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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