What We Learned From The Shorthanded Gophers' Loss To No. 3 Ucla

1 jam yang lalu

The Gophers near everything connected nan level connected Wednesday nighttime astatine nan Barn, but No. 3 UCLA was conscionable excessively overmuch to grip successful a 76-58 loss. Here's what we learned.

Playing without Tori McKinney

Tuesday's crippled was nan Gophers' 3rd clip without McKinney this play and first since nan Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship event. The sophomore defender has averaged 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per crippled this play connected 46.1/80.5/27.7 shooting splits. They're now 1-2 successful games without her this season. Taking down No. 3 UCLA was ever going to beryllium a gangly task, but it was clear Minnesota missed McKinney connected Wednesday night.

Defense still impresses

Minnesota came into Wednesday's crippled pinch nan No. 1 scoring defense successful nan full state astatine 51.8 points allowed per game. Despite nan quality connected nan scoreboard, nan Gophers still showed awesome defense astatine times without McKinney, who is 1 of their champion defenders. They forced 17 turnovers, and nan Bruins were held beneath 80 points for only nan 5th clip this season.

Gophers' spot successful women's assemblage basketball

Women's assemblage hoops has acold little parity than nan men's side. The quality betwixt nan apical 5 teams, for illustration UCLA, and moreover borderline apical 25 teams for illustration Minnesota, is often astatine slightest 15 points connected a neutral floor. That was shown connected Wednesday nighttime pinch nan Bruins' winning margin. The Gophers person made immense improvements successful position of getting backmost to nan NCAA Tournament, but they person a agelong measurement to spell earlier competing pinch nan apical of nan sport.

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

Subscribe: Sign up to person nan free Gophers On SI newsletter

The Gophers closed arsenic 13.5-point betting underdogs, but UCLA didn't moreover play a comparatively cleanable game, and still won by 18 points.

What's next?

After starting 2026 pinch a frustrating roadworthy nonaccomplishment astatine No. 9 Michigan, Minnesota had a three-game homestand against Northwestern, USC and UCLA. A 2-1 agelong seemed for illustration a realistic goal, and nan Gophers did conscionable that. They collapsed their losing streak against classed opponents, but they now person a tricky roadworthy travel coming up against Washington and Oregon. They're building a tournament-level resume, and a divided connected nan West Coast could thief them transportation that momentum.