Nebraska
Coach Mick Cronin Critiques UCLA’s Performance After Loss to Nebraska
The No. 15-ranked UCLA men’s basketball team suffered its first Big Ten Conference loss of the season, falling 66-58 to Nebraska on Saturday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The defeat dropped the Bruins to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference. Despite a strong defensive start, UCLA’s offense struggled, particularly from beyond the arc, where they shot just 4-of-28 (14.3%).
Coach Mick Cronin was blunt in his assessment of the game when he addressed the media postgame.
“We didn’t play well enough to win against a good team on the road.” he said. “That’s really all I have to say.”
Cronin didn’t mince words when evaluating the performance of his bench players.
“Dylan Andrews has got to play way better or Dominick Harris or Trent Perry got opportunities today,” he said. “They played a combined 17 minutes, neither one of them scored. I told them they were going to get an opportunity with Eric out. They played for 17 minutes and didn’t get a basket.”
The Bruins’ struggles from the floor were evident, as Cronin pointed out.
“If you shoot the ball as poorly as we did, the only chance you have is to take care of the ball,” he said. “You can’t give them 17 points off your turnovers. You’ve got no chance, can’t overcome it. It’s just math at the end of the day.”
UCLA’s poor shooting performance was highlighted by a drastic dip in their 3-point shooting percentage.
“We shot 42% from the three in the month of December as a team. Today we shot 14%,” Cronin said.
He explained that when the Bruins couldn’t hit their shots, Nebraska’s defense tightened, making it even harder for UCLA to score.
“They did a good job, but I got to be honest, we missed a ton of open shots,” Cronin said. “They just try to take the paint away from you, and what happens is, in Basketball, and this isn’t just this game, when you can’t make a shot, they pack it in even tighter. You start making shots, all of a sudden, their cutting, their laying it in because you’ve got to open your defense up. So, the floor gets real, real small and easier to defend when nobody can make a shot.”
Despite the tough loss, Cronin was quick to credit Nebraska for their defensive effort.
“Their players did a great job on the defensive end. They were the better defensive team today, and that’s why they won,” he said. “I don’t think environment has anything to do with anything, I just don’t. I think it makes it more fun for the players … somebody cheers so you play better? Not a big believer in that.”
Tyler Bilodeau led UCLA with 15 points, while Lazar Stefanovic added 10. Kobe Johnson contributed a career-high 11 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the offensive struggles. Despite solid individual efforts, UCLA couldn’t find consistency as a team, especially from long-range.
The Bruins will return to Pauley Pavilion to host Michigan on Jan. 7. Cronin and his team will need to refocus and recover from this setback as they continue their Big Ten journey.
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QUEEN CREEK, AZ — A slice of the Midwest is coming to the East Valley! Godfather’s Pizza from Omaha, Nebraska, is set to open a new location this month in Queen Creek.
Bruce Cannon, who owns and operates two Godfather’s Pizza locations in Lincoln and Norfolk, Nebraska, will also own and operate the new Queen Creek restaurant.
“This marks the brand’s first traditional Godfather’s Pizza restaurant in Arizona since 2009, signaling an exciting return to the Phoenix metro area,” read the news release sent to ABC15.
The restaurant will open near Queen Creek Rd and Signal Butte Rd.
The restaurant will provide dine-in, carryout, and third-party delivery options, featuring its classic pizza lineup alongside favorites like breadsticks, streusels, and specialty pies.
IF YOU GO
- Opening date: January 19, 2026.
- Address: 22485 Queen Creek Road, Suite 101
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The quarterback position has been one of the most intriguing to follow early on into the transfer portal period, as schools across the country make offers to some of the best available arms. Nebraska thought they managed to bring aboard one of the best quarterbacks in the portal on Sunday when they received a commitment from Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey.
That commitment ended up being rather short lived, however.
On Monday, reports emerged saying that Minchey was flipping his commitment from Nebraska to Kentucky just one day after declaring he’d be joining the Cornhuskers for the 2026 season.
Instead, Minchey now appears set to join the Wildcats under new head coach Will Stein, who is finishing up his duties as the offensive coordinator for Oregon.
Minchey is entering his redshirt junior season and will have two years of eligibility remaining. He’s spent the last three years as a backup at Notre Dame. He completed 20 of 26 passes this season for 196 yards, but did not have a passing touchdown or interception.
Now, he’ll get the chance to start for Kentucky, replacing former Wildcats quarterback Cutter Boley, who transferred to Arizona State.
As for Nebraska, this is a big blow for the program. It’s not yet clear what direction they’ll turn as the program hunts down its next quarterback after Dylan Raiola entered the transfer portal at the end of the season.
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Ernest Hausmann is electing to hang it up after a four-year run in college football.
The former Nebraska football and Michigan linebacker announced on social media Saturday that he is medically retiring rather than pursuing a pro football career. Hausmann concludes his college football career with over 250 career tackles in 50 career games. The Columbus, Neb., product finished his final season as Wolverines with 44 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Prior to becoming a national champion with Michigan during his sophomore campaign in 2023, Hausmann was a true freshman standout for Nebraska, playing for his in-state team. The Columbus High School graduate was one of the top prospects in Nebraska during his prep career, becoming an All-Nebraska selection and earning a three-star recruitment rating as the No. 5 player in the state for the Discoverers. Hausmann signed with Nebraska over Arizona State, Iowa, Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and others.
The linebacker would play in every game of the 2022 season as a true freshman, earning seven starts while finishing with 54 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery in Scott Frost’s final season as head coach. After Frost was fired early in the season, interim coach Mickey Joseph led lead the team as Hausmann’s play improved as the season continued. The linebacker had a 12-tackle performance at Wisconsin in Nebraska’s 15-14 loss in his second-to-last performance as a Cornhusker before ending the year with six solo tackles and a fumble recovery in a Nebraska win at Iowa.
Hausmann entered the transfer portal after his freshman campaign, electing to join the Michigan Wolverines for the 2023 season. He appeared in all 15 games in the Wolverines’ 2023 national championship run, finishing third on the team with 46 total tackles, including two tackles for loss. He also earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors in Michigan’s Big Ten Championship Game win over Iowa, totaling eight tackles against the Hawkeyes.
Hausmann started all 13 games as a junior for Michigan in 2024, leading the team with 89 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups, and one interception. His performance led to an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection by the media and coaches, as well as earning a ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama while being named a captain for the game.
During his senior campaign, Hausmann was named a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year semifinalist while earning an All-Big Ten Third-Team selection. He earned four Defensive Player of the Week honors for the Wolverines, and started in Michigan’s 30-27 win at Nebraska on Sept. 20, totaling nine tackles and a sack.
Hausmann was born in Uganda and was legally adopted when he was two years old, but did not join his Hausmann family until he was five years old in 2008. Prior to his senior campaign at Michigan, Hausmann returned to Africa and later partnered with One Million Wells, a nonprofit that seeks to provide water to impoverished communities.
The Wolverine linebacker began communication with his biological family through social media in the past few years, as Hausmann was able to speak to his mother for the first time in 2024. His return journey to Uganda was featured on ESPN’s College GameDay as a feature story earlier in the college football season.
Hausmann stated in his social media post that it was time to “focus on my true purpose on this earth full time.” He added that he would finish his degree at the University of Michigan.
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