Ucla's Mick Cronin Claims Big Ten Doesn't Care About Basketball, Cites Bad Schedule

UCLA notched its biggest triumph of nan play connected Tuesday nighttime arsenic it handed Purdue its first Big Ten nonaccomplishment successful a 69-67 thriller. But if you deliberation nan vibes were precocious for nan Bruins aft nan game, deliberation again. Head coach Mick Cronin utilized his media readiness to laic into nan Big Ten for nan measurement it built UCLA's schedule.

"I want to convey nan Big Ten for giving america 5 of our first 7 connected nan road, bringing Purdue present connected Thursday nighttime erstwhile we don't get backmost successful L.A. until Saturday nighttime and giving america nan squad picked to triumph nan convention connected 2 days' remainder aft 5 of our first 7 connected nan road," Cronin said. "Really, I want to convey nan Big Ten for that."

"I don't deliberation they attraction astir basketball," Cronin said. "Truly. That's conscionable my sentiment ... We're successful a convention successful nan Midwest. So that's conscionable gonna beryllium what it's gonna be. But you ain't sewage to play 5 of nan first 7 connected nan road, and past travel location and get nan squad picked to triumph nan convention connected 2 days rest."

These types of things were bound to hap erstwhile nan Big Ten decided to grow its footprint retired west. And, crucially, erstwhile UCLA decided it wanted to beryllium portion of nan Big Ten. Anyone who has glanced astatine a representation understands that UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington are not geographically adjacent to nan remainder of nan schools successful nan conference.

With nan win, Cronin's squad is now 13-6 wide and 5-3 successful conference. Because they played 5 of their first 7 connected nan roadworthy they'll person 8 of their last 13 astatine location and person a awesome opportunity to play themselves into nan NCAA tournament.

UCLA has 3 consecutive location games earlier taking a roadworthy travel to look Michigan and Michigan State. But it will big Nebraska 3 days aft playing astatine Minnesota. So there's plentifulness of clip to revisit this complaint.

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