UCLA's Cronin Credits 'West Coast Bias' to Unranked Status

The UCLA Bruins (22-9, 13-7) are going to be the only team in the Big Ten Tournament that received a double bye to the quarterfinal round that is not nationally ranked. Despite winning 11 of their last 14 games, they are still being disrespected.

One team in the top 8 of the #B1GMBBall standings remains unranked. Guess which one it is
😉#FoursUp pic.twitter.com/dpo4dWW53a
— Spencer Brown (@j_spencerbrown) March 10, 2025

The truth is, at this time of year, that stuff does not matter, and head coach Mick Cronin knows it. He mentioned the Bruins falling victim to the "West Coast bias" that has plagued this program for years. During the 2021 Final Four run, the Bruins were a No. 11 seed after finishing 13-6 in the Pac-12.

"Look, I don't know if it's the West Coast bias, I don't know what it is; we're the No. 4 seed, there [are] seven [Big Ten] teams ranked, and we're not one of them," Cronin said on Tuesday. "But that's fine, that's OK."

The Bruins are 5-2 this season against ranked opponents, sweeping then-No. 23 Oregon, upsetting No. 18 Wisconsin, knocking off then-No. 9 Michigan State and beating then-No. 14 Gonzaga, which just won the WCC Tournament.

This team more than deserves to be one the nation's top 25 teams from what they have done this year. But as the postseason begins, the only rankings that matter are the ones that determine your matchups and seeding in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

Cronin was then asked if he felt there was any disrespect that he and his team felt after not having a number next to their name, especially after defeating their rival, USC, by 27 points on Sunday. Cool as could be, Cronin issued wise words while telling us how he really feels about rankings.

"I think when people say stuff about you and write stuff about you, even in recruiting; I think it says more about them than it does about you," Cronin said. "So, that stuff doesn't matter. To me, it doesn't matter."

If anything, Cronin is going to use this as fuel to motivate his guys to play even harder in the postseason. They are not receiving the credit they deserve this season and will force the nation to realize who they truly are. This team has a real chance to make some noise in March this year.

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