Nebraska men’s basketball improved to 2-1 in the Big Ten with a 66-58 win over No. 15 UCLA in Lincoln on Saturday.
It was the 20th straight home win, matching a program record. It is the third time Nebraska has won 20 consecutive home games. Most recently, the Huskers did so from Dec. 20, 2017, to Jan. 10, 2019.
“It’s a great home court environment,” Coach Fred Hoiberg said of Pinnacle Bank Arena after the game. “When you get guys in the league that we’re fortunate to have on a roster now, they talk about PBA as being one of the best environments in the league … It certainly rang true today and it’s been that way all year.”
Game of Runs
Nebraska withstood UCLA’s runs and so did the Bruins; Nebraska had just a few more.
“We talked this game was going to be a game of runs. and that’s exactly what happened,” Hoiberg said. “It’s an older team that’s been battle-tested and we found a way to play our best basketball when it mattered most at the end.”
In the first half alone, UCLA started the game with a 7-0 run, Nebraska countered with a 15-0 run, then UCLA went on their own 15-0 run followed by a Nebraska 9-0 run before the Bruins scored the final two points of the half.
Bench Stepped Up
A key sequence in the game came with 9:06 left in the second half and Nebraska leading 42-38. It was an 8-0 run all by the Huskers’ bench. It started with a Sam Hoiberg corner 3, followed by an Andrew Morgan and-one, then an Ahron Ulis pull-up jumper to give Nebraska a 12-point lead with 8:02 left in the game.
Ulis saw his first action in four games after injuring his ankle in practice before the Huskers’ first game at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii.
“It was good to have him back out there,” Fred Hoiberg said. “I thought he gave us really good minutes. Rollie [Worster] was terrific as well. We got really good production from our point guards tonight. I’m happy Ahron was back out there; he was on a bit of a minute restriction tonight. We kept him under that. I hope he responds well.”
Sam Hoiberg and the bench were fantastic in this game. Fred Hoiberg said, “Sam was all over the place.” He dove for loose balls and his three rebounds came in big moments. The Huskers’ bench outscored the Bruins’ 23-15, led by Morgan’s 12 points.
Rock Fight
The game was going to be a rock fight, a bring your lunch pail, a gritty, grimy game. Gritty and grimy is what Nebraska is this season. Fred Hoiberg has said numerous times in his press availability that is what this team is this year.
“It was a rock fight today,” Sam Hoiberg said. “We shot 30% from the field, 32% and we still won by almost double digits. Being able to win when it’s ugly is super important, and if we play tough like that, we’re going to be able to do it, no matter if our offense is clicking or not. We can still win games if we’re tough, and that was a perfect example tonight.”
The Bruins shot 42% from 3 as a team in December. Nebraska held UCLA to just 38.6% from the field and 14.3% (4-of-28) from 3-point range.
UCLA was fourth in the country in defensive efficiency on KenPom and Nebraska was 19th before the game. The Huskers moved up to ninth after the win.
The Huskers held UCLA to just 0.841 points per possession. In Nebraska’s last five wins, the Husker defense has given up just 0.82 points per possession and is 10-0 when holding opponents to under one point per possession.
Nebraska held UCLA to 58 points, the Bruins’ second-lowest total of the season. The Huskers have now held seven of 14 opponents under 50 points.
We will see if the defense can travel when the Huskers head to Iowa on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. CT tipoff.
