The UCLA men’s basketball took down its third top-10 ranked opponent of the season at the Pauley Pavilion with a 72-52 win against No. 9 Nebraska on Tuesday.
The win was the largest win the Bruins have had against a top-10 opponent this season. It was a shift from how head coach Mick Cronin and UCLA performed on Saturday in Minnesota against the Golden Gophers. Now the Bruins enter their last regular season game with a 12-7 conference record.
Here are five takeaways from their blowout win against the ranked Cornhuskers.
Defense first
The Bruins’ defense took a major step forward after the loss to Minnesota with a blowout win against one of the best teams in the country. UCLA’s defense shut down Nebraska’s leading scorer, junior forward Pryce Sandfort, by holding him to nine points and two assists.
UCLA didn’t just stop with Sandfort; the Bruins held the Cornhuskers to 39 percent from the field and 21 percent from behind the 3-point line. Nebraska also struggled from the free-throw line and only made half of their shots from the line.
Ice Cold Bilodeau
Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau has been the Bruins’ leading scorer throughout the season, but in this game he struggled to hit the mark in the first half. He posted no points from his four field goal attempts, but he helped on the defensive side with three rebounds, a block and a steal.
The veteran managed to find his shot in the second half and put up eight points to bolster the Bruins’ offense. His defense also mattered; he ended the game with five rebounds, two steals and a block.
Perry’s heater
Sophomore guard Trent Perry carried the Bruins’ offense with a game-leading 20-point performance. He played the most minutes of anyone with 38 and racked up seven rebounds and four assists.
The young guard went through an offensive struggle in the last couple games, but he was the brightest star on the court from the first whistle. He made 50 percent of his three-pointers and nearly 50 percent of his field goals when UCLA needed him the most. If he can play at this level in the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins should be a difficult opponent for most teams.
It’s Freeny
The bench saw plenty of success against Nebraska, including freshman guard Eric Freeny. The rookie had four-points, which was less than junior forward Xavier Booker’s eight-points and sophomore guard Brandon Williams six-points.
However, Freeny played the most minutes of anyone off the bench with 18 and led the bench with five rebounds and three steals. His 18 minutes of gametime came off his appearance against Minnesota on Saturday, so the perhaps the production will be a sign of what is to come for UCLA in their future games.
Pauley Magic
The Bruins ended the regular season with a 17-1 record at the Pauley Pavilion and three top-10 ranked wins. According to ESPN, this marks the seventh time within 10 years of the Bruins gaining 20 or more wins in a season.
For everything that Cronin and the Bruins have faced throughout the season, they continued to improve, create records and find themselves with a prime opportunity to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Five takeaways from UCLA MBB thumping No. 9 Nebraska
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
