is also incredibly abrasive, especially with the media and especially this past season. If Cronin is hired, he better start winning quick.
It will be interesting to see what happens, but that much money for Mick Cronin would be quite a surprise.
These are the cons for Louisville and Mick Cronin.
Will Mick Cronin go to Louisville? With Dusty May and Florida Atlantic’s early exit, all signs point to May going to be the next Cardinals head coach. However, until then, Mick Cronin’s name will circulate in rumors for that job.
As consistant as Cronin has been during the regular season, he has been remarkably underwhelming once the NCAA Tournament rolls around. Out of his 14 trips to the Big Dance between his three head coaching stops, Cronin has made it past the first weekend just five times. While he has taken UCLA that far the last three seasons before going 16-17 this year, before arriving in Westwood, Cronin hadn’t made it to the second weekend of the Big Dance since taking UC to the Sweet Sixteen in 2012. When it comes to recruiting, while he has ties to the region, he hasn’t proven to be a masterful recruiter. Out of his 18 recruiting classes between Cincy and UCLA, just three of them cracked the top 25, along with eight sub-top 50 finishes including this cycle’s class – which comes in at No. 83 with just one signee.
There are pros and cons to Cronin going to Louisville, but these cons might be more than the program wants to handle, especially after the Kenny Payne era. Only time will tell.
Louisville is a program that desperately needs constancy and stability, and for the decade or so, that is something that Cronin’s teams have brought to the table. Over the past 14 seasons, Cronin has failed to reach the 20-win mark just twice (his first year at UCLA and current season), along with eight seasons where his teams cracked 25 wins, and three with 30-plus. While the Bruins have been underwhelming this season, his previous three seasons all saw him reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, including a Final Four in 2021. His squads are known for their toughness and grit on the defensive end, a style that will resonate with the Louisville fanbase. Since the 2010-11 season, a Cronin-coached team has failed to crack the top 25 in KenPom defensive efficiency just five times. Being a midwestern guy, he has a plethora of recruiting ties to the area. Also having previously worked at Louisville, he should have a solid understanding of the expectations of the job. While Cronin’s coaching is ahead of his recruiting, he has appeared to embrace the modern landscape. His ’22 and ’23 classes both cracked the top 20, and featured a combined seven four-star and three-five star prospects according to 247Sports.
There are a lot of good things for Louisville to consider about Cronin, and consistency is one of them. After the disaster that was the Kenny Payne era, they could do much worse than hiring Cronin.
In a rescheduled game from the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the No. 12-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will host the No. 23-ranked Louisville Cardinal…
In a rescheduled game from the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the No. 12-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will host the No. 23-ranked Louisville Cardinals at the Kohl Center on Saturday.
Wisconsin has played extremely well following their heartbreaking loss to the Marquette Golden Eagles, with two solid wins against Rhode Island and Loyola-Chicago. Micah Potter has emerged as a star for this Badgers’ team, leading Wisconsin in both points and rebounds. Potter has averaged 12.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists a game this season, including an outstanding 54.3 average field goal percentage on the season. Wisconsin will look to keep rolling against the Cardinals.
Dec 9, 2020; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Micah Potter (11) looks to shoot over Rhode Island Rams center Makhi Mitchell (21) at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
The initial matchup between the teams on Dec. 9 was postponed because of positive cases for COVID-19 on the Cardinals. The Louisville outbreak forced them to cancel their matchup against UNC-Greensboro, and an outbreak on North Carolina State forced the matchup against the Cardinals to be postponed.
Despite their struggles with COVID-19, the Louisville Cardinals are 4-0 so far this season including a close win against Seton Hall. They are led by guard Carlik Jones, who is averaging 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists a game this season. Louisville will be an important early-season test for the Badgers before they enter their Big Ten schedule next week.
Here is how to watch Wisconsin basketball’s game against the Louisville Cardinals tomorrow.
How to watch:
Matchup: Louisville Cardinals at Wisconsin Badgers
Where: Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.
When: Dec. 19, 2020 at 11:00 AM CST
Where to watch: ESPN 2
Announcers:
Play-by-Play: Dan Shulman
Analyst: Jay Bilas
Where to stream: ESPN app or online at ESPN.com/Watch
Where to listen: Badger Sports Network on the iHeartRadio app, or Satellite on Sirius XM
