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UCLA

Mick Cronin calls out reporter for question on Big Ten scheduling, cross-country travel

Matt Connollyby: Matt Connolly01/18/25MattConnollyOn3
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Photo by Kirby Lee | USA TODAY Sports

UCLA head coach Mick Cronin does not seem thrilled with the travel schedule for his Bruins team in its first season in the Big Ten. Over the past month, UCLA has played in New York against North Carolina, as well as at Nebraska, at Maryland and at Rutgers, dropping all of those games.

UCLA faced Iowa at home on Friday, earning a 94-70 victory for its first win since Dec. 28. Afterwards, Cronin was asked if East Coast teams are impacted coming West the way UCLA, USC, Washington and Oregon are when they have to travel East.

Needless to say, Mick Cronin didn’t love the question.

“Wear and tear on them? Is that a joke? Please tell me that’s a joke. Comparable?” Mick Cronin said. 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. ‘Oh, 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 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.”

As Mick Cronin said, UCLA still has to play at Illinois and at Indiana in mid-February, before playing at Purdue and at Northwestern near the end of the regular season. The Bruins also will play in the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis in March.

As for East coast teams, such as Rutgers, they will play one road trip out West in 2025. The Scarlet Knights will play at Oregon and at Washington back-to-back in mid-February.

“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?” Mick Cronin said. “I mean you can’t possibly – and we’ve still gotta go back.

“And then we’ve gotta go back for the Big Ten Tournament. I mean you can’t possibly be serious. … They do it one time. Stop. I’m going to eat, man. I mean he’s asking me to feel sorry because Iowa had to come to LA for a few days.”