5 things that stood out in Minnesota's thrilling comeback win over UCLA

The Gophers continued to do what they've done all season on Tuesday night: refusing to fold despite being down 17 points in the first half against UCLA. Led by 32 points from Dawson Garcia, Minnesota fought all the way back to knock off the Bruins on the road, 64-61. Here's what stood out the most...

1. Dawson Garcia's second-half brilliance

Garcia had only seven points in Minnesota's win over Southern Cal on Saturday, and there was a point on Tuesday when he had made 7 of his last 27 shots from the field. As big-time players do, he completely flipped a switch with 27 second-half points on 7-of-10 shooting and an 11 of 12 performance from the free-throw line.

His 32 points for the game was a season-high and the third time he has gone for 30 this season. As Minnesota continues to climb up the Big Ten standings, there is no reason why he shouldn't be recognized as a first-team All-Big Ten player.

2. Lu'Cye Patterson's effort

In the modern transfer portal world, it's hard to rely on senior leadership when it's their first year with a program. Over the last month, Patterson has become a leader for Minnesota and he played like it again on Tuesday night.

His 11-point, 3-rebound, 2-assist stat line is far from his best this season, but it was a go-ahead layup late in the second half and a charge that he drew at the end of the game that sealed the win for Minnesota. In five games this February, Patterson is averaging 15.8 points and he finally looks confident in his role as the Gophers' lead guard.

3. Mike Mitchell Jr.'s bounce back

Mitchell was projected to be one of the best shooters in college basketball this season, but he went eight straight games scoring fewer than 10 points. He got back on track against UCLA with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including hitting four three-pointers. The Gophers needed some offense in the first half when Garcia had only five points and Mitchell's secondary scoring was enough to stay afloat.

4. Los Angeles road trip sweep

After Minnesota's 21-point loss at home against Illinois and a full week off, you would've been laughed out of the room if you thought they'd leave Los Angeles with wins over USC and UCLA. Well, they became the second Big Ten team to do it this season after taking down the Trojans as 7.5-point underdogs and the Bruins as 13.5-point underdogs.

Iowa, Penn State and Michigan State were all swept on Southern California, while Wisconsin split and Michigan joined Minnesota sweeping the L.A. teams. Winning on the road in the Big Ten is never easy, and Ben Johnson pulling off back-to-back upsets over USC and UCLA might be his most impressive feat this season.

5. Where do they go from here?

The Gophers are ranked 89th in the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, which is their highest of the season, and they're now 1.5 games out of the bottom three of the Big Ten standings. They will now likely be favored to beat Penn State at home on Saturday and Northwestern at home on Tuesday in their next two games.

If this team has taught its fans anything, it's to not count your chickens before they hatch. That said, Minnesota has a huge opportunity ahead. Two straight wins at home would give the Gophers some serious momentum and a potential birth in the College Basketball Crown or National Invitational Tournament (NIT) would continue to seem like a real possibility. What about the NCAA tourney? There gonna need more to enter that conversation.

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