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Social Media Reacts To Tidal Wave Comeback Against Illinois

With unforeseen ability the Bruins were able to climb an almost impossible deficit against Illinois, impressing social media.
Nathan Berry|
Feb 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) tries to score between Illinois forward Ben Humrichous (3) and Illinois center Tomislav Ivisic (13) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Feb 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) tries to score between Illinois forward Ben Humrichous (3) and Illinois center Tomislav Ivisic (13) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

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UCLA Bruins

The Bruins were in desperate need of an upset victory against the Illinois Fighting Illini after a tough stretch against both Michigan and Michigan State that saw the team lose in blowout fashion twice.

In fact, the upset win would need to be a convincing win in some way, shape, or form if the Bruins were going to prove that they not only deserve a spot in March Madness, but compete.

That was exactly what happened against Illinois in a thriller that saw one of UCLA's worst performances of the season, and one of their best.

A Tidal Wave Comeback Against The Fighting Illini: First Half

The game started the exact same way that the Bruins past few matches had been, slow for UCLA and dominant for their opponent.

The lead grew out of control within just the first few minutes, and once the Fighting Illini lead reached 20 points and above social media was beginning to pack up the game early.

The slow start was something that the Bruins had come to expect at this point in the season, however, and they were ready to accomplish a comeback in the same fashion that they had done against the Purdue Boilermakers.

The comeback started off slow, but it built up quickly like a tidal wave, and before anybody could bat an eye UCLA was somehow back in the game and shooting like there was no tomorrow.

Just because a win seemed feasible does not mean that it was already attained, and the Bruins still had a deficit to climb, so they continued chipping away at Illinois' lead.

With the 20+ deficit somehow behind them the Bruins went into halftime down only seven, 50-43, and social media was not happy with their performance despite the storming comeback.

A Tidal Wave Comeback Against The Fighting Illini: Second Half

Coming out of the locker room both teams were awake and ready to play, there was no slump for UCLA, and the lead was traded back and forth numerous times.

What had originally been a blowout set in stone had turned into a dog fight, and it looked like the Bruins could actually come out on top.

The half came down to a tied game in the last possession, and UCLA had the ball with every opportunity to end the game with a victory.

However, that did not happen, and the two teams ended regulation tied at 86 points apiece, meaning that social media was in for an out-of-the-blue overtime thriller.

A Tidal Wave Comeback Against The Fighting Illini: Overtime

The Bruins continued to fight in overtime after looking tired and distraught during the last posession of regulation, and it was starting to get scary how good they were doing.

Both teams started to get sloppy, and with one minute left in the game the score was 92-91 in favor of Illinois, and even though their shots were going in they weren't getting nearly any clean looks.

The game once again came down to the final play, and once more it was up to UCLA to decide the game, and this time around they were able to close it out with a big layup from Donovan Dent to win 95-94, completing the tidal wave comeback for social media.

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Nathan Berry
NATHAN BERRY