Nebraska MBB Recap: Huskers Embarrassed by Bruins 72-52

FIRST HALF ANALYSIS:

UCLA came out on fire to start this one, while Nebraska couldn’t hit water if it fell out of a boat in the middle of the ocean. The Bruins took an immediate double-digit lead, as they hit 6 of their first 8 field goal attempts. The Huskers would commit 3 turnovers in the opening 2 minutes. Nebraska would couple that with a 3:30 scoring drought, all the while UCLA would still be shooting over 70% from the floor in the opening 8 minutes.

Advertisement

Cale Jacobsen tried to spark Nebraska back into this, but no one would come along with him, as the Huskers built a replica of Pauley Pavilion from distance. Trent Perry and Xavier Booker would carry UCLA, as leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau would be held scoreless. It wouldn’t matter, as the Bruins continued to shoot well, combined with Nebraska being colder than an ex-mother-in-law’s hug. UCLA took an incredibly comfortable 37-24 lead into the break.

FIRST HALF STATS:

Nebraska shot 9-29 for 31% from the floor. They went a wretched 2-16 for 13% from deep and 4-6 for 67% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 18 rebounds, 6 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 7 turnovers to just 5 assists.

Advertisement

The Huskers were led by Cale Jacobsen, who had 6 points off the bench. 5 different Huskers had 3 rebounds each. Jamarques Lawrence had 2 assists.

UCLA shot 15-30 for 50% from the floor. They went 5-14 for 36% from deep and 2-4 for 50% from the free-throw line. The Bruins collected 20 rebounds, 4 of which were offensive. UCLA had 6 assists to 5 turnovers. They had 9 second chance points.

The Bruins were led by Trent Perry, who had 9 points. 4 different Bruins had 3 rebounds each. Perry and Donovan Dent had 2 assists each.

SECOND HALF ANALYSIS:

If Husker fans were looking for the team that plays incredibly well in the second half, they never found it. Every time Nebraska tried to climb back into this one, they shot themselves in the foot with a turnover or couldn’t get a stop. Case in point, Nebraska hit 7 straight field goals at one point but only reduced the deficit by 2. The closest Nebraska got was 10 points, but UCLA hit a basket, Jamarques Lawrence was called for a foul underneath, and UCLA then hit a 3, culminating a 5-point possession.

Advertisement

The lead went up to 15 and stayed there for quite a while. Nebraska had hope when it reached the bonus by the under 8 timeout, but they decided it was better to continue to brick everything instead of scoring points. UCLA ran out the clock as comfortably as Usain Bolt running the hundred-meter dash against me.

FINAL STATS AND THOUGHTS:

Nebraska shot 19-49 for 39% from the floor. They went 5-24 for 21% from deep and 9-18 for 50% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 34 rebounds, 11 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 13 turnovers to 12 assists, and only 7 second chance points.

The Huskers were led by Sam Hoiberg, who had 12 points. Rienk Mast and Cale Jacobsen had 11 each. Berke Buyuktuncel, Jamarques Lawrence and Pryce Sandfort each had 5 rebounds. Lawrence also had 5 assists.

Advertisement

UCLA shot 28-60 for 47% from the floor. They went 10-29 for 35% from deep and 6-10 for 60% from the free-throw line. The Bruins collected 36 rebounds, 11 of which were offensive. UCLA had 17 assists to 8 turnovers and had 17 second chance points.

The Bruins were led by Trent Perry, who had 20 points and 7 rebounds. Eric Dailey Jr. had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Donovan Dent led the way with 8 assists.

I’m a little at a loss for words on this one. I know Nebraska has played some uggos recently, but dear God, what team was I watching tonight? Look at the stats, no hit anything from anywhere. The assists to turnovers were negative. Nebraska on 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS had got 3 OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS in a possession and DIDN’T SCORE!!!

Advertisement

UCLA hit its first shot 11 seconds into the game, and Nebraska never saw the light of day after that. 11 freaking seconds was all that Nebraska was in this contest. Some days you are the dog; others you are the hydrant. Tonight was a hydrant night. Better to have crapped the bed now than do it two weeks from now in the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska finishes its regular season on Sunday against Iowa. Tip-off from Pinnacle Bank Arena is at 4:00 pm central and can be seen on Fox.

One more for good measure…