Legendary coach John Wooden roamed the sidelines and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still known as Lew Alcindor the last time the Gophers men’s basketball team played UCLA in Los Angeles before this week. That was a different era of college basketball,

Minnesota (14-12, 6-9) swept the two California teams on the road over four days, with another double-digit comeback to beat USC 69-66 on Saturday. Only Big Ten leader Michigan has also done that

Minnesota has a history with UCLA in the NCAA Tournament, but Wednesday night was their first matchup at Pauley Pavilion since 1967. The red-hot Gophers staged a 17-point comeback to leave LA with an impressive 64-61 win over the Bruins.

Feb 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) and UCLA Bruins guard Kobe Johnson (0) collide while chasing a loose ball during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Following an embarrassing collapse at home versus Minnesota, which saw the Bruins blow a 17-point lead and lose 64-61 after shooting 5-of-15 from the free throw line in the second half, Cronin directed his frustrations at Pauley Pavilion.

Mick Cronin led UCLA to a win at Assembly Hall, an open tryout of sorts should the Indiana basketball coaching search turn to him. Here's what Cronin said.