Locked On Wolverines - Daily Podcast On Michigan Wolverines Football & Basketball · Locked On Podcast Network, Isaiah Hole

BIG 10 SQUAD: Big 10 Basketball Coming Down to the WIRE | How Does Michigan Stack Up?

·36 min·2 clips

Mick Cronin ejected a fouled-out player after a flagrant and then clashed with a reporter.

1. Locked On Big Ten Squad centers on Mick Cronin’s UCLA outburst, Big Ten exit speculation, and Pat Fitzgerald’s Michigan State hire. 2. Hosts Jacob Goins, Ryan Herrings, Nick Garvin, Roman Tomashov, Zach Anderson-Yoximer, Zach Sacco, Jay Stephens, and Craig Sheeman bring the Big Ten network perspective. 3. The episode asks whether Big Ten basketball drama, conference realignment rumors, and new coaching hires reveal where the league is headed. 4. The first major topic is Mick Cronin ejecting his own UCLA player after a flagrant foul and a foul out. 5. Hosts replay Cronin telling a reporter, “Are you raising your voice at me?” and criticize the postgame exchange. 6. Ryan Herrings compares Cronin unfavorably with Tom Izzo, who stayed and answered questions after a lopsided Wisconsin loss. 7. Several hosts say Cronin’s behavior is not new, but UCLA’s offseason extension and $22.5 million buyout change the stakes. 8. Zach Anderson-Yoximer says UCLA extended Cronin before the season and notes the buyout rises to $18 million if the school waits until after April. 9. The second major topic is ESPN’s claim that Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State could leave the Big Ten and keep more revenue. 10. Craig Sheeman argues the Big Ten should stay together, using the NFL’s shared-value model and warning that independence would harm long-term value. 11. Zach Sacco cites the idea that one Ohio State-Michigan game allegedly generates $200 million while the schools receive roughly $75 million each from Big Ten distribution. 12. The panel discusses whether those brands would need Notre Dame and whether TV networks would buy a smaller alliance’s schedule. 13. Jay Stephens says Ohio State could sell itself as a standalone brand, but the scheduling tradeoff would likely hurt the Buckeyes. 14. Roman Tomashov says the move would undercut the reason Oregon, UCLA, and Washington accepted the Big Ten, especially with reduced conference power. 15. Ryan Herrings says leaving would amount to greed and could erase tradition, fan base value, and the competitive balance Big Ten fans expect. 16. The final topic is Pat Fitzgerald’s hire at Michigan State and whether a recent Northwestern coach can stabilize a program after Mel Tucker and Jonathan Smith. 17. Some hosts call Fitzgerald underwhelming because Northwestern finished three of his last four years with one Big Ten win. 18. Others point to his 10 bowl games in 16 seasons at Northwestern and say Michigan State may need a steady floor more than a splashy turnaround. 19. The tone is a rotating-panel debate with fast cross-talk, jokes, and repeated challenges between hosts. 20. Fans of Big Ten coaching debates and realignment talk will likely listen; listeners avoiding basketball rants and revenue math may skip it.

As heard by us

A lively Big Ten conversation that folds Michigan into a broader realignment debate.

What gives this one some bite is the way it moves from UCLA basketball and Pat Fitzgerald into the bigger question hanging over the Big Ten: could the league's top programs ever walk away?

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Why you'd press play

Big Ten realignment talk, Michigan context, and a crowded panel that keeps the conversation moving.

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