In today's episode we will be breaking down UCLA's win against Northwestern
The Bruins were able to come out with a closer-than-expected win against the Wildcats, winning 71-64., along with highlighting places where we could see the Bruins improve in the future, as well as taking a peek into their next matchup against Oregon, a game where UCLA needs to win.
Dec 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin talks with guard Eric Dailey Jr. during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images The Bruins defense was excellent in this one. Entering this matchup UCLA knew they could expect Northwestern to put up some significant points, while it did get dicey towards the end, overall UCLA played well., entering this game, was the nation's top scorer with 23.6 points per game, and did not look to be slowing down. Martinelli was able to get his forecasted 20, but it took him until the last few minutes of the second half to get that mark. He had 20 points on 8-19 shooting in this one. Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. boxes out Northwestern Wildcats guard Jordan Clayton as UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry looks to drives past Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images UCLA's offense looked ok in this one. After a 41 point first half, UCLA looked unstoppable, but the second half tells a different story. For nine-minutes in the second half the Wildcats only points came from free throw. Which could have allowed UCLA to win by a huge margin.Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau is fouled by Northwestern Wildcats guard Angelo Ciaravino as he goes up for a basket in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images UCLA's second half offense was simply abysmal. In the first half the Bruins as a whole were shooting 61.7% from the field, along with 66.7% from three. Those numbers would decrease signficantly in the second half, where UCLA would shoot 37% from the field and 22.2% from the arc. If not for the terrible second-half offense, this game would have been all UCLA by the halfway mark of the second half, especially when you take into account how badJan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent is defended by Northwestern Wildcats guard Jake West in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images UCLA's free throw shoot was also a factor in this one, shooting just 52% from the line. The Bruins would go 11-21, meaning they missed out on 10 points that could have made the final score look better. The Bruins cannot afford bad shooting nights, especially at home. Jan 14, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin gestures to his players from the bench during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images A win is a win in the Big Ten, but still this was not the UCLA that took down a top-5 team in the nation. While UCLA's schedule will soften up, they still cannot afford to have second half performances like they showed in this one. Something has to give.to keep up with every story surrounding UCLA athletics! Please let us know your thoughts on this when you like our Facebook page Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Bruins when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news.Andrew Ferguson is currently pursuing his sports journalism degree from UNLV. He is turning his lifelong passion for sports into his career.
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