LOS ANGELES — UCLA shocked No. 4 Purdue with a 69-67 victory on Tuesday night, but the win did little to alleviate Bruins coach Mick Cronin’s frustration regarding the Big Ten’s scheduling.
UCLA faced a tough start with five of their first seven league games on the road. Coming into the Purdue match, the Bruins had just two days of rest after playing at Ohio State, while the Boilermakers had been in Los Angeles since the previous week, having faced USC on Saturday.
“I appreciate the Big Ten for making us play five of our first seven on the road, bringing Purdue here on Thursday night when we don’t return to L.A. until Saturday night, and then giving us the team favored to win the league with just two days’ rest after that road stretch,” Cronin expressed during the postgame press conference. “Honestly, I want to thank the Big Ten for that.”
He continued: “I don’t think they prioritize basketball. That’s just how I feel.”
UCLA currently stands at 13-6, with a 5-3 record in conference matches. The Bruins have already encountered tough competition at Washington, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Penn State, in addition to Ohio State, suffering losses to the Hawkeyes, Badgers, and Buckeyes.
“We’re in a Midwest league, so that’s just how it is,” Cronin reiterated. “But there shouldn’t be a need to play five of the first seven on the road, then return home to take on the team favored to win the league with only two days to prepare.”
UCLA snapped Purdue’s nine-game winning streak thanks to Tyler Bilodeau’s crucial 3-pointer with just eight seconds left. Donovan Dent led the Bruins with 23 points, 13 assists—including the assist on the game-winning basket—and three blocks. Bilodeau contributed 14 points, while Eric Dailey Jr. added 12 points and seven rebounds.
With this win, the Bruins have emerged victorious in six of their last nine games and improved to a 3-3 record this month as they aim to climb out of the mid-tier in the Big Ten. This win against Purdue marks their most significant achievement of the season, having previously lost to then-No. 5 Arizona, then-No. 8 Gonzaga, and then-No. 25 Iowa.
“We know the caliber of our team, but it depends on which version shows up on game day. It’s either we play hard or we don’t, and that’s been our challenge throughout the season. I really believe we can build off this momentum and make a significant run,” Dent remarked.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
