Cronin Sounds Off on Bruins' Travel Schedule Compared to That of Big Ten Teams From the East

UCLA's Mick Cronin made it clear where he stood on the Big Ten's East vs. West travel schedule.

Jan 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts against the Michigan Wolverines in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

UCLA coach Mick Cronin is back in the spotlight after going on another rant following his team's 94-70 win over Iowa on Friday night.

Cronin was asked in his postgame press conference if the "wear and tear" between the West Coast Big Ten teams and the eastern Big Ten teams' schedules is "comparable."

"Comparable?" Cronin asked with wide eyes. "Have you ever looked at the NBA's stats, what the gamblers and all those people do on West vs. East? Talk to Eric Musselman and ask him that question, who coached in the NBA. Good luck West going East. OK? And ask me UCLA’s record, east of the Mississippi in the last 20 years. Because when I got the job, I looked it up for scheduling purposes. It’s under .500, OK? We have to go back four times. The Big Ten teams get to come to Los Angeles, where it's 70 degrees, one time a year. They don’t even have to switch hotels. We're in the same -- we're 12 miles apart. Are you kidding me? Please tell me you're kidding me. I mean, is this a plant? Is this a planted question? I mean, you cannot be serious with that.

"And meanwhile, we’ve seen the Statue of Liberty twice in the last three weeks, while we were landing. We also saw the Capital Building. I mean, are you kidding me? And we’ve still got to go back, and then we have to go back [to Indiana] for the Big Ten Tournament. I mean, you can't possibly be serious.

" ... I mean, he's asking me to feel sorry because I had to come to L.A. for a few days? You can't be serious. You know how much people vacation here? Trust me. I got a lot of friends -- I have to tell them "No, I'm focused." Everybody from back in Cincinnati wants to come out here all the time. I have to ration them out. OK? Nobody wants to be back there. How's the weather in Iowa City?"

It's clear Cronin feels his team is at a disadvantage with its travel schedule.

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