3 keys and a prediction for Nebraska basketball at UCLA

Nebraska basketball will finish its two-game road trip to Los Angeles on Tuesday night with a tip-off time of 10 p.m. Central.

That’s not a typo. For all the complaining Mick Cronin does about scheduling, the Huskers might have a gripe about starting a game at 10 local time (8 in LA), but it is what it is.

There is plenty at stake for both teams. Nebraska basketball clinches a top-four seed in the Big Ten tournament for the second time in three years with a win, which would be the 26th. That would also tie the program record set back in 1990-91.

Nebraska was a three seed that season, but still didn’t win an NCAA tournament game. The Huskers will try to improve their seeding, and a win over the Bruins would be the ninth Quad-1 win.

UCLA is 19-10. They are seventh in the Big Ten standings, with an outside shot of finishing in the top four. More importantly, a win over Nebraska could improve their NCAA tournament seeding. The Bruins are solidly in the field.

Looking ahead to tonight, here are three keys and a prediction for Nebraska at UCLA.

Win 3-point battle

Nebraska is an elite 3-point shooting team. They are third in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals per game (11.2) but first in percentage (37.4). The Huskers are also 2nd in 3-point field goals allowed (7.6) and are first in defensive 3-point percentage (29.0).

That is the biggest difference between this season and last season. The 3-point defense. It will need to hold up against UCLA, which is also a stellar shooting team.

UCLA doesn’t shoot 3-pointers at the same volume as Nebraska, but they are third in the league in percentage (37.3%), not far behind the Huskers. 6-foot-10 Tyler Bilodeau is shooting 42.5 percent and averaging 2.1 3-pointers per game. Skyy Clark is making 2.5 3-pointers per game during conference play and shooting 54.1 percent. That’s only six games due to injury, but he’s been on fire.

Trent Perry (6-4) and Xavier Booker (6-foot-11) are also shooting above 40 percent in Big Ten play, too. Nebraska funnels shots to the 3-point line.

The Huskers have done a great job with closeouts and contests. We’ll see if that continues on Tuesday night. The team that shoots the 3-ball better will likely leave as the winner.

2-point success

As important as the 3-point shot is, Nebraska only made eight on Saturday in the win over USC. They also shot just 48 percent on 2-point attempts. Rienk Mast was 3-of-8. Braden Frager shot 55 percent, and Pryce Sandfort was at .636.

UCLA’s 2-point defense is one of the worst in the Big Ten. The Bruins allow 55.1 percent (12th). They average just 2.8 blocks per game. Like Nebraska, UCLA doesn’t foul a ton. The key will be converting at the rim and in the paint, something that the Huskers have struggled with in recent weeks.

Get extra possessions

UCLA is the favorite, according to the Oddsmakers. UCLA is 8-1 at home. The Bruins just beat Illinois at home. So this won’t be easy.

Nebraska used 15 offensive rebounds to take down USC. They need a similar effort. 15 offensive rebounds won’t be needed. UCLA allows 9.9 offensive rebounds per game in conference play, which ranks 17th of 18 teams.

Nebraska basketball isn’t a great offensive rebounding team, but if the Huskers could get into double digits, that would be huge. Additionally, the Huskers lead the Big Ten in turnovers forced (12.4 per game). UCLA is the best in the Big Ten at avoiding turnovers (7.4 per game).

The team that wins that battle will have a good chance to win the game. Offensive rebounds are the X-factor. Nebraska has given up some, too, so that’s also something to watch.

Prediction: Nebraska 75, UCLA 71

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