This post was updated Feb. 28 at 3:19 p.m.

Back-to-back wins – one against a top 10 team in the nation and the other against a crosstown rival – usually provide the fuel to gain momentum.

But not when the opposing team knocks down 52.2% of its 3-point attempts.

“You’re plus 10 on the glass, shoot 51% and make 10 threes. You should win, but not with this team,” said coach Mick Cronin. “We’ve struggled defensively all year. … It’s something I haven’t experienced in 30 years in college. … We just have deficiencies, and they exposed them.”

Despite a 32-point game from senior forward Tyler Bilodeau and 15 assists from senior guard Donovan Dent, UCLA men’s basketball (19-10, 11-7 Big Ten) was upset 78-73 by Minnesota (14-15, 7-11) in the former’s final regular-season game outside of Los Angeles. The Bruins entered the affair tied for sixth in the Big Ten, while the Golden Gophers were tied at No. 11. 

With the regular season quickly coming to an end and just two contests left on the horizon, each game has significant consequences on the Bruins’ quest for a March Madness nod.

But the Golden Gophers came into the affair with guns blazing, knocking down 58% of their shots from the field, and 12 of their 23 shots from beyond the arc.

“They started matching up late in the clock,” Cronin said. “We struggled to follow instructions and go to our man-offense when they didn’t.”

Three Minnesota players scored 20-plus points, with forward Bobby Durkin leading the Golden Gophers in scoring with 23 points, including seven 3-pointers.

Despite the loss, the 2025 Mountain West Player of the Year was on a roll.

Dent entered “The Barn” with two historic performances in his pocket: a last-second game-winner against No. 10 Illinois on Feb. 21 and a season-high 30 points against crosstown rivals USC. Dent failed to mirror his offensive production against the Trojans but continued his offensive facilitation prowess, registering 15 assists – which matched his career-high.

While the Golden Gophers stole the show with their lights-out shooting, the Bruins were not far off.

Fifteen 3-pointers combined between the Bruins and the Golden Gophers contributed to 81 total first-half points. UCLA, with 7-of-13 from beyond the arc, led by one point at the half while Minnesota shot 8-for-12, led by Durkin with 5-for-6 from the arc. Durkin’s career-high seven 3-pointers, on top of his career-high 23 points, added to the narrow defeat.

“That’s the difference in this era,” Cronin said. “You don’t have guys in these periods of time to have effective defenders. … If you look at college basketball, scoring is way up in the numbers, and that’s a byproduct of what I’m telling you.”

The Bruins were led by Bilodeau, who shot 13-for-21 from the field and 4-for-7 from the arc, combining for a season-high 32 points. The 6-foot-9 big man also added eight boards and was imperative to keeping the Bruins in the game. 

“They made some tough shots, and we have to do better getting through screens and switching,” Bilodeau said. “We also can’t let any points in the paint.”

The Bruins’ slight lead at half was characteristic of the entire game as a back-and-forth, call-and-response match, and neither team was able to find a significant lead. 

That is, until the Golden Gophers found a rhythm late into the second half as they were able to cement a slight lead over the Bruins. Minnesota is no stranger to upsets, having beaten three top-25 teams at home this season. To add to its woes, UCLA is 3-6 in road games this season.

“They were 11-4 at home. They’re now 12-4,” Cronin said. “So it’s a bad matchup for Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana too.”

Beyond Bilodeau, junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. and senior guard Skyy Clark contributed another 35 points combined, with 18 and 17, respectively. Clark, who hit his 1,000th career point early in the second half, returned from injury two weeks ago. 

Since Clark’s return, he and sophomore guard Trent Perry have made three starts together in coach Mick Cronin’s three-guard lineup, as the latter seems to have cemented a spot in the starting lineup. Despite not scoring any points, Perry has started in every game since Jan. 6 against Wisconsin. 

Despite multiple last-ditch efforts, including attempted 3-pointers by both Dent and Bilodeau, the 5-point deficit with 12 seconds remaining was too much for UCLA to overcome. 

“They run the zone, did a good job moving and getting to guys,” Bilodeau said. “In the second half, they were just more attentive to things.”

With No. 12 Nebraska at home and an away rematch against rival USC up ahead, UCLA has an intense end to its regular season.