Pac-12 Media Day: Arizona, UCLA confident in future of basketball rivalry beyond this year

“We’re gonna do it,” Lloyd said. “A hundred percent.”

But both Lloyd, whose team will be off to the Big 12 next season, and Cronin, with a Big Ten-bound team, both suggested there might be complications in the details. Besides, Cronin said, pretty much every Pac-12 team is asking him if they can continue playing the Bruins.

“I’m not against it. We’re discussing it,” Cronin said of a UA-UCLA nonconference contract. “But the first thing is, I don’t even know my Big 10 schedule yet, how many games we’re gonna have. There’s a lot of talk. I’m not really in meetings there yet. They have challenge games (against teams in other conferences). Am I going to be locked into 22-23 games? That’s gonna make it tough.”

After talking with Cronin about it, Lloyd said he was confident in a future with the Bruins, despite those complications.

“We just need to sit down and kind of hammer out exactly what it’s gonna look like,” Lloyd said. “But I also think there’s so much change going on. First off, I want to figure out what is the Big 12 schedule gonna look like. He probably wants to know what his Big Ten schedule looks like. And then what do we have? What are some non conference obligations that come with being in this new conference? There’s so many things, it’s kind of hard to say.”

However it all plays out, Lloyd spoke of one near-certainty: That the remaining Pac-12 games between the Bruins and Wildcats will be must-see events.

“We’ve played UCLA six times in my two years, and every one of them has been electric,” Lloyd said. “When we played at Pauley last season on Senior Day, and they had some great veteran players, it was electric. It was a special environment. It was one of those days where we got our butts kicked, and they played great on senior day. It was an impressive thing.

“So both (regular-season) games will be big, and as we get closer to them, people will make a bigger deal about it. But I also know Mick and I have a lot of games and a lot of challenges in between now and when we face each other. So it’s hard to even put in perspective.”

Priorities

While it’s hardly unusual for a coach to say a preseason poll doesn’t matter, Cronin took it to another level at the Pac-12 media day.

He said he was more concerned about his Wednesday night barbeque plans after jetting out of Las Vegas, than about the Bruins being picked to finish third.

“We’ve got a private plane, and I live in Encino,” Cronin said. “We’re gonna land in Van Nuys. I expect to be on the grill by six.”

Sun Devil surprise

Having lost nine transfers from last season’s NCAA Tournament team, ASU coach Bobby Hurley has been rebuilding around returnees Frankie Collins, Jamiya Neal and Alonzo Gaffney.

So when none of those three were named among the 19 players given preseason honors – between a 10-player first team, a five-player second team and four honorable mention picks – it may figure the Sun Devils would be counted out.

Yet they were picked to finish sixth.

“I like my team. I liked it last year, and I thought we would have a really good season,” Hurley said. “I feel the same way about this group. I think it has the makings of an NCAA tournament team if it comes together.

“I was just puzzled because I didn’t see any of my players on any of the first or second or honorable mention. When you don’t see any of your players, and then all of a sudden (you’re picked) sixth, I’m like, `Well, those two things don’t really add up.’ “

Live for today

For Washington State coach Kyle Smith and Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle, the Pac-12’s impending breakup may bring especially mixed emotions. They work for the only two schools not headed elsewhere after this season, at least as of now.

So while Washington State was picked to finish 10th and OSU picked 12th, Smith wasn’t complaining about the challenge ahead.

In fact, he may miss it.

“I think the league’s really good this year and it’s kind of unique in the finality of it,” Smith said. “As a coach you’re working in two streams: The here and now, and the future, building a program. And there’s a little bit of, ‘Man, this league is tough.’

“But it’s like, `You know what, there’s something new coming. I don’t know what it is. But let’s let’s really relish this this opportunity.’ I think we can be good.”