"We could care less": Mick Cronin shakes up biggest college basketball myth after close Arizona win

UCLA head coach Mick Cronin was calm and composed after his team overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half to defeat Arizona Dec. 14. The Bruins victory added to the Wildcats; misery, as they had fallen out of the AP Top 25 weekly poll for the first time in three years prior to the game.

The showdown last Saturday took place at the Footprint Center, home to the Phoenix Suns, as opposed to the McKale Center in Tucson where the two teams have produced some of their finest games against each other. Despite the change in venue, Cronin wasn't fazed, making his feelings clear in the postgame news conference.

While addressing the media alongside junior guard Skyy Clark, Cronin responded to a question on the difference between playing at the Footprint Center and the McKale Center in terms of dealing with the crowd.

"Well, I thought the crowd was great. Restaurants are better here," said Cronin.

Besides a perfect 7-0 start at home, the Bruins also scored an impressive victory against Oregon on the road prior to their showdown with Arizona. When quizzed about the impact of playing on the road in terms of hostile environments, Cronin busted the myth quickly.

"No, no, we could care less," added Cronin. "Really, we won at Oregon last week. I think that stuff is vastly overrated."

The game between the Bruins and the Wildcats was the first of three non-conference games over a span of four years, keeping the old Pac-12 rivalry alive despite Arizona's move to the Big 12 and UCLA's jump to the Big Ten ahead of the start of this season.

The Bruins' win over the Wildcats was the ninth in their opening 10 games of this season. Clark and junior forward Tyler Bilodeau ran the show for UCLA, finishing with 15 and 17 points, respectively.

Senior guard Kobe Johnson worked hard on both ends of the court, finishing with seven points and as many rebounds to go along with four assists in 37 minutes. After breaking into the AP Top 25 for the first time this season last week, the Bruins made a massive six-place jump to 18th in the latest weekly poll.