Five takeaways from Minnesota's 78-73 win over UCLA
The Minnesota Golden Gophers continue to defy the odds. Despite having just six regulars healthy, the Golden Gophers continue to play their best basketball of the season. On Saturday afternoon, the Gophers upset the UCLA Bruins 78-73 at Williams Arena.
Gophers Nation offers five takeaways from Minnesota’s win below.
Bobby Durkin’s huge game
First, it was a complete team effort. Three golden Gophers finished with 20+ points, and a fourth finished with double-digits. The team leader in points, however, was Bobby Durkin, who had his biggest game of the season with 23 points, making 7-of-12 attempts, including an incredible 7-of-11 from three-point range. He was especially big in the first half, making 5-of-7 total attempts, including 5-of-6 from three-point range.
The 23-point effort is just his second 20-point game of the season. He previously tallied 20 points against Wisconsin on January 28. Over the last five games, Durkin has stepped up his game with 13, 11, 12, 12, and now 23 points.
Langston Reynolds stays hot
No player during the last three games has raised his stock as much as Langston Reynolds. The senior guard has posted games of 19, 15, and 21 points over the Gophers’ last there leading the team to two victories in the process. On Saturday afternoon, the Denver, Colorado native made 8-of-14 attempts from the field, including 1-of-3 from three-point range, while hitting all four free throws. He also had six rebounds and three assists.
Williams Arena continues to be a tough place to play
This is the fourth upset of the season for the Golden Gophers at Williams Arena this season. The Golden Gophers previously beat Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan State earlier this season. So the Bruins have company in that regard. The win also pushes Minnesota’s record to 12-6 this season inside the Barn, with one home game against Northwestern remaining. That type of home court advantage will be massive for the Gophers heading into Niko Medved’s second season next year.
Grayson Grove shutout but still contributes
One of the toughest things for a younger player to do is find a way to contribute in a game in which he doesn’t score. For Grayson Grove, that wasn’t the case. The redshirt freshman was shut out by UCLA on Saturday, but only attempted shots from the field and one free throw. But he still found a way to contribute in the game with six rebounds and seven assists, and was huge down the stretch in the win with five rebounds and six assists in the second half alone.
Tyler Bilodeau almost single handedly leads UCLA to victory
Finally, flowers must be given to UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau. In the game, Bilodeau made 13-of-21 attempts in the game including 4-of-7 from three-point range and 2-for-2 from free throw line. He also had eight rebounds in the game and two assists. UCLA also picked up contributions from Eri Dailey Jr with 18 points and Skyy Clark with 17 points.
