Mick Cronin has spent the season focused on improving his team’s performance and ensuring player health by the time March arrives. “We’ve got to ensure our players are fresh when the main tournament begins,” he emphasized.
Before they can worry about March Madness, the fourth-seeded UCLA Bruins (22-9) will need to face either fifth-seeded Wisconsin (23-8) or 13th-seeded Northwestern (17-15) in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals on Friday in Indianapolis.
“I feel like we’ve got good momentum going into the tournament,” noted guard Eric Dailey Jr. “This is the type of basketball we are capable of playing, and we need to continue playing our way.”
UCLA wrapped up their regular season on a strong note, capturing victories in 11 of their last 14 games. Yet, surprisingly, they are not among the seven Big Ten teams featured in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings.
“I’m unsure if it’s due to a West Coast bias or something else,” Cronin pondered. “I constantly remind my players that external validation doesn’t define success. It’s crucial not to focus on others’ opinions.”
Meanwhile, on the women’s front, UCLA holds the top spot this week, maintaining dominance for 12 consecutive weeks earlier this season, propelled by their win over Southern California for the Big Ten Tournament title.
Cronin’s tenure has been remarkable at UCLA, with appearances in three Sweet 16s and a Final Four in 2021. Last season, a sub-.500 overall record prevented them from making the NCAA Tournament, a first under Cronin since 2015-16. UCLA, however, holds an illustrious history with 11 national titles, 10 of which were won under legendary coach John Wooden.
This season, UCLA made the leap to the Big Ten, leaving behind the comfort of the Pac-12’s schedule in favor of more frequent trips to the Midwest and East, which Cronin found challenging. This marks their third visit to Indiana in a month, managing a mixed record with a win against Indiana and a loss to Purdue.
Ranked as high as No. 15 in the AP poll, UCLA fell out of the rankings after a rocky 0-4 start in Big Ten play, but rebounded impressively with seven consecutive wins, including a victory over Michigan State, the eventual Big Ten regular-season champions.
“We learned a great deal,” said guard Lazar Stefanovic. “That’s when we realized what we needed to do to win, gaining clarity on what makes us strong as a team.”
This year’s team features valuable transfers like Tyler Bilodeau from Oregon State, Kobe Johnson from USC, Dailey from Oklahoma State, and Skyy Clark from Louisville. Aday Mara from Spain, standing at 7-foot-3, has earned more playing time after a standout 22-point performance against Wisconsin on Jan. 21.
The Bruins entered Indianapolis energized by a recent emphatic 90-63 victory over USC.
“I’m proud of their resilience through tough times,” remarked Cronin, who has encouraged his players to embrace a one-and-done mindset for Friday’s game.
“Our focus is to improve consistently. Everything else is secondary,” he said. “Successful individuals like Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, and Kobe Bryant prioritized that mindset, ignoring external noise.”
Currently projected as a No. 6 seed for the NCAA Tournament, a victory in the Big Ten Tournament could boost their ranking and keep them closer to home.
Yet, Cronin remains indifferent about the tournament’s outcome. “We’ve shown in the past that it doesn’t matter,” he said, alluding to UCLA’s remarkable 2021 Final Four journey following a Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal loss to Oregon. “Positioning is more urgent than seeding. Managing travel is key.”
