Smith was fired earlier today following six seasons as head coach of the Golden Gophers.
FORBES: Tubby Smith Fired By Minnesota After Best Season With The Team
That robbed the Bruins of some much-needed muscle under the basket against the physical Gophers.
The Gophers responded with consecutive 3-pointers from Andre Hollins from opposite corners to push the lead back to 11.
Austin Hollins scored 11 in the first half and his third 3-pointer pushed the Gophers to a 33-19 lead.
The Gophers started the season 15-1, then lost 11 of their final 16 to limp into the NCAA tournament.
While they don't exactly have a reputation as stalwarts on the hardwood, the Gophers have some big advantages on their side.
"A lot of people were doubting us, " Gophers forward Rodney Williams said.
We look forward to exploring new operating systems and hunt for bugs and glitches like little gophers in a giant green field of code.
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Every time UCLA made a move, the Gophers found a way to push the Bruins back and were never in danger of losing the lead.
The Gophers had seized control by halftime and never let go.
It was the Golden Gophers' fourth title since 2004 and it marked the first time a Division I women's hockey team finished a championship season undefeated.
Even the Gophers' basketball peaks have come with bad news.
WSJ: Minnesota's Women's Hockey Title: The Golden Gophers Won Something!
The Gophers are still in the running for a title.
WSJ: Minnesota's Women's Hockey Title: The Golden Gophers Won Something!
With the Gophers' win, 11 of the NCAA's 14 sports where athletes compete as a team in a single game have had champions that pulled off a perfect season.
The state has put out money for new venues for the Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Golden Gophers football team that have all opened over the past decade.
Austin Hollins scored 16 for the 11th-seeded Gophers (21-12), who earned their first win since March 2 and advanced to Sunday's third round against No. 3 seed Florida in the South Regional.
Dropping from the list are a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference teams that find themselves in a situation that's opposite of that of the Gophers: too much competition vying for basketball dollars.
Extrapolating from the area's limited renown for an overabundance of gophers, whose destructive burrowing has always brought armed retaliation from local farmers, the museum used stuffed gophers to portray daily life in Torrington.
Andre Hollins scored 28 points and Minnesota rolled past punchless UCLA 83-63 on Friday night in the second round of the NCAA tournament, giving Smith his first tournament win in six seasons with the Gophers.
The injury seemed to infect the entire UCLA offense and the Bruins never looked to have the fight to beat the Gophers, who delivered on their reputation as tough team molded by season-long battles in the Big Ten.
"In 31 displays, " according to the Associated Press, "54 gophers play hockey and Little League baseball, get a hairdo, preach a sermon, shoot pool in the local tavern...even rob a bank, with the teller told, 'Put your paws up!'"
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