After UCLA began 0-3 in Large Ten highway video games exterior the Pacific time zone, coach Mick Cronin unleashed a legendary rant final month on the logistical imbalance confronted by the league’s 4 new West Coast members, lamenting that his staff had “seen the Statue of Liberty twice within the final three weeks.”
“Oh, the Large Ten groups get to come back to Los Angeles, the place it is 70 levels, one time a yr?” he mentioned, scoffing on the comparatively mild journey confronted by the league’s conventional 14 members, all of whom are clustered within the Central and Jap time zones.
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David Cobb
The Bruins (19-8, 10-6 Large Ten) are 3-0 in Large Ten highway video games performed within the Pacific time zone however simply 1-4 in all others after lastly selecting up an Jap time zone win at Indiana final Friday. Nonetheless forward is a two-game swing to face Purdue and Northwestern.
“Ask me UCLA’s file east of the Mississippi within the final 20 years,” Cronin mentioned throughout his rant, which you’ll watch under. “As a result of once I obtained the job, I seemed it up for scheduling functions. It is under .500.”
Previous to the 2023-24 season, no faculty in a high-major convention was multiple time zone away from its furthest convention neighbor. Then got here the realignment bomb, which began incrementally final season with the Large 12’s addition of a Mountain time zone staff in BYU and two extra EST groups in UCF and Cincinnati.
That formally marked the start of serious time-zone journey (at the very least two) inside high-major school basketball. The pattern has taken full impact with the 2024-25 season. Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington are actually within the Large Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are within the Large 12. Wonkiest of all, Cal, Stanford and SMU are actually within the ACC, which was beforehand comprised solely of EST groups.
“This journey is one thing I’ve by no means skilled, even on the NBA stage,” Cal coach Mark Madsen mentioned on an ACC media teleconference final week. “That is extra intensive journey than even once I was a participant on the Lakers or a coach on the Lakers.”
ACC groups struggling probably the most
Throughout the ACC, the jet-setting seems to be taking its toll. Getting into this week’s motion, groups have been 6-22 in video games of at the very least two time zones away from dwelling. Of these 22 losses, 14 of them have been incurred by Cal and Stanford. The PST members are a mixed 2-14 in ACC highway video games within the Central or Jap time zones.
These touring to play the Bears or Cardinal, in flip, are simply 4-8. Miami went 0-2 on its four-day highway journey to Stanford and Cal final month — at 2,500 miles, it is the furthest distance between opponents within the ACC, Large 12 and Large Ten this season.
The information additionally suggests there’s a hangover impact for these returning dwelling after a West Coast journey. ACC colleges are simply 1-7 in dwelling video games instantly following journeys to play Cal and Stanford.Â
Amongst them is Wake Forest, which is the one ACC staff to comb each Cal and Stanford on the highway. Nevertheless, the victorious vibes of a Saturday win at Cal earlier this month hit a snag for the Demon Deacons when a difficulty popped up with their scheduled flight dwelling.Â
Coach Steve Forbes phoned a connection who organized a non-public aircraft sufficiently big to hold a portion of Wake Forest’s touring occasion. The eight gamers and 4 coaches on that flight obtained again to campus round dinnertime on Sunday and went straight to the apply facility for a walkthrough centered on Florida State, who was the staff’s subsequent opponent.Â
The remainder of the touring occasion obtained again early Monday morning. Forbes famous it “labored out” however “wasn’t preferrred,” particularly for the late-arriving members of this system.
Forbes gave his travel-weary staff Monday off earlier than the Demon Deacons returned to apply Tuesday upfront of the Wednesday recreation in opposition to Florida State. Finally, they squandered a 16-point second-half lead and fell 72-70 in opposition to the Seminoles in an final result that might hang-out Wake Forest on Choice Sunday.
| Convention highway video games | Convention highway video games 2+ time zones away |
|
|---|---|---|
| ACC | 55-81 (40.4%) | 6-22 (21.4%) |
| Large Ten | 58-80 (42.0%) | 20-25 (44.4%) |
| Large 12 | 46-74 (38.3%) | 10-17 (37.0%) |
“All these guys wish to play within the NBA, and within the NBA, they journey consistently,” Forbes instructed reporters after the FSU loss.
“We have prided ourselves on being a staff that does not let journey have an effect on us,” he added. “We had this recreation in our arms, and we did not end. And it’ll value us.”
One necessary caveat within the ACC scheduling breakdown is that Duke, Clemson and Louisville — the top-three groups within the league standings — all keep away from the West Coast swing in 2024-25.
Navigating a brand new problem
Forbes and different ACC coaches have been hesitant to make travel-related excuses for poor efficiency of their public remarks. However it’s clear that the disruption of cross-country journey for convention video games is a wrinkle they’re nonetheless studying to navigate.
“We will grasp the journey,” mentioned Madsen at Cal. “We will thrive with the journey. However you need to be sensible with the quantity of journey and video games positioned on these gamers, as a result of on high of the basketball, they’re doing lecturers. And so these guys, they’ve rather a lot on their plate.”
Cal had one significantly irritating journey snafu after an 0-2 journey to play Pitt and Clemson in early January. The Bears ended up sitting in a bus at an airport for a few hours after their loss to the Tigers earlier than a aircraft may very well be re-routed to South Carolina with a purpose to carry the Bears dwelling on an all-night flight.
“We are actually taking these younger males throughout the nation nearly each different week,” Madsen mentioned. “Now, I like it. We’re in the perfect basketball convention on the planet. You are taking part in in opposition to nice groups. It pushes us to be our greatest. You understand, we’re pushing the groups we’re taking part in in opposition to. So it is phenomenal. However I obtained to determine this journey higher.”
One suggestion Madsen introduced can be to mannequin how NBA groups journey, typically racking up 3-5 video games per cross-country journey as an alternative of routinely flying cross-country to play only one or two video games.
By the common season’s finish, Cal (12-14, 5-10 ACC) can have made seven journeys to the Central or Jap time zones, together with 5 throughout ACC play. If the Bears end among the many top-15 within the standings of the 18-team league, they’re going to make one more journey to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the ACC Event.
“I’d like to bunch it up,” Madsen mentioned. “Let’s get 4 video games in a single journey. Let’s get three video games in a visit.”
Madsen additionally prompt early tip occasions on Saturday that will enable the West Coast groups to return dwelling at an affordable hour Saturday evening.
Asking the NFL
Whereas realignment-created journey seems to have hit the ACC hardest, it is added a brand new wrinkle for coaches throughout the nation.
USC is 2-3 in Large Ten highway video games performed two time zones away and is going through a cross-country journey this week to EST to play Maryland and Rutgers.
First-year Trojans coach Eric Musselman mentioned in an look on the Bret Boone podcast final week that he consulted with the Los Angeles Rams earlier than the season on how they deal with journey east. Among the many suggestions he obtained was that it may well take three days in your physique to “catch up” when touring three time zones.
“It is so exhausting to fall asleep the primary and second evening once you’re on West Coast time,” Musselman mentioned.
It is a stark distinction, he famous, from the place he coached beforehand within the SEC with Arkansas, the place all groups nonetheless stay separated by a most of 1 time zone.
The Trojans have been arriving sooner or later earlier than their Large Ten highway video games for now. However USC deliberate to reach two days early for this week’s recreation at Maryland, which will likely be its furthest journey but.
“It is form of going to be a yr or two, experimenting, speaking to different groups and seeing what’s greatest,” he mentioned.