UCLA Basketball: Pundit Looks Forward to Bruins Battling This Big Ten Powerhouse

Two storied programs going head to head.

Announcing their move to the Big 10 from their previous conference in the Pac-12, UCLA and USC are entering uncharted territory considering the geographical location for most of their opponents. 

Despite the travel concerns and other questions abound, one expert is looking forward to the UCLA basketball team taking on another dominant college basketball program throughout their history with the Indiana Hoosiers. 

UCLA joining the Big Ten is the best basketball addition the conference is making. Not only do the Bruins have the pedigree with the most men's basketball national championships ever (11) but also have had success under Mick Cronin since he took over the program in 2019. The NCAA Tournament was canceled in his first season because of COVID-19 but in his first tournament in Westwood, UCLA went from the First Four to the Final Four before losing to Gonzaga on a Jalen Suggs halfcourt buzzer beater. Indiana hired Mike Woodson in 2021 to turn around a once proud program and in his first two seasons as the head coach, the Hoosiers reached the NCAA Tournament. Picking a new conference "rival" for the Bruins is tough because of the geographical differences, but a battle between two tradition-rich programs has the makings of a must-watch game.

Carrying on the legacies of legendary coaches John Wooden and Bob Knight for both programs respectively, Cronin and Woodson are now roaming the sidelines for the latest iterations of these two titans of the sport. 

Cronin's Bruin tenure has been very successful after taking his defensive tough play style to California from his previous location at Cincinnati for the Bearcats and their program. 

Woodson's coaching career included stops in the NBA with the New York Knicks headlined by Carmelo Anthony in the mid 2010s. 

Both men have found homes with their respective universities and are ready to etch their names into the history books of two of the best programs in college basketball's history starting next season.