UCLA notched its biggest win of the season on Tuesday night as it handed Purdue its first Big Ten loss in a 69-67 thriller. But if you think the vibes were high for the Bruins after the game, think again. Head coach Mick Cronin used his media availability to lay into the Big Ten for the way it built UCLA's schedule.
"I want to thank the Big Ten for giving us five of our first seven on the road, bringing Purdue here on Thursday night when we don't get back in L.A. until Saturday night and giving us the team picked to win the league on two days' rest after five of our first seven on the road," Cronin said. "Really, I want to thank the Big Ten for that."
Mick Cronin after UCLA's win over No. 4 Purdue:
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 21, 2026
"I want to thank the Big Ten for giving us 5 of our first 7 on the road, and giving us the team picked to win the league on two days' rest. I really wanna thank the Big Ten for that..." 😳pic.twitter.com/oDDgOuSORc
"I don't think they care about basketball," Cronin said. "Truly. That's just my opinion ... We're in a league in the Midwest. So that's just gonna be what it's gonna be. But you ain't got to play five of the first seven on the road, and then come home and get the team picked to win the league on two days rest."
These types of things were bound to happen when the Big Ten decided to expand its footprint out west. And, crucially, when UCLA decided it wanted to be part of the Big Ten. Anyone who has glanced at a map understands that UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington are not geographically close to the rest of the schools in the conference.
With the win, Cronin's team is now 13-6 overall and 5-3 in conference. Because they played five of their first seven on the road they'll have eight of their final 13 at home and have a great opportunity to play themselves into the NCAA tournament.
UCLA has three straight home games before taking a road trip to face Michigan and Michigan State. But it will host Nebraska three days after playing at Minnesota. So there's plenty of time to revisit this complaint.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as UCLA's Mick Cronin Claims Big Ten Doesn't Care About Basketball, Cites Bad Schedule.
