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Nebraska Hoops Game Day: at UCLA

Robin Washut profile picby: Robin Washut3 hours agoRobinWashut

After rolling USC, Nebraska looks to complete the Big Ten’s first Los Angeles sweep this season when it takes on UCLA tonight at Pauley Pavilion.

Here is what you need to know as the Huskers aim for win No. 26 and clinch a top-four seed in the Big Ten Tournament today vs. the Bruins…

Who, What, Where, When

Nebraska Cornhuskers (25-4, 14-4 Big Ten) at UCLA Bruins (19-10, 11-7 Big Ten)

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 – 10:00 p.m. CT

Pauley Pavilion (12,829)

TV: FS1

Radio: Huskers Radio Network

Internet/Streaming: FOX Sports App

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Nebraska projected starters

Jamarques LawrenceGSr.6-3/185Lawrence tied his career high with seven of Nebraska’s 20 assists in the win at USC. However, he only shot 1-6 from the field for six points and committed four turnovers.
Sam HoibergGSr.6-0/180Hoiberg posted seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals over 27 minutes at USC, his second-lowest total in Big Ten play. That included a +21 plus/minus rating.
Pryce SandfortGJr.6-7/210Sandfort hit five 3-pointers for 32 points at USC, his third 30-point effort of the season. He’s now six made threes away from breaking the Big Ten single-season record (80).
Berke BuyuktuncelFJr.6-10/240A former UCLA transfer, Buyuktuncel scored nine points on 4-7 shooting with six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks at USC. He was a team-best +24 over 24 minutes.
Rienk MastFSr.6-10/250 Mast scored 11 points with six rebounds, including a team-high five offensive boards, in the win over USC. He’s also only made 1-12 3-pointers over his last five games.

UCLA projected starters

Donovan DentGSr.6-2/185A transfer from New Mexico, Dent averages 13.5 points while ranking third in the Big Ten with 7.5 assists per game. He boasts a 3.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Trent PerryGSo.6-4/190Perry is scoring 12.3 points with 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this season. He just went scoreless on 0-7 shooting over 27 minutes in the loss at Minnesota.
Skyy ClarkGSr.6-3/210After missing nearly all of January to injury, Clark has averaged 10.2 ppg and 1.6 apg while shooting 10-21 (47.6%) from 3-point range since returning five games ago.
Eric Dailey Jr.G/FJr.6-8/230A former transfer from Oklahoma State, Dailey averages 10.9 ppg and ranks second on the team with 5.4 rpg. He had 18 points on 8-10 shooting with six rebounds in the loss at Minnesota.
Tyler BilodeauFSr.6-9/235An All-Big Ten pick last season, Bilodeau tops UCLA with 18.4 ppg and 5.8 rpg while shooting 52% from the field and 46% from 3-point range. He had 32 points and eight boards at Minnesota.

3 keys to victory

Win the 3-point line

Tonight will be a matchup of strength vs. strength, as both Nebraska and UCLA base their offenses around elite perimeter shooting. Both teams rank inside the nation’s top 100 in 3-point shooting, while the Bruins (37.9% as a team) are 24th overall and second in the Big Ten. Whoever capitalizes more while limiting their opponent from behind the arc will define this game as much as anything. Like the Huskers, UCLA generally rolls with five-shooter lineups, led by all-conference big man Tyler Bilodeau, who’s hit a team-high 56 threes at a 45.5% clip. Aggressive closeouts and quick defensive rotations will be critical to chase the Bruins off the arc. On the other side, this would be a perfect time for other NU players to give Sandfort some help from deep. Rienk Mast has missed 11 of his last 12 threes, and getting his shot back into form would be significant.

Play clean, force mistakes

The stylistic similarities between Nebraska and UCLA go beyond the 3-point line. Both teams have also been excellent at taking care of the basketball this season. While the Huskers have had some recent ball security issues, they’re still 24th nationally in offensive turnover percentage (14.0) and fifth in offensive steal rate (7.0). Meanwhile, the Bruins rank 13th (13.6) and 12th (7.3) in those categories, respectively. Whichever team plays the cleaner game will have a distinct advantage tonight. In particular, live-ball turnovers could be an X-factor, as Nebraska and UCLA each thrive in sudden-change transition offense. Sam Hoiberg and Donovan Dent, two of the nation’s leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, will be huge tonight.

Channel Berke’s energy

Unlike Pryce Sandfort at Iowa, Berke Buyuktuncel already faced his former school when Nebraska hosted UCLA last season. Still, the junior forward must channel his emotions much better in tonight’s rematch than he did a year ago. Buyuktuncel finished that game just 1-of-8 from the field (1-for-3 on 3-pointers) for four points in 23 minutes. He had nine rebounds but also committed four fouls and three turnovers. Head coach Fred Hoiberg still wants Buyuktuncel to feed off his return to Los Angeles, especially now that he’s playing in his former home arena for the first time. However, he can’t let that energy lead to poor shot selection and sloppy play. Use the motivation, but do it the right way.

Quotable

“The daily message hasn’t changed one time this year. The daily message is, ‘Let’s take care of the next assignment.’ … We’ll worry about that other stuff when it comes. But right now, it’s all about doing everything we can to prepare for this game that’s right in front of us. Once you start looking ahead, you’re done.”

-Head coach Fred Hoiberg on Nebraska not worrying about the postseason implications riding on a win at UCLA.

Prediction

Nebraska (-1.5) 71, UCLA 70

Robin’s season record: 25-4

Vs. the spread: 21-8

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