After falling 78-73 to Minnesota on Saturday in Minneapolis, UCLA men’s basketball (20-10, 12-7 Big Ten) bounced back with its third top-10 win of the season, trouncing No. 9 Nebraska (25-5, 14-5) 72-52 on Tuesday night in front of over 9,000 fans at Pauley Pavilion. Daily Bruin Sports editor Connor Dullinger gives his five main takeaways from the final home game of the year.

[Related: UCLA men’s basketball upsets Nebraska by 20 points for third top-10 win]

Bounceback.

There is no doubt that Trent Perry had a disappointing performance Saturday afternoon.

He failed to score in a game for the first time all season, going 0-for-7 from the field.

But the sophomore guard followed up with a resounding performance against the Cornhuskers, leading the team in scoring with 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field alongside 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

And after the game, Perry wasted no time in acknowledging that he needed to bounce back for his teammates.

“For me personally as well, I feel like I let my team down last game in Minnesota,” Perry said Tuesday night after the win. “Faced a different type of adversity, not just on the court but off the court. Getting a lot of hate comments, threats, all that type of stuff. I just felt like I had to come out here tonight and bounce back for my team. Play for something that’s bigger than myself.”

Perry seemed to respond to the hate he received from fans after missing key shots down the stretch in the team’s loss to Minnesota. And junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. was crucial in helping his younger teammate overcome adversity.

Dailey consoled Perry and helped him move past a career-first slump for the sophomore.

“It’s something I’ve never faced in my career,” Perry said. “I’ve had Eric Dailey Jr. to help me out. I’m playing for something bigger than myself at the end of the day. I’m playing for my team, playing for my coaches, playing for this program. I’m not playing for anyone on social media that’s going to DM me after a bad game.”

The Bruins are going to need a consistent Perry as they approach the conference and NCAA Tournament, and Perry maintaining a steady mental fortitude is central to that.

Defense is back?

UCLA followed up one of its worst defensive performances of the season against Minnesota on Saturday with its best display so far Tuesday night against Nebraska.

And coach Mick Cronin let everyone know.

“Nebraska has got a great team,” Cronin said. “This is the best we’ve played all year, and they brought out the best in us. We went from our worst defensive effort to our best defensive effort. What coach Hoiberg (Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg) has done with this group is unbelievable, and they out-hustle everybody they play, but tonight they didn’t, and that’s why we won.”

The Bruins held the Huskers to just a 38.8% field goal percentage and 5-for-24 shooting from beyond the arc.

UCLA held Nebraska’s top four scorers under their season averages. Forward Pryce Sandfort, who was 10th in the Big Ten in scoring entering Tuesday night with over 18 points per game, scored just nine points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field.

Forward Rienk Mast, who averaged 13.7 points per game before playing the Bruins, scored just 11. And sixth man Braden Frager scored only 2 points despite averaging 12.3 before the contest, while guard Jamarques Lawrence added just another 2 points, with the duo combining for 2-for-15 shooting from the field.

The Bruins have shown inconsistent defense throughout the season.

Up and down performances will not suffice come March.

Super-sub.

The Bruins may have found their newest role player.

Eric Freeny has had a breakout campaign after redshirting his first season in Westwood. But over the last three games, the redshirt freshman guard has made especially big strides.

Freeny played just one minute in UCLA’s loss to Minnesota, but he logged seven points, three rebounds and a steal through 18 minutes of action against USC on Feb. 24. And against Nebraska, Freeny registered the same minute total while also scoring four points, grabbing five boards and garnering three steals.

Freeny may not overpower the box score, but he does all of the little things.

He brings an immense amount of toughness, is a tenacious, hard-working defender, hits both sides of the glass hard and is a promising offensive weapon.

“His toughness, that’s a tough guy right here, very tough,” Dailey said. “He brings that every day in practice. What we’re seeing is what he does every day. He works hard; he’s in the gym early. All the work that he’s done in the dark is coming to the light. He’s been a great impact player for us in the minutes that he’s been getting.”

With fifth-year guard Jamar Brown essentially working himself out of the lineup with his poor shooting – going 9-for-38 from beyond the arc since the new year – the Bruins may have now found their replacement.

Glue guy.

In a game where senior forward Tyler Bilodeau and senior guards Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark combine for just 20 points and 8-for-26 from the field, other players need to step up.

And Dailey was that guy.

Dailey led the team in scoring behind Perry, garnering 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field. He also grabbed eight rebounds and logged six deflections – a statistic Cronin was happy about.

“That’s all I care about,” Cronin said after the win. “Everybody else cares about his points; his defense and his rebounding and his toughness will give him a chance to play beyond here, not his shooting. But he was awesome tonight with his toughness – it’s contagious.”

The Bruins are 5-4 when Dailey does not score at least 10 points, and his biggest games have translated into the squad’s best wins. Dailey scored 20 against then-No. 10 Illinois on Feb. 21, and 12 against then-No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 20.

The Bruins are one of the best offensive teams in the nation, ranking No. 24 on KenPom, and while their arsenal is full of offensive weapons, Dailey is integral to winning big games – something that has been evident all season.

Retaining players.

Forget the top-10 win.

Forget Senior Night and the last home game of the season.

Forget the 17th home game of the season.

Cronin spent the entirety of his postgame opening statement, which he gave to the media after the game, talking about two things. First, he talked about how his players were students too, and that the late games combined with constant travel negatively impacted his players.

Secondly, he pleaded with viewers, the Big Ten and the NCAA to extend the caps when resigning your own players.

“I know there are people at the Big Ten office that are for it, so I bring it up: I told them I would back them,” Cronin said. “You should be able to go over the revenue share to be able to retain your own players. Anything we can do to try to deter guys from moving so much that they can’t possibly graduate.”

While Cronin’s comments may have seemed out of place given the context of the blowout upset that occurred minutes before the press conference, they may have more meaning than what meets the eye.

With Perry, Dailey and junior forward/center Xavier Booker unlikely to leave for the NBA Draft, keeping impact players will be integral, considering the players leaving after this season.

Clark may also be granted a fifth year, allowing him to play next season. And if he does return, he will instantly be one of the best guards in the Big Ten and the country.

Cronin’s remarks were not something to dismiss; they were ammo for the upcoming offseason.