Michigan State could put together its best start to a season ever as Tom Izzo closes in on Bob Knight's Big Ten wins record.

The UCLA Bruins are in their first season in the Big Ten Conference. With that expansion of the conference, coaches like Mick Cronin are dealing with some new challenges, including handling the travel and a difficult conference schedule.

UCLA's coach has generated more headlines for his grievances than for the Bruins' (improving) play on the floor.

Being eviscerated in the postgame news conference by your own head coach is a tough way to start the new year. That's where UCLA men's basketball players found themselves Jan. 7 as head coach Mick Cronin didn't hold back following his team's 94-75 loss to Michigan.

UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin has been on one lately. First, he ripped his own players in a postgame rant after a loss to Michigan on Jan. 8. Just a few days later, he got ejected on purpose late in the game during an eventual loss to Maryland.

After starting the month of January on a four-game losing streak in Big Ten play, the UCLA Bruins (15-6, 6-4) have responded better than any team in the nation

UCLA hired Mick Cronin to lead its program ahead of the 2019-2020 season. Cronin had been in a head coach position since 2003, spending three seasons with Murray State and 13 with Cincinnati. He was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year in his inaugural season, but the pandemic saw both the Pac-12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament being canceled.

UCLA coach Mick Cronin is worried about the challenges of playing in the Big Ten due to his team's tough schedule.

Less than a month after their coach called them soft and delusional, the Bruins have turned things around by drawing a line between cordial relationships off the court and competitive connections

Mick Cronin on UCLA's travel, and if other teams coming out west balances it out: "Oh, a Big 10 team has to come to LA, where it's 70 degrees, once. You're asking me to feel sorry because Iowa had to come to LA for a few days? We've seen the Statue of Liberty twice in 3 weeks!" pic.twitter.com/NQgmenQvVY

The Bruins’ winning streak is at four games with reason for additional optimism after a hard-fought 82-76 victory at the Galen Center, while Trojans coach Eric Musselman’s quickly assembled roster

The Bruins’ head coach, who has employed the bigs in certain situations, said they “made me look smart” after both rose to the occasion in Tuesday’s victory over Wisconsin.