Fresh off a signature victory that vexed some old demons, No. 15 UCLA dives into the heart of Big Ten Conference play when it faces Nebraska on Saturday afternoon at Lincoln, Neb.
UCLA (11-2, 2-0 Big Ten) flashed its signature grind-it-out defense to earn a 65-62 neutral-court victory over Gonzaga last Saturday. The win exacted a small measure of revenge for the Bruins after losing to the Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament twice over the past four seasons.
Now comes a test against Nebraska (11-2, 1-1), which already has a victory over then-No. 14 Creighton on its resume. The Cornhuskers are 7-0 on their own floor this season and 25-1 at home over the past two.
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin typically has late-blooming teams amid the rigors of learning a demanding defense. But Cronin’s current group has shortened the learning curve in its debut Big Ten season and entered Thursday seventh in the nation with 58.7 points allowed per game.
“You have to be mature enough to realize, even if you win, you got to get better,” said Cronin, whose team has single-digit losses against New Mexico and North Carolina.
“We have 18 Big Ten games left. Our next game is at Nebraska and it’s been two years since they lost at home. So it’s not going to stop.”
Transfers are leading the Bruins’ charge. Kobe Johnson (Southern California) and Skyy Clark (Louisville) anchor the defense, while Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State) and Eric Dailey Jr. (Oklahoma State) lead the team with 14.5 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.
After winning three games in four days to take the title of the Diamond Head Classic at Honolulu, Nebraska returned home to earn an easy 77-43 victory over Southern on Monday.
Connor Essegian scored 20 points for the Cornhuskers, who shot 49.1 percent from the floor and held Southern to 25.4 percent shooting
“We definitely have some work to do all around,” Nebraska point guard Rollie Worster said, per the Lincoln Journal Star. “We were a little careless with the ball and gave up a lot of offensive rebounds, but I think it’s just staying with our principles and everyone being on the same page.”
Nebraska also boasts an effective defense under head coach Fred Hoiberg, allowing 65.1 points per game to tie for 42nd best in the nation.
Brice Williams, who scored 11 points Thursday, leads Nebraska with 19.0 per game, while Essegian adds 12.4. Worster is six points away from reaching 1,000 in his career.
Former UCLA forward Berke Buyuktuncel leads Nebraska with 6.6 rebounds per game while adding 7.9 points. Buyuktuncel was part of Cronin’s roster purge from last season’s disappointing 16-17 Bruins team that failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.
While Cronin considers the Cornhuskers as essentially an undefeated team at home the past two seasons, they did lose at Lincoln in December of 2023 to then-No. 15 Creighton. But Nebraska went 10-0 at home in Big Ten play, including victories over No. 1 Purdue and No. 6 Wisconsin.
Nebraska, which has matched the program’s best start since the 1991-92 team opened 12-1, has won 19 consecutive home games — one shy of tying the school record.
–Field Level Media
