| Men’s Basketball |
|---|
| Nebraska — 52 |
| UCLA — 72 |
Picture a Tuesday night of basketball, one celebrating the newest class of senior hoops, with shots falling, defensive intensity, a huge win over a top-ten opponent and, of course, a packed Pauley Pavilion.
What better way to spend the final home game of the 2025-2026 season?
UCLA men’s basketball (20-10, 12-7 Big Ten) scored a major upset over No. 9 Nebraska (25-5, 14-5 Big Ten) 72-52 at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night. The Bruins dominated from start to finish, never trailing in the contest and holding the Cornhuskers to their fewest points in a game all season.
“It’s the best we’ve played all year. They brought out the best in us,” said head coach Mick Cronin during the post-game press conference.
After a disappointing defeat at Minnesota over the weekend, UCLA fed off a packed senior night crowd to improve to an absurd 17-1 at home, earning their third win at Pauley over a top-10 opponent this season.
The Bruins have consistently bounced back from setbacks all season, as emphasized by junior forward Eric Dailey Jr. “You get punched, you can’t quit. You have to keep fighting regardless of what’s going on.”
Sophomore shooting guard Trent Perry dropped a game-high 20 points on 8/15 shooting with three made triples, all while shouldering 38 minutes. Dailey Jr. complimented him with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Nebraska’s lead scorer Sam Hoiberg was held to only 12 points and was constantly hounded on defense by redshirt freshman guard Eric Freeny. The Cornhuskers as a team were contained to a mere 21% from 3-point land on the night.
An enjoyer of increased minutes in recent games, Freeny made an impact beyond the box score with his rebounding and toughness, saying after the game, “Effort, that’s all it really takes. That’s what it takes to win, and that’s what it’s going to take, especially in March.”
While the home crowd won’t be present during March Madness, they certainly impacted the game on this particular March night. By constantly shrieking “airball” at numerous Cornhuskers and earning free fries from Fat Sal’s after forcing two consecutive missed free throws, the Pauley fans’ loud support certainly correlated with Nebraska shooting an abysmal 9/18 from the free throw line.
While the Bruins started on a 9-2 blitz and never looked back from a 13-point lead at halftime, senior power forward Tyler Bilodeau and senior point guard Donovan Dent struggled on their night of honor. Bilodeau was held scoreless in the first half and eventually finished with nine points while Dent finished with four.
Despite their off nights, Dent’s eight assists and Bilodeau’s timely second-half threes demonstrated their persistence to contribute. Their teammates picked up the slack, emphasized by Perry’s three to cap off an 8-0 run right before halftime and a fastbreak jam from Dailey Jr. that sparked a booming crowd.
UCLA will conclude the regular season at the Galen Center in an attempt to sweep the Battle for Los Angeles against USC on Saturday, March 7 at 6 p.m. PST.
