Arizona, UCLA want to continue hoops competition

Oct 11, 2023, 01:58 PM ET LAS VEGAS– As nearly all Pac-12 Conference basketball groups go their different ways after this season, Arizona and UCLA strategy to continue to play each other.Wildcats coach Tommy

Lloyd said he and Bruins coach Mick Cronin have actually discussed keeping the competition going, though details still require to be worked out.” I’m positive it will occur,”Lloyd said

Wednesday at Pac-12 media day.” We need to take a seat and hammer out precisely what it’s going to appear like, but there’s so much change going on. First of all, I want to figure out what the Big 12 schedule is going to look like. [Cronin] most likely wants to know what his Big 10 schedule will appear like. What are some nonconference commitments that feature being in a new conference?”Editor’s Picks Both groups have satisfied in the conference competition champion the previous two seasons, with the Wildcats winning both times.Arizona will head to the Big 12 Conference with 3 other Pac-12 schools after this season, and UCLA is one of 4 groups leaving for the

Big 10 Conference.The mass defections have actually torn apart among the country’s premier and most historical basketball conferences.”I try to not get too emotional about it,”Lloyd stated. “I’m a West Coast guy, having actually matured in the Northwest. I think everyone were a little bit surprised, however I also understand I have a responsibility to the University of Arizona. The University of Arizona played the hand they were dealt, and now we remain in the Big 12. I invite that difficulty.” Cronin expressed unhappiness over the demise of the Pac-12. “I believe the huge secret for college basketball is that we can continue to concentrate on what’s best for college basketball, which has been undoubtedly really difficult to do with football, tv money choosing our

fate,”he stated.”It’s simply the unfortunate thing for me is football is the factor that everything has changed. Maybe there’ll be a day, I’m the supporter of what [UCLA football] coach Chip Kelly stated about football having their own division. You figure it out, football, and let us, the rest of us, do what we got to do. And I think if we don’t do that, then Olympic sports eventually are sadly in jeopardy, which would be a horrible thing for a lot of excellent student-athletes, men and women. And if that doesn’t take place, these relocations will not resolve the money problems. The money issues are just going to get larger and you begin having to pay players and Olympic sports are going to remain in jeopardy.”California coach Mark Madsen’s first season in the Pac-12 also is his last. The Bears and Bay Area competing Stanford will be in the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.” I’m incredibly unfortunate about the break up of the Pac-12,”Madsen stated.”In the back of my mind, I hope in twenty years we’ll be

able to put it back together in some way. A lot of West Coast rivalries, even in various conferences, will still look for a method to play each other.”Utah coach Craig Smith described the Pac-12’s

final year as”the last stand.” “I believe it’s safe to say for the entire league and simply walking around today, you can kind of feel it,”he stated. “You can sort of feel a few of the finality, and it’s hard, just a few of the discussions today. What a remarkable custom this league has up and down, how historical it is. “ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and The Associated Press contributed to this report.