What we learned from the shorthanded Gophers' loss to No. 3 UCLA

Minnesota couldn't get the job done against one of the nation's top teams Wednesday night at the Barn.

Feb 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Grace Grocholski (25) drives to the basket as UCLA Bruins forward Angela Dugalic (32) defends during the fourth quarter at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Gophers left everything on the floor on Wednesday night at the Barn, but No. 3 UCLA was just too much to handle in a 76-58 loss. Here's what we learned.

Playing without Tori McKinney

Tuesday's game was the Gophers' third time without McKinney this season and first since the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship event. The sophomore guard has averaged 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season on 46.1/80.5/27.7 shooting splits. They're now 1-2 in games without her this season. Taking down No. 3 UCLA was always going to be a tall task, but it was clear Minnesota missed McKinney on Wednesday night.

Defense still impresses

Minnesota came into Wednesday's game with the No. 1 scoring defense in the entire country at 51.8 points allowed per game. Despite the difference on the scoreboard, the Gophers still showed impressive defense at times without McKinney, who is one of their best defenders. They forced 17 turnovers, and the Bruins were held below 80 points for only the fifth time this season.

Gophers' place in women's college basketball

Women's college basketball has far less parity than the men's side. The difference between the top five teams, like UCLA, and even borderline top 25 teams like Minnesota, is often at least 15 points on a neutral floor. That was shown on Wednesday night with the Bruins' winning margin. The Gophers have made huge improvements in terms of getting back to the NCAA Tournament, but they have a long way to go before competing with the top of the sport.

Battle with 1️⃣2️⃣ points tonight!

📺: B1G+ pic.twitter.com/YIx0lY1m7e

— Minnesota Women's Basketball (@GopherWBB) January 15, 2026

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The Gophers closed as 13.5-point betting underdogs, but UCLA didn't even play a relatively clean game, and still won by 18 points.

What's next?

After starting 2026 with a frustrating road loss at No. 9 Michigan, Minnesota had a three-game homestand against Northwestern, USC and UCLA. A 2-1 stretch seemed like a realistic goal, and the Gophers did just that. They broke their losing streak against ranked opponents, but they now have a tricky road trip coming up against Washington and Oregon. They're building a tournament-level resume, and a split on the West Coast could help them carry that momentum.