The Mick + Hep Cronin Storyline Is One Reason Why the NCAA Tournament Is the Best

On today's episode of the Barstool Bench Mob, we have a full recap of a crazy Sweet 16 weekend. Gonzaga, Baylor, and Michigan all win impressively, the Oral Roberts Cinderella story comes to an end, and UCLA stuns Alabama. 

Speaking of UCLA, the run that the Bruins are on right now just shows how great of a coach Mick Cronin really is. In case you didn't know, Coach Cronin, a recurring guest of Pardon My Take, headed west to California a couple of years ago after doing great things for the University of Cincinnati. Now, he has the Bruins, a team that was one of the last four teams selected into this year's field, one win away from the Final Four. 

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Starting with the team's First Four win over Michigan State 10 days ago, the relationship that Coach Cronin has with his father, Hep, has been well-documented. It all started after that play-in game, when the Bruins beat the Spartans to move on to the Round of 64. Prior to that game, Mick had not seen Hep in a year. A security guard at Purdue's Mackey Arena told Hep, who is 80, that he couldn't come down to the railing to see his son. 

Hep wasn't dealing with any of that. The two were very happy to see each other, and since that game, we have gotten plenty of shots on the broadcasts of Hep in the crowd any time UCLA makes a big bucket. But after the upset over Alabama last night, my co-hosts, Rico and Marty, decided they had enough of Hep. I think it's a fun story, but they're sick of it. This has a lot to do with the fact that both of them responsibly wagered a lot of money on the Crimson Tide via the Barstool Sportsbook, but the two of them are not fans of Hep. Their loss!

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