LOS ANGELES – UCLA head coach Mick Cronin, senior Eric Dailey Jr. and junior Trent Perry will represent the UCLA men’s basketball program at Big Ten Men’s Basketball Media Day in Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach, enters his eighth season as the team’s head coach in 2026-27. Both Dailey Jr. and Perry played major roles for UCLA last season and have entered their third season in UCLA’s program.
Dailey Jr. averaged 11.6 points and a team-best 5.8 rebounds in 35 games as a junior last season. Both Dailey Jr. and Perry were two of five players on UCLA’s team to average at least 10 points per game. Dailey Jr. scored in double figures in 26 games and finished the season with two 20-point performances.
Perry, who has been listed to the preseason All-Big Ten Conference team, averaged 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last year. He shot 43.6 percent overall and 39.2 percent from 3-point distance, concluding the season with the third highest minutes per game average (29.9) on UCLA’s roster.
Both Dailey Jr. and Perry have helped the Bruins to a 13-7 record in Big Ten play in each of the past two seasons. UCLA compiled a 24-12 overall record last season and advanced to the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Bruins secured a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, defeating UCF in the opening round before losing to No. 2-seed UConn in the second round.
Big Ten Media Day in Chicago will feature multiple interviews with members of the broadcast, print and online media, including the network television partners of the conference. Fans can watch Coach Cronin, joined by Dailey Jr. and Perry, on the Big Ten Network set on Thursday at 11:15 a.m. PT (1:15 p.m. CT in Chicago).
The Big Ten Network will be carrying action live from the league’s men’s basketball media day starting at 9 a.m. PT (11 p.m. CT) until 2 p.m. PT (4 p.m. CT). Big Ten coaches and student-athletes will be join BTN analysts Dave Revsine, Rapheal Davis, Bruce Weber and Andy Katz throughout the day.
Coverage of Thursday’s Big Ten Men’s Basketball Media Day will be available on Big Ten Network and the FOX Sports app, as well as the Big Ten Conference’s social media channels.
The Bruins’ 32-game regular-season schedule tips off in Las Vegas as UCLA takes on Arizona on Monday, Nov. 2. The Bruins’ game against Arizona is part of a men’s basketball evening doubleheader. Gonzaga will face Purdue in the first game, with UCLA taking on Arizona at 7 p.m. (PT). The complete broadcast schedule for UCLA’s upcoming season was unveiled by the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Fans can catch an early look at UCLA’s team in two upcoming exhibition games. The Bruins will host Cal Baptist on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and the University of San Diego on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Game times of those two exhibition contests will be 7 p.m. (PT).
PRESEASON INTRODUCTION
Coach Cronin and multiple student-athletes on the UCLA men’s basketball team met with media members prior to practice on Tuesday, Oct. 6, inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Coach Cronin spoke to the media for more than 20 minutes in advance of the Bruins taking their annual team photo. Fans can watch Coach Cronin’s media session from Tuesday morning by clicking here.
PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN HONOREES
Perry was named to the 2026-27 Big Ten preseason all-conference team, as announced by the Big Ten Conference on Monday, Oct. 5. The 6-foot-4 guard who grew up in West Covina, Calif., was honored as one of 11 student-athletes on the Big Ten’s preseason list (11 players are on the list, due to one tie in the voting). Joining Perry on the preseason list of honorees are Elliot Cadeau (Michigan), Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State), David Mirkovic (Illinois), Trey McKenney (Michgan), John Mobley Jr. (Ohio State), Pharrell Payne (Maryland), Rodney Rice (USC), Pryce Sandfort (Nebraska), Andrej Stojakovic (Illinois) and Nolan Winter (Wisconsin). Both Fears Jr. and Sandfort were unanimous selections to the Big Ten’s preseason list. In addition, Fears Jr. was recognized as the league’s preseason player of the year.
UCLA’S TICKET INFORMATION
Season ticket packages for UCLA’s upcoming men’s basketball season are available. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information. Single-game tickets for the team’s non-conference home games will be available starting on Thursday, Oct. 8. For more information about tickets, call UCLA Athletic Sales & Service at (310) 206-5991 or via email at tickets@athletics.ucla.edu.