Huskers Host No. 15 UCLA Saturday Afternoon

Huskers Host No. 15 UCLA Saturday Afternoon
The Nebraska men's basketball team resumes Big Ten Conference action Saturday afternoon as UCLA makes its first visit to Lincoln since 1955. The matchup between the No. 15 Bruins and Huskers from a sold-out Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for shortly after 1 p.m.The game will be shown nationally on FOX and carried on the Huskers Radio Network as well as on Huskers.com and the Huskers app. 

Nebraska (11-2, 1-1 B1G) enters 2025 riding a five-game win streak following a 77-43 win over Southern on Monday night. The Huskers raced out to a 12-2 lead in the first 5:06 and were never threatened in building a 24-point halftime lead. Connor Essegian had 20 points, including a career-high six 3-pointers, off the bench to pace three Huskers in double figures. NU held Southern to opponent lows in points (43) and field goal percentage (.254), marking the lowest totals by a Husker opponent since 2018.

Nebraska’s defense has played a major role in the Huskers’ five-game win streak, as NU has held its last five opponents to an average of 56.2 points per game on 34 percent shooting while out-rebounding teams by +6.2 rebounds per game. Nebraska is now in the top five in the Big Ten in both scoring defense (65.1 ppg) and opponent field goal percentage (.381)

Senior Brice Williams leads the Husker attack, as the 6-foot-7 guard averages 19.0 ppg on 52 percent shooting to rank fifth in the Big Ten in scoring entering the weekend. Williams earned his second USBWA Player-of-the-Week honor of the season on Tuesday after leading the Huskers to the Diamond Head Classic title on Christmas. He averaged 28.5 ppg on 61 percent shooting in the final two games of the tournament, including a career-high 32 points at Hawai'i.

UCLA (11-2, 2-0 B1G) has been off since a 65-62 win over No. 14 Gonzaga on Dec. 28. In that game, Eric Dailey Jr. led four Bruins in double figures with 18 points, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. UCLA trailed 60-58 before Sebastian Mack's 3-point play with 33 seconds started a game-closing 7-2 run for the Bruins. 

Worth Noting
• Nebraska's 11-2 record matches NU's best 13-game start since the 1991-92 team opened with a 12-1 mark through the first 13 games. NU also went 11-2 six other times since 1991-92, most recently last season.

• The Huskers will look to tie a school record for consecutive home wins on Saturday. NU has won 19 straight at home dating back to Dec. 10, 2023. The school record has been set twice before, most recently from Dec. 20, 2017, to Jan. 10, 2019. 

• Nebraska looks to improve to 2-0 against ranked teams this year, as Nebraska defeated then No. 14 Creighton, 74-63. NU is 3-2 in its last five games against ranked teams dating back to the win over No. 1 Purdue on Jan. 9, 2024.

• Nebraska is No. 41 in the NET on Jan. 1 and enters this weekend as one of 13 Big Ten teams in the top 50 of the NET on New Year's Day. At No. 14, UCLA is one of six Big Ten teams in the top 25, while 16 of the 18 Big Ten teams are in the top-100 of the NET.

• Two Huskers have ties to UCLA, as assistant coach Ernie Zeigler was on Ben Howland's staff for three seasons (2003-04 to 2005-06), helping the Bruins to a 32-7 mark and an NCAA runner-up finish in his last season in Westwood. Sophomore Berke Büyüktuncel played at UCLA last season, appearing in 26 games, including eight starts.

• Monday's win over Southern wrapped up a successful non-conference slate. NU went 10-1 in non-conference action, only the seventh time since WWII that NU finished its non-con slate with one loss (also 10-1, 2023-24; 10-1, 2018-19; 10-1, 2003-04; 12-1, 1991-92; 15-1, 1990-91; 11-1, 1977-78).

• Nebraska's 2024 Diamond Head Classic title marked the program's first MTE event title since the 2000 San Juan Shootout. With the win, Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg became the first coach to win multiple Diamond Head Classic titles, as he coached Iowa State to the 2013 championship.

• With road wins at No. 14 Creighton and Hawaii, Nebraska won multiple non-conference road games for the first time since the 2011-12 season and just the second time in the last 25 years. Nebraska’s two non-conference road wins lead the Big Ten as only Nebraska (2), Oregon (1) and Penn State (1) won true road games in non-conference action. The last Big Ten non-conference road game in 2024-25 is when Illinois travels to Duke on Feb. 22. 

• Brice Williams earned MVP honors at the Diamond Head Classic, as he averaged 22.0 points per game on 56 percent shooting, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Williams averaged 19.3 ppg on 57 percent shooting in seven December games following his 11-point, seven-rebound effort against Southern. 

• Over the last 17 games dating back to last season, Brice Williams is averaging 19.2 points per game on .513 shooting and has nine 20-point efforts in that span. He has been in double figures in 16 of 17 games in that stretch. 

• Juwan Gary is playing some of the best basketball of his career over the last three weeks. The senior is averaging 13.4 ppg on 48 percent shooting during Nebraska’s five-game win streak. Gary also has played a major role in holding opponents to 34 percent shooting in that stretch. 

• With a pair of 30-point games in December, Williams is just the sixth Husker in the Big Ten era to have multiple 30-point games.  He had 30 points in the win over Indiana on Dec. 13 and tied his career high with 32 points against Hawai’i on Dec. 23. In addition, he is now tied for the Big Ten lead in 30-point games this season with two, joining Rutgers' Dylan Harper, Ohio State's Bruce Thornton and Wisconsin's John Tonje.

• NU has relied on its depth during the early going, with six players averaging at least 7.5 points per game over the first 13 games. Eight different players have posted double-figure efforts, while three players (Brice Williams, Connor Essegian and Juwan Gary) have recorded 20-point games. In addition to the eight who have reached double figures at least once, two others have scored at least eight points at least once in a game this season. Williams is the only Husker in the top 30 of the Big Ten in scoring as of Jan 1.

• Nebraska's strength has been on the defensive end, where is ranks 13th nationally in KenPom's defensive efficiency. NU has held three of its last four opponents (Murray State, Hawai'i and Southern) to season-low point totals. Entering this weekend's action, seven of the top 20 teams in defensive efficiency are in the Big Ten. 

• Nebraska has been prolific at getting to the foul line for most of the season. Nebraska ranks among the Big Ten leaders in free  throws made and attempted per game and free throw percentage. NU ranks in the top 50 nationally in free throws made and free throw percentage. Nebraska's 76.5 percent shooting from the foul line through the first 13 contests is above last year's percentage (76.0). 

• With its 11-2 start in 2024-25, Nebraska is 40-16 over the last 56 games dating back to the start of February 2023. NU's .709 winning percentage trails only Purdue among Big Ten programs in that stretch.  NU would still be second if you included the four new Big Ten schools (Oregon, UCLA, Washington and USC). NU went just 33-80 from the start of the 2019-20 season until Feb. 1, 2023.

• Nebraska comes into Saturday's game averaging 77.7 points per game.  NU has scored 70+ points in nine of 13 games, including five games with at least 80 points. Last season, NU averaged 77.7 points per game for 34 games, its highest offensive total since the 1995-96 season. 

• Nebraska is averaging 7.9 steals per game to rank sixth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 1.  Five Huskers average at least one steal per game led by Sam Hoiberg's 1.4 spg.  Hoiberg is the only player in the top 20 of the Big Ten in steals who plays less than 20 minutes per contest.

• The Huskers are 36-3 over the last two seasons when out-rebounding opponents. NU had won 27 straight games when out-rebounding opponents before the streak was snapped against Saint Mary's on Nov. 17. NU has been out-rebounded only once in 13 games this season.

• Nebraska comes off one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Huskers went 23-11 in 2023-24 and tied for third in the Big Ten standings before reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013-14. The Huskers’ 23 wins were the most since setting a school-record with 26 wins in 1990-91, while NU’s 12 conference wins also ranked second in school history.

• Nebraska has increased its win total in each of the past three years, marking the first time NU has done that since the mid-1960s (1963-64 to 1965-66). If Nebraska can improve its win total this year, it would mark the first time since a four-year stretch from 1945-46 to 1948-49 that the Huskers improved their win total in four consecutive seasons.

• Over the past two seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24), NU has won 21 conference games, the highest two-year total since the 1965-66 and 1966-67 teams won 22 conference tilts. The last two seasons under Fred Hoiberg mark just the fourth time in school history that Nebraska has won 20 or more conference games in a two-year span.

Numbers to Know
6 - Connor Essegian's six 3-pointers against Southern on Monday marked the third time this season he had at least six 3-pointers in a game. He is the only player in the Big Ten with multiple games with at least six 3-pointers.

29 - Fred Hoiberg has 29 wins over ranked opponents, including 11 career wins against top-10 teams, in his collegiate coaching career. 

26.2 - Nebraska has gotten great production from its bench in the early going, averaging 26.2 points per game over the first 13 games. Nebraska has gotten 14 double-figure efforts from its bench this season (Morgan-7, Essegian-6; Ulis-1). The Huskers led the Big Ten in bench production last season, averaging 21.4 points per game.

994 - Rollie Worster is six points away from 1,000 career points. 

70 - Over the last two-plus seasons, Nebraska has been exceptional when holding opponents to 70 points or less. The Huskers are 40-4 (.909) when holding opponents to 70 points, including 35 straight wins since a 65-62 overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10, 2022.

3,886 - Career points scored between Brice and his father, Henry, who played at Charlotte from 1988 to 1992. Henry, who was Charlotte's all-time leading scorer, totaled 2,383 points in his career while Brice went over the 1,500-point mark for his career in Monday's win over Southern.

UCLA Game is Alumni Weekend
Saturday's game against UCLA is Husker Basketball Alumni Weekend, as over 40 former players are expected back for the annual event.  Husker Alunmi weekend began in 2014, and features several events for former players and staff, highlighted by a private dinner on Friday night and a reception following Saturday's game. The former players will be recognized during halftime ceremonies, and this year's group spans six different decades of Husker basketball.

Scouting UCLA
UCLA comes to Lincoln with an 11-2 record following a 65-62 win over No. 14 Gonzaga last Saturday. The Bruins are one of three 2-0 teams in Big Ten play entering January following a 73-71 road win at Oregon and a home win over Washington in December. The Bruins have won 10 of their last 11 games with the only setback being a 76-74 loss to North Carolina, a game the Bruins led by 14 in the second half before the Tar Heels rallied. UCLA has played its share of close games, as four of the Bruins' last five games have been decided by three points or less. 

Mick Cronin is in his sixth season at UCLA and has guided the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament in each of the first three seasons there was a tournament, including a Final Four appearance in 2021 and Sweet 16s in 2022 and 2023. Prior to that, he coached at Cincinnati (2006-19) and Murray State (2003-06), as he guided Cincinnati to nine straight NCAA Tournaments. 

The Bruins bring one of the best defenses in the country to Lincoln, as UCLA is in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense (58.7, eighth), turnovers forced (18.2, second) and turnover margin (+6.7, seventh). The Bruins are holding teams to 40 percent shooting and out-rebounding foes by 3.6 caroms per game. While UCLA has just two players averaging double figures, the Bruins have seven players chipping in at least six points per game. Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau leads UCLA in scoring at 14.5 ppg while ranking second with 5.2 rebounds per game. Oklahoma State transfer Eric Dailey Jr. is at 11.4 ppg while shooting 55 percent from the field and a team-best 48 percent from 3-point range, as five Bruins average at least one 3-pointer per game. 

UCLA leads the all-time series, 6-2, but the teams have not squared off since the 2016 Wooden Legacy, when the Bruins posted an 82-71 win. For Nebraska, Glynn Watson Jr. had a game-high 27 points while Tai Webster added 19 points and seven assists. Bryce Alford led five Bruins in double figures with 18 points. Nebraska's last win in the series was the last matchup in Lincoln, a 71-65 win at the NU Coliseum on Dec. 16, 1955. 

Last Time Out
Connor Essegian had a game-high 20 points to lead three Huskers in double figures, while Nebraska put together a dominant defensive effort in a 77-43 win over Southern on Dec. 30.

Essegian matched his career high with six 3-pointers en route to his third 20-point game of the season and grabbed six boards, as Nebraska improved to 11-2 on the season with its fifth straight win. Brice Williams had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Andrew Morgan had 10 points off the bench. Six Huskers had at least eight points, as Nebraska had 22 assists on its 26 field goals, including six assists by Rollie Worster and a career-high five assists from Sam Hoiberg.  The Huskers also matched a season high with 13 3-pointers. 

Nebraska’s defense was the story, as the Huskers held Southern to just 25.4 percent shooting, including 3-of-24 from 3-point range.