Mick Cronin Critiques Big Ten Travel Schedule
UCLA’s basketball coach, Mick Cronin, is expressing his discontent with the Big Ten travel schedule. After a busy season last year, during which the team racked up considerable travel miles, Cronin is voicing concerns again. He noted that last season saw the team visiting iconic sites such as the Statue of Liberty and the U.S. Capitol during their East Coast trips. Sounds exhausting, right?
In a recent reflection, he remarked on how the Big Ten set up its schedule. Following an intense series of games, one of the nation’s top teams returned home, only to face challenges ahead.
After a nail-biting win against Purdue, where the Bruins triumphed 69-67, Cronin humorously thanked the Big Ten for assigning them five of their first seven games away from home. He added, “I want to thank the Big Ten for giving us two days of rest for the team that was chosen to win the league.” It’s hard not to sense the sarcasm there.
His comments come on the heels of road games against Iowa and Wisconsin, followed by hosting Maryland, only to jump back on the road to face teams like Penn State and Ohio State. It seems a bit unfair, especially since they just had another home game against Purdue.
When a reporter suggested that future schedules might suffer due to these arrangements, Cronin doubled down. “The situation could not be worse,” he stated frankly. “Honestly, I don’t believe they care about basketball. That’s just my opinion.” He went on to express his disdain for a league that would set such a demanding schedule for a team based in Los Angeles.
He candidly mentioned how two Hall of Fame coaches reached out to him questioning why UCLA was lined up against Purdue after just facing Ohio State. Interestingly, they had been in Los Angeles since their previous game, which added an extra layer to the schedule’s unfairness.
Despite these frustrations, it’s worth noting that five out of six of UCLA’s home games have only just begun. So, while there may be grievances about the travel, the team still has opportunities ahead.
