UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: Breaking Down UCLA's Win vs Northwestern

The Bruins were able to come out with a closer-than-expected win against the Wildcats, winning 71-64.

In today's episode, we will break down UCLA's path to victory, 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.

Watch Today's Episode Below

What Went Right?

Dec 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin talks with guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) 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.

Nick Martinelli, 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.

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.

What Went Wrong

Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) is fouled by Northwestern Wildcats guard Angelo Ciaravino (44) 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 bad Northwestern's offense was during that span. This simply cannot happen moving forward.

Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) is defended by Northwestern Wildcats guard Jake West (3) 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.

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