In Reply to: Reading down this page posted by Dr.Bruin on February 16, 2026 at 04:32:15
"Criticism for recruiting Bilodeau? "
I don't recall anyone criticizing brining Bilodeau on. He is great on offense. The criticism I have seen is due to his lackluster/poor defense, which is justified. I believe his contributions on offense outweigh his liability on defense. It really depends on the matchups.
"Criticism for recruiting Dent?"
Yes, at $3 million we were were expecting an All-America performance. To date, that has not occurred. His assist to turnover ratio is good, but it does not make up for his shortcoming in other areas such as field goal %, free throw %, three point % and sub-par defense. He is a good player, just not $3 million level good. Again, I do not blame Cronin for paying the $3 million based on Dent's performance at New Mexico. If Dent had another year at the Big-10 level I think he we be much better, but alas, he is a senior.
As for Booker, he is playing about as well as I expected. He is simply too thin to play the five effectively. He would be more effective as a four. There were high expectations for him coming out of high school, but he has struggled to adjust to the college game. I believe he can be a decent player. I hope he stays so we can see if he improves next year.
As for NIL, I think it would be interesting if teams were required to disclose how much they are spending on players each season. We could then rank them based on NIL spend and see how closely this correlates to winning. It would most likely show the obvious. The more you spend, the better the players, the more you win. I think seeing the spending differences between schools would go a long way in stopping fans from complaining if they know their school just cannot afford to compete with the top spenders. But let's be real. Fans will always find something to complain about. :)
As far as too soon to judge, the regular season is almost over. There is no time left. How is it too soon to judge Cronin's recruiting? This is his seventh season. Why are next season's recruits more significant then his past ones?
For the most part I like Cronin, but it concerns me that his hard nosed style may be driving recruits away. He rarely seems happy in the pressers and recruits see that. I wish he were just a bit more positive when talking to the press.