Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, left, talks with Minnesota's head coach Ben Johnson after the Spartans victory over the Golden Gophers on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UCLA Cannot Underestimate Struggling Gophers

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Feb 17, 2025 10:21 AM ET

The UCLA Bruins (19-7, 10-5) are preparing for another must-win conference matchup when they play host to the Minnesota Gophers (13-12, 5-9) on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins cannot underestimate a scrappy Gopher team that has pulled off some big wins this year.

Despite being the fifth-worst team in the conference standings, Minnesota has earned upset wins over the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines and No. 15 Oregon Ducks, making them a team that the Bruins must approach with the same intensity as they have the top teams in the Big Ten.

One thing about the Big Ten conference that has always been true, making it arguably the best conference in the country, is that anyone can win on any given night. Through 14 to 15 conference games depending on the team, 88% of the Big Ten has four or more losses to their name.

The Gophers are coming off a clutch road victory, taking down the Bruins' hated rivals, the USC Trojans, on Saturday. Minnesota senior guard Lu'Cye Patterson has emerged as an elite scorer, leading his team in points in each of the last two games, including 24 points against the Trojans most recently.

This is a seasoned Minnesota squad with senior forward Dawson Garcia being the team's leading scorer almost all season. He is averaging 19.2 points on 49.4% shooting with 7.4 rebounds and two assists per game. He and Patterson will be the pair to contain if the Bruins want their 20th win.

In terms of Big Ten comparisons, the Gophers are in the bottom half of almost every statistical category and are the lowest-scoring team in the conference on average (69 ppg). If the Bruins play their style of defensively sound basketball, they should hold the Gophers to a fairly low total.

Opponents have run into trouble against Minnesota when they allow 75 or more points which is just above their average. They beat the Wolverines with 94 points in an overtime thriller while taking down the Ducks with 77 points and winning by eight. Defense will be priority number one for UCLA.

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This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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