Podcast: Bruins Fall in Big Ten Championship, Prepare for National Tournament

The No. 13 UCLA Bruins (42-16, 22-8) were shutout for the just the second time this season in a 5-0 loss to the No. 8 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers (32-27, 15-15) in Sunday's Big Ten Tournament championship game at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

In this episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, UCLA Bruins On SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh breaks down the Bruins' disappointing defeat that denies them of winning both a regular season and tournament title in their first season in the Big Ten.

You can watch the episode below:

After dominating the No. 3 seed Iowa Hawkeyes in the semifinal round on Saturday afternoon, the Bruins did not come to play the same way in the championship contest. The offensive production that benefited this team all season long did not show up in one of the season's biggest games.

The Bruins were only able to muster four hits with seven runners left on base, being shut out for just the second time this season, and first since Feb. 26. After the Huskers took an early lead, the Bruin bats never caught fire and struggled to score anything.

Sophomore right-hander Landon Stump earned the start and was bounced out of the game very early. He tossed just 1.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with a walk and two hit batters, all coming in the second inning. That would be enough for Nebraska to win.

They would add a pair of runs in the third inning with a two-run homer to make it a 5-0 game. The final six innings of action would be scoreless as the Huskers became back-to-back Big Ten Tournament champions for the first time since Indiana did it in 2013-14.

With the tournament taking place in Omaha, it was a sea of blood red Husker fans that sold out Charles Schwab Field and made it a home game for the program. They fed off the home crowd energy as the Bruins were stunned without producing much of anything offensively.

For a team that averaged 8.5 per game in the tournament, it was stunning to see UCLA come up empty. Sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky went 0-for-4, failing to hit a home run for the first time in four games this tournament. He was sensational throughout, but did not have it on Sunday.

The good thing for UCLA is that its season is not over. They will more than likely be one of the top 16 teams in the country, allowing them to host a four-team Regional in the NCAA Tournament at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Nebraska needed to win the tournament to gain an automatic bid.

The NCAA Tournament selection show will take place on Monday at 12 p.m. ET, 9 a.m. PT. The Bruins will find out if they will host, who they will play, and attempt to reach a Super Regional and a potential College World Series appearance.

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