UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: Recapping Bruins' Upset Loss to Minnesota

Our latest episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast recaps a devastating defeat for the Bruins as they fell to the Minnesota Golden Gophers at home on Tuesday night.

Feb 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins Dylan Andrews (2), Kobe Johnson (0) and Skyy Clark (55) triple team Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Mike Mitchell Jr. (2) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (19-8, 10-6) crumbled down the stretch as they fell to the Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-12, 6-9) at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night. It is likely the biggest upset loss of the season for UCLA with a lot on the line.

In this episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, UCLA Bruins On SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh breaks down the Bruins' sixth conference loss of the season and one that they needed badly. Poor free throw shooting in the final minutes was a leading factor to the loss.

You can watch the episode below:

The Bruins led by as many as 17 points and took an 11-point advantage into halftime. The Gophers outscored UCLA 41-27 in the second half after scoring just 23 points in the first 20 minutes.

Coach Mick Cronin was on the doorstep of his 500th win, making him the youngest active coach to reach that feat. Instead, Gophers senior guard Dawson Garcia poured in a season-high 32 points with a game-high eight rebounds. Garcia scored half of the Gophers' points.

The final minutes showed the Bruins' continued struggles at the free-throw line, trying to close out games. They missed multiple front end's of a one-and-one free throw chance, missing out on key points down the stretch to win the game.

UCLA finished the game 9-19 (47.4%) from the charity stripe after starting the game 7-9 from the line. It went 5-15 in the second half, which was a leading cause to the loss. The Bruins forced 16 turnovers compared to eight of their own and were still unable to find victory.

Bruins sophomore guard Sebastian Mack was the team's leading scorer and came off the bench. He has continued to thrive this year as he posted 13 points on 4-8 shooting with three assists. He did finish 4-7 from the free-throw line, contributing to the lingering struggles at the charity stripe.

Senior guard Kobe Johnson and junior forward Tyler Bilodeau both scored 12 points with Bilodeau grabbing a team-high six rebounds. He would go 3-7 from the free-throw line while Johnson never made it to the line despite taking nine shots.

The Bruins will have a four-day break before they return to action at home, facing the Ohio State Buckeyes (15-11, 7-8) at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday. They will need a win more than anything to stay in the top of the Big Ten standings heading into the final week of the season.

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