Friday, March 29, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

Early NCAA Tournament bracket ‘comical,’ says UCLA’s Mick Cronin

UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin yells during a game. The Bruins were ranked as the No. 8 team in the country by the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee on Saturday. (Joseph Jimenez/Assistant Photo editor)

By Sam Settleman

Feb. 20, 2023 6:27 p.m.

This post was updated Feb. 20 at 10:48 p.m.

Only three teams stand between the Bruins and the top spot in the national rankings.

But when the selection committee revealed its top 16 seeds Saturday, UCLA ranked eighth.

“I’m going to try not to laugh,” said coach Mick Cronin. “If you asked my one-word answer on that ranking: comical.”

UCLA men’s basketball – which held steady at No. 4 in the AP Poll on Monday morning – slotted in as a No. 2 seed in the East and the No. 8 ranked team overall by the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee on Saturday. The early ranking has no bearing on where UCLA’s name will appear in the bracket come Selection Sunday in three weeks, but it does highlight how the committee ranks the Bruins’ current resume, with March quickly approaching.

Cronin said his team was being punished by the committee for UCLA’s move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten.

“When we left the Pac-12, it cost a lot of people millions of dollars – and there was going to be fallout,” Cronin said after UCLA’s win over California on Saturday. “I think it’s a direct result of that.”

The fourth-year head coach of the Bruins added that the sentiments he shared Saturday would be the last time he’d comment on the matter, referring any future inquiries to athletic director Martin Jarmond and the athletic administration.

But Cronin didn’t hide his feelings Saturday on why UCLA ranked eighth out of the top 16 seeds despite being No. 4 in the NET – a ranking system built by the NCAA as “the primary sorting tool for evaluating teams.” Cronin said while he fully understands the school’s decision to move to the Big Ten in a changing NCAA landscape defined by name, image and likeness, he recognizes that the move likely cost other schools millions of dollars.

“A lot of people lost a lot of money. People talking about losing $10, 20 million per year over the next 10 (years) – there’s a lot of hard feelings,” Cronin said. “That’s my opinion. I’m going to coach a team. I’ll let Martin Jarmond fight that fight.”

UCLA entered March Madness as a No. 4 seed a season ago, but eventually fell to No. 8 seed North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen. In 2021, however, the Bruins were a No. 11 seed and became just the second team in March Madness history to make it from the First Four to the Final Four.

“A couple years ago, we proved your seed doesn’t matter,” Cronin said.

While Cronin wasn’t happy with his team’s placement by the committee, his players had less to say – at least publicly.

Senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. said the early selection show wasn’t even on his radar.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know that came out today,” Jaquez said. “I’ll wait for the final bracket to be excited or not excited.”

Junior guard Jaylen Clark and fifth-year guard David Singleton shared similar sentiments after UCLA’s win over Stanford on Thursday night.

The Bruins are currently tied for the least amount of losses among Power Five teams and hold no losses outside of Quad 1 to their name. With one Quad 3 loss or one Quad 1 win holding the power to completely change the narrative around a team, Clark understands that designating seeds can be volatile.

“Anything basketball related, all these people make predictions, and then somebody loses, and then the whole bracket is all messed up,” Clark said.

UCLA has four games remaining in the regular season followed by the Pac-12 Tournament – all games that could have a significant impact on where the Bruins land come Selection Sunday.

“It’s still too early to pay attention to March,” Singleton said.

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Sam Settleman | Sports editor
Settleman was the 2022-2023 Sports editor on the football, men's basketball and gymnastics beats. He was previously an assistant editor on the gymnastics, women's soccer, women's golf, men's water polo and women's water polo beats and a contributor on the gymnastics and women's water polo beats.
Settleman was the 2022-2023 Sports editor on the football, men's basketball and gymnastics beats. He was previously an assistant editor on the gymnastics, women's soccer, women's golf, men's water polo and women's water polo beats and a contributor on the gymnastics and women's water polo beats.
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts