February 21, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort (21) drives against Penn State Nittany Lions forward Mason Blackwood (1) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Image No. 9 Nebraska will attempt a rare feat Tuesday night when it visits UCLA for Big Ten action in Los Angeles.
The Cornhuskers (25-4, 14-4) are trying to become the only Big Ten team to sweep the Los Angeles school this season. The Secretary Coast team went 5-8 on the California swing this season, but Nebraska advanced to the sweep with an 82-67 win at Southern California on Saturday.
The Huskers trailed by five points at halftime but limited the Trojans to 10-of-26 shooting (38.5%) in the second half, including 0-for-9 from 3-point range. They also forced six turnovers and owned the boards 22-10.
“I thought we played great defensively the last 20 minutes,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “More than anything, we slowed down and got back to our roots. When we play aggressive defense, we are a really good basketball team.”
It was the defense that led to a 78-73 loss to UCLA (19-10, 11-7) on Saturday in Minnesota, dropping the Bruins to 3-6 in conference road games and with two wins at Oregon and Washington. The Bruins are 3-11 in Big Ten games played outside the Pacific time zone since joining the league.
“You have to be plus-10, shooting 51 percent and making 10 3-pointers, but that’s not the case with this team,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “We struggled defensively all year long. That was something I had never experienced in 30 years in college, 23 years as a head coach and seven years as an assistant. I had never experienced anything like it.”
Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort, who scored a game-high 32 points at USC, continues to break the school’s single-season 3-point record. He also leads the Big Ten with 106 3-pointers, shooting 40.8% from long range. In league play, the Cornhuskers lead everyone in outside shooting at 37.4%.
UCLA isn’t far behind at 37.3% in Big Ten games. Among players with at least 20 3-point attempts this year, senior guard Skyy Clark leads them all at 48.4%. That includes his 4-for-7 performance in Minnesota. The Bruins also defend the 3-point line well, allowing Big Ten opponents to shoot only 32.2%. Opponents are shooting less than 44% this season and are 14-1.
6-foot-9 forward Tyler Bilodeau leads UCLA in scoring (18.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.8 rpg), and Clark is the only Big Ten player to surpass Bilodeau’s 45.5% 3-point percentage. He will likely be guarded by a similarly skilled player from Nebraska, 6-foot-9 forward Rienk Mast.
Sales may decide how this game goes. Nebraska has had some issues taking care of the ball, with three of its four losses including at least 11 giveaways. UCLA forced turnovers on 18.3% of its opposing possessions, but Minnesota had just three takeaways.
“Executions are everything. I’m talking about defensive executions,” Cronin said. “We have weaknesses.”
Nebraska tied Michigan State for second place in the Big Ten race. A win over UCLA would not only secure a top four finish and a triple bye in next week’s conference tournament, but would also match the school record of 26 wins set in the 1990-91 season. The Cornhuskers have already won the most conference games in school history.
UCLA needs a win to get out of the NCAA Tournament bubble. According to BracketMatrix.com, which considers 131 brackets posted on the Internet, the Bruins are projected to be a top 10 seed with little room for error.
–Field level media
