Gophers face uphill battle heading into challenging LA road trip

Life in the new 18-team Big Ten means random road trips across the country to Los Angeles in the middle of February. The Gophers will be the sixth team in the conference to head west to take on Southern Cal and UCLA in back-to-back games this season.

After a surprising three-game winning streak against Michigan, Iowa and Oregon, Minnesota is back in the dog house, losing three of its last four games. Head coach Ben Johnson will look to get his team back on track Saturday afternoon against Southern Cal and then turn around for a late-night tip-off on Tuesday night against UCLA.

Saturday, Feb. 15 @ Southern Cal: 3 p.m. CT

Under new head coach Eric Musselman, the Trojans found something in January with notable wins over Illinois and Nebraska, then an impressive upset win over Michigan State on Feb. 1. Star point guard Desmond Claude was out with an injury in losses to Northwestern and Purdue, but they were able to get back on track with a win over Penn State on Tuesday.

Southern Cal struggled in the nonconference with losses to Cal, St. Mary's and New Mexico, but they've begun to find their identity as of late. ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives Minnesota a 22.3% chance of pulling out a victory. A win could give the Gophers some momentum down the home stretch of the regular season.

Tuesday, Feb. 18 @ UCLA: 9:30 p.m. CT

Life in the new Big Ten also includes late-night tip-offs in the regular season. Game two of Minnesota's road trip against UCLA will begin at 9:30 p.m. CT. The Bruins have won seven of their last eight, so the Gophers will have an uphill battle against a team that's won 13 of 14 home games this season.

ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives Minnesota an 11.7% chance of pulling out the upset. It's likely their toughest game remaining on the regular season schedule. Head coach Mick Cronin has UCLA playing as the 12th-most efficient defense in college basketball according to KenPom.com. Tuesday night will be a matchup between two of the 313th and 359th-ranked teams in adjusted tempo. It will be a game that will draw the true diehard fans of Gophers men's basketball.

If Minnesota leaves Los Angeles winless, it could be a messy end to the regular season. Two losses would put a serious damper on their chances of qualifying for the Big Ten conference tournament.

The Gophers will have back-to-back home games against Penn State and Northwestern, which are two of the worst teams in the conference. It will be two great opportunities to pick up some conference victories, but I cannot imagine Williams Arena will be packed to see the matchups. Some success in Southern California is the first step in reigniting some momentum for the men's basketball program in Dinkytown.

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