Of all of the considerations he has about UCLA’s transfer from the Pac-12 to the Large Ten, one clearly topped coach Mick Cronin’s record.
The Bruins play at Indiana on Feb. 14, and family and friends again dwelling hold asking for tickets. Cronin has dangerous information for them.
“I don’t have any tickets,” he mentioned with a smile Thursday at Large Ten media day in Rosemont. “However I need you to be sure to can by some means get this out. I don’t have any tickets. All people in Cincinnati has requested me for tickets to the sport at Indiana. I don’t have any.”
Cronin grew up within the metropolis and coached at Cincinnati for 13 years earlier than taking up at UCLA in 2019 after Steve Alford was fired. Now, as he begins his sixth season, the Bruins are coming into unfamiliar territory.
UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington start their first year in the Big Ten in a number of weeks. And together with the added income streams and recruiting avenues and potential journey complications and all the pieces else that comes with enlargement, it additionally has created some intriguing matchups.
UCLA and Indiana might be taking part in for simply the second time since 1992 when the storied applications meet at Meeting Corridor. Their most up-to-date recreation was within the 2007 NCAA Match, when the Bruins knocked out the Hoosiers within the second spherical on the best way to the Ultimate 4.
The colleges have performed 12 occasions, with the final seven conferences on impartial websites. The latest dwelling recreation for both group was on the Los Angeles Memorial Sports activities Enviornment in 1960. They haven’t performed in Bloomington, Ind., since 1956 — 15 years earlier than Meeting Corridor opened.
“There are going to be lots of cool video games occurring,” Cronin mentioned. “However it’s going to go on yearly now.”
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was trying ahead to bringing the Spartans to Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 4. They haven’t performed there since 2003.
“It’s simply a kind of iconic locations that might be unimaginable for a participant to play in or a coach to educate in,” Izzo mentioned. “The ghost of John Wood continues to be there, and rightfully so.”
UCLA, USC and Oregon normally completed close to the highest of the Pac-12 and made the NCAA Match frequently. It stays to be seen how their kinds will translate to a brand new convention and whether or not they are going to win on the identical charge.
Although the Large Ten won’t be fairly as tough and tumble because it was once, it nonetheless presents a problem. Purdue’s Matt Painter appears to be like ahead to seeing what they carry to the league.
“When Indiana was dominating our league and Purdue was dominating our league, you morphed into Bobby Knight and Gene Keady as a result of that’s who was profitable the league,” Painter mentioned. “The Large Ten championships at the moment had been going by means of the state of Indiana. It’s simply the best way it was. Who do you copy? I do know that I’ve copied rather a lot from Tom Izzo. I’ve copied rather a lot from Bo Ryan. I don’t exit and advertise as a result of I don’t need to see them get good gamers. I’ve stolen rather a lot from the individuals I’ve competed towards.”
Cronin isn’t the one one among the many newcomers with ties to the Midwest or East Coast. Oregon’s Dana Altman coached for years at Creighton after a run at Kansas State. USC’s Eric Musselman, who replaces Andy Enfield, spent the final 5 seasons at Arkansas and has an extended NBA background. New Washington coach Danny Sprinkle is from the West.
“Not that the Large Ten is the smashmouth league it was once, but when it’s a little bit extra bodily — I do know Mick fairly properly — that isn’t going to part him,” Izzo mentioned. “I do know Dana fairly properly, that’s not going to part him. I believe they’ll regulate simply tremendous. The opposite two I don’t know as properly, however I like the truth that USC goes to be working and so they’ll get after it up and down. And Washington … is a spot that I’ve heard is difficult to play too.”
For Altman, being within the Large Ten looks like a little bit of a homecoming. He had a powerful recruiting base in Iowa when he coached at Creighton from 1994 to 2010, and his groups performed Nebraska.
“Will probably be totally different however it is going to be difficult,” he mentioned. “And hopefully our guys will stay up for it.”
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