LOS ANGELES - UCLA (20-10, 12-7) took down No. 9 Nebraska (25-5, 14-5) 72-52 for the Bruin's most resounding defeat of a Top 10 opponent this season on Tuesday.
The win has likely made UCLA a lock for the NCAA tournament after hovering on the outside looking in for some time, but it also reveals the trait that the Bruins have been missing the most this season: consistency.
Tuesday night showed clearly that they have the talent and the drive to play far above what their record may indicate, they just haven't been able to chain together that energy for more than a game or two, especially since conference play began.
Before praising his own team, head coach Mick Cronin gave a lot of credit to the Cornhuskers for bringing that energy out of the Bruins.
"That's the best we've played all year. They [Nebraska] brought out the best in us," Cronin said. "We went from our worst defensive effort to our best defensive effort."
Senior night magic
Something else was in the air in Pauley Pavilion that could have given the Bruins some extra incentive as well, and it wasn't the looming threat of missing March Madness.
Tuesday was the last home game of the regular season and Senior Night for UCLA. Although, on a night dedicated to seniors, one sophomore shined brightest as he looked to bounce back after a disappointing performance in UCLA's loss to Minnesota.
"We didn't want out seniors to lose their last game in Pauley," sophomore guard Trent Perry said. "I felt like I let my team down last game in Minnesota [and] faced a different type of adversity... Getting a lot of comments, hate comments, threats and I just felt like I had to come out here tonight and really bounce back for my team," Perry said.
Perry led the team with 20 points while shooting 8-15 from the field. He added seven rebounds and four assists as well and for a while, it seemed like he was the only Bruin who had a three point shot at the ready.
Moving forward with this energy
The rest of the team found their shots soon enough, though, and by the end of the game shot 46.7% from the field and 34.5% from three. That along with their seriously leveled up defense sealed the victory.
Jordan Teller - The Sporting Tribune
Tyler Bilodeau #34 of the UCLA Bruins and his parents are greeted by head coach Mick Cronin of the UCLA Bruins during the senior night ceremony before an NCAA basketball game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Tuesday March 3, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
The Bruins may have found their groove after Tuesday, and not a moment too soon, but that doesn't mean their trials are over.
There's still one more regular season matchup, an away game against crosstown rival USC, and after that the Big Ten tournament and March Madness await.
UCLA tapped into something special on Tuesday and now they just need to hold onto it.
Should they do that, they won't just have earned their place in the playoffs, they'll have proved they can beat anyone.
Jordan Teller - The Sporting Tribune
Eric Dailey Jr. #3 of the UCLA Bruins dunks the ball over Berke Büyüktuncel #9 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers during an NCAA basketball game, Tuesday March 3, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
"I think we've just got to take that attitude that we played with tonight... and bottle it up and keep it rolling," junior forward Eric Dailey Jr. said. "Obviously, we've been having the same problems that Coach [Cronin] has been saying, but tonight, this team looked different. The way we played tonight, we keep this same energy and attitude, the plays and the hustle, we'll be fine down the stretch."
