Mick Cronin details importance of being 1-seed in West region

UCLA has been one of the best teams all season long. Now, the Bruins are setting their sites on the PAC-12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Ahead of that, head coach Mick Cronin knows that it’s important to earn a one-seed in the West.

Cronin explained that it’s important to earn a geographic advantage but not as much as some people say while speaking to the media ahead of practice on Wednesday.

“I do know that travel is an issue, and I’ve made one Final Four and took one flight to get there,” Mick Cronin said. “It’s a trick question. You know, last year we had to play a team on the East Coast in the Eastern Time Zone. I don’t know to be honest. Look, everybody says it. A lot of common sense would tell you you’re gonna have more fans and you would travel less.”

Last season, UCLA had to travel for its game against North Carolina. It was against the Tar Heels, in the Sweet Sixteen, when the Bruins were eliminated. However, Mick Cronin doesn’t inherently blame the loss on travel.

“I’m a believer that we should’ve beat North Carolina if we had played better defensively. I don’t care where the game was at, so, but I guess you got to try to get every advantage on your side and it’s easy for you guys.”

Mick Cronin on keeping players motivated

It can be difficult to keep players motivated throughout the season. However, with a team’s goals so close down the home stretch, it’s important for coaches to find a way to motivate their teams. Mick Cronin explained his approach.

“We talk about it, but they’re not rookies. They know. They know it was a long road trip with the extra day. Our furthest one. It’s going to be our shortest one in a few years,” Cronin said.

“We talked earlier in the year. Ben Howland came to practice and he said, ‘Look, you guys got to do whatever you gotta do to get the one seed in the West, and you can do it.’ He was talking to Tyger (Campbell) and Jaime (Jaquez Jr.) and David (Singleton), he goes, ‘You guys are great players,’ he watches practice and he’s like, ‘You guys are great leaders. You’ve got to try to get the one seed in the West.’ That’s what he just, he was pounding it to those guys in his talk after practice. They’ve been focused on that. I told them to do it you’re going to have to win the PAC-12. But reality is we’re going to have to win this week. If we’re going to do that we have to win two this week. I don’t have to sell them on that, they’re well aware of that.”