3 Reasons UCLA Was Upset by Nebraska

No. 15 UCLA was blindsided by Nebraska on Saturday, mainly because of self-inflicted wounds.

Jan 4, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin yells to players during the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

No. 15 UCLA took its third loss of the season on Saturday when it was upset by Nebraska in Lincoln.

The Bruins didn't look like the same team fans have grown accustomed to, struggling in areas they had previously excelled in.

Let's take a take at the three major areas that plagued the Bruins...

3-Point Shooting

After a successful month of December shooting from beyond the arc, UCLA was nearly nonexistent from deep on Saturday. The Bruins went just 4-of-28 from 3-point range (14.3%).

UCLA's success behind the 3-point line in December was a huge reason for its excellent run during the month. As they say, you live by the 3, you die by the 3, and the Bruins died by the 3 on Saturday.

Turnovers

UCLA had been averaging 11.5 turnovers a game going into Saturday's game, which isn't great, but it had been able to get by in 11 contests. On Saturday, the turnovers served as a major factor in the loss.

The Bruins committed 15 turnovers against the Cornhuskers, but the eight that came in the second half proved to be the most costly. Nebraska was able to score 9 points off UCLA's turnovers in the second half.

The turnovers proved to be especially catastrophic when the Cornhuskers went on their big run to go up 12.

Had UCLA taken care of the ball more, it could have been a completely different game down the stretch.

Foul Trouble

UCLA committed 24 fouls in the contest. And Nebraska thrived -- 25 of its 66 points came from the foul line.

It was quite uncharacteristic of the Bruins, who had been rather disciplined throughout the season.

But that was the story of the game -- a UCLA team that simply didn't show up as the No. 15 team in the country. The Bruins scored just 58 points, more than 20 points less than their average going into the game.

And of course, you have to take into account that UCLA was without one of its best players, Eric Daily Jr., but even so, this Bruins team has enough depth that it should have been able to adapt without him.

UCLA will look to regroup when it hosts Michigan on Tuesday.

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