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Ever since a double-overtime loss to Ohio State, Minnesota just keeps finding a way to win close games

The last time Minnesota found itself in a “Daily Scoop”, the Gophers had pulled off a miraculous win over Michigan due to a halfcourt shot from Dawson Garcia just ahead of the overtime buzzer in a 74-71 thriller. In the six games between the Michigan win and the trip to Los Angeles, Minnesota went 3-3, securing wins over Oregon, Iowa, and Penn State, with the latter two both coming on the road.

The first game of the long weekend in LA for the Gophers came at USC, where they fell behind 8-0 inside four minutes and face a 14-point deficit at two different points in the first half. Trailing by nine at the half, Minnesota turned around the game in the second half by outscoring USC 40-28. Minnesota scored the final eight points of the contest after surrendering a 58-54 lead of their own, turning a five-point deficit into a 69-66 win, as Frank Mitchell (4.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and Lu’Cye Patterson (11.7 ppg, 3.5 apg) each had four of the final eight points.

Patterson has emerged lately for Minnesota as a true scoring threat in the backcourt, and after the LA trip has four straight games in double-figures. Patterson finished with 25 points on Saturday against USC, a Minnesota career-high, shooting an efficient 6-of-16 from the field and hitting 11 of his 13 free throw attempts. Frank Mitchell had a career night as well, setting his Minnesota bests at 15 points and 12 rebounds, marking his first double-double as a Golden Gopher.

Freshman Isaac Asuma (5.7 ppg) was another guy who came up big on Saturday for the Gophers, scoring 12 points and dishing out three assists in 32 minutes off the bench. Ben Johnson has had his troubles on the sideline for the Gophers, but one thing I’ve learned to love from his style is that he leans on the guys who have it going each night, giving Mitchell and Asuma extended minutes off the bench while both were having great games.

Dawson Garcia (19.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg) didn’t have the night he would’ve hoped for, finishing with just seven points on a 3-10 performance from the field. Garcia was saving his best for Tuesday night’s game at UCLA though, where he would finish with 32 points, eight rebounds, and two steals, going 9-15 from the field, 3-6 from behind the arc, and 11-12 from the free throw line.

The storyline of the game was similar to the one against USC, as UCLA jumped out to a 29-12 lead in the opening 15 minutes. Parker Fox (6.3 ppg) and Mike Mitchell Jr. (10.0 ppg) would help stem the tide into the break, as the Gophers would trail 34-23 at the intermission, but the second half was left for Garcia to be in the spotlight. With just five points at halftime, Garcia exploded for 27 second half points, matching UCLA’s second half team total.

Trailing 40-35 in the middle of the second half, Garcia would lead Minnesota all the way back, scoring 20 of Minnesota’s next 23 points. His three-pointer with 2:05 to play cut the deficit to one, when he’d turn the reigns over to Patterson, who scored two go-ahead buckets in the game’s final 70 seconds. On UCLA’s final offensive possession, Patterson would draw a charge from Bruins guard Sebastian Mack, and it proved to be academic from there. Garcia would knock down the final two free throws of the game, leading Minnesota to a 64-61 victory, scoring exactly half of the team’s points.

Garcia won’t get All-American recognition due to team success, but watching a Minnesota game, it becomes very difficult to find 20 players in the sport better than Garcia. A stretch big that can do a little bit of everything on the floor, Garcia has taken over down the stretch for Minnesota on countless occasions and rarely turns a foot wrong when the game is on the line. In a stacked Big Ten, he may even find it tough to reach the All-Big Ten First Team, but there’s no doubting Garcia’s ability and the fact that he’s carried the team to a 6-9 Big Ten record, something many outsiders thought was impossible for this Gophers team.

With five games to go, Minnesota hosts Penn State and Northwestern, two of the teams near the bottom of the conference standings, and two wins would likely clinch the Gophers’ place in the Big Ten Tournament. Visiting Los Angeles in a trip that many teams across the conference have struggled to even grab one win, Minnesota came away with two improbably victories, and it may be these wins that grant Ben Johnson another year on the job.

Other Things to Note:

• Josh Hubbard scores 25, #21 Mississippi State takes down #7 Texas A&M 70-54 at home
• TCU stuns #9 Texas Tech with 69-66 court-storming victory
• #14 Michigan State pushes past #13 Purdue at the Breslin Center to win 75-66
• BYU obliterates #23 Kansas 91-57, matching the Jayhawks worst loss under Bill Self
• #4 Alabama looks to bounce back from Auburn loss with road trip to #15 Missouri (9:00 ET, SECN)