#-1: Gopher wrestling (Re-Entry!). These guys actually returned to the mat New Year's Day, but that was part of a tournament called the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. and not a dual meet. I don't know how to quantify that for the survey. I mean, with so many teams, only one of them is going to win, so is it fair to ding the U. if they don't finish first?
And by the way, they didn't; they finished second behind Penn St., which, surprisingly, they defeated 23-14 at State College to begin Big Ten play way back on Nov. 20. Are they slipping?
They are going through the runts of the conference, whipping Ohio St. at Williams Arena Sunday, then holding Illinois to only nine points in Champaign Friday. And they'll probably destroy Purdue in West Lafayette this (Sunday) afternoon. This is all a prelude to the B1G and NCAA Championships.
#-2: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -2). They did reclaim the top spot in the polls after splitting with Wisconsin the previous weekend. They may lose it after losing at UMD Friday 4-2. They did make it up with a 3-0 shutout last (Saturday) night. But Cornell swept their two-game series at home to Quinnipiac, and the Badgers crushed North Dakota in Grand Forks Saturday 8-2 (with a Sunday afternoon tilt to complete the two-fer). The Bulldogs are ranked in the top ten, so they could retain the top spot.
Next up is a series against Bemidji St. at Ridder Arena.
#-3: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -4). They also split their series, at North Dakota, losing the first (in deflating fashion, by the way, as they squandered a lead and then lost late in regulation) before storming back last (Saturday) night and dick-smacking the soon-to-be-ex-Fighting Sioux 6-2 in what is supposed to be the last game these two teams play in Grand Forks, N.D. as members of the same conference. I the resounding rebound result, but I put them behind the lady icers because 1) the U. women lost to a higher-ranked team and 2) the U. men aren't the #1-ranked team in the country.
Taking a step back, the team is 12-4-0 in the conference and 16-8-1 overall -- in much better shape than last year. Barring a complete collapse -- touch wood -- they're back in the NCAAs for the first time in three years. Next week: a home two-fer against Colorado College.
#-4: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -6). I really, really doubt that their historic upset at Indiana Thursday -- the biggest win Tubby Smith has had at the U. -- changes the downward spiral this team is in. They lost at home to Purdue by 13, and I hear it wasn't even that close. But damn, what a win. The, what, 8th- or 10th-ranked team in the country -- and on the road?!?!?! That was a pressure cooker win right there. I still don't know how they did it. This (Sunday) afternoon they're at Penn St. Another winnable game.
#-5: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3). In previous seasons a friend of mine who works at Target Center would get complimentary tickets from his bosses. Since he needs to work, usually he would give it to me and another one of our friends. They sucked, but hey, it was a cheap night out.
No more, I'm guessing (sadface). They finished 2-3 this screening week, but it was a fun 2-3, crushing Washington and beating New Orleans, both on the road. They blew an 18-point lead and lost 83-81 at Atlanta last (Saturday) night, however. Ups and downs are acceptable for a team which, finally, seems to be looking up.
I noticed something after I heard that in a game this week, Rick Adelman benched Darko Milicic, Wesley Johnson and Wayne Ellington after the first quarter and never used them again. Rotations are the starting 5 is still a work in progress. Curious, I went to 82games and looked up the sabermetrics of all the five-man combinaions Adelman has trotted out. The most-used one, where Luke Ridnour's the point, Johnson's the wing, Michael Beasley is the 3, Kevin Love is the Power Forward and Donnie Darko is the pivot (and it's not even close), gives up 12 more points than it scores, and it has a record of 1-6. I think Adelman knows that's not good.
What shows promise is the #8 combination, where J.J. Barea runs things, Ricky Rubio is the 2, Anthony Tolliver (of all people) is the Small Forward, Derek Williams helps down in the blocks and Love's the Center. Note that you don't see Milicic, Johnson or Ellington. They have a +16 and have a 3-1 record. This proves that Beasley, an inefficient ballhog, has to be traded or at least benched for the good of the team. This also proves, unfortunately, that Johnson was not worth the third(?) pick of the draft a couple years ago. And Ellington, well, there's always Europe. Adelman has to know that Love, Rubio and Williams is the future of this team, a bright future.
This week: Sacramento and Detroit at home, then at the Clippers and Utah.
#-6: Wild (Last Week: -5). Even with one win this week (a bastard shootout kind at home to San Jose where they pissed away a two-goal lead very late in the third period), they have lost 12 of their last 14 and are holding on for dear life to the last Western Conference playoff spot. A 5-2 drubbing at Chicago which prompts General Manager Chuck Fletcher to rip the veterans a new one shows how bad things are going right now. A quasi-bag skate from Head Coach Mike Yeo before last (Saturday) night's game at St. Louis didn't help, either; they lost in a shootout 3-2.
This is totally not the team it was in early December. This week they complete their four-game road trip at Philadelphia and Toronto before ... oh my fucking God, The Team That Was Stolen From Us, The Bastard North Stars, come to town for the first time on Saturday.
#-7: Swarm (Re-Entry!). Hey, indoor lacrosse is back! And hey, the Smarm lost their season opener last (Saturday) night in Colorado, 20-14!
ILIndoor.com is slowly unveiling its Top 35 players in the National Lacrosse League. Forwards Callum Crawford (21) and last year's league scoring champ, Ryan Benesch (13) are featured. They also featured in the loss to the Mammoth; Crawford had four goals and five assists while Benesch had three goals and four assists.
ILIndoor also has a preview column. Although they were one-and-done in the NLL playoffs, the staff has picked the Smarm to be the worst team in the league!!! Rebuilding for the future, they all say. How can they be rebuilding when 1) they have the reigning scoring champ; 2) they have a pretty good veteran Goaltender in Nick Patterson; and 3) there are only nine teams (now that the Boston Blazers have gone belly-up)? If this is true, and they're the only team of the nine that won't make the postseason -- gosh, I fear for the health of the franchise.
Don't know why, but they have two weeks off until their home opener against Buffalo.
#-8: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -1). From the suite to the street, sistas. They just lost their only game this week, but it was a pretty bad one, a 17-point loss at home to, coincidentally, 17th-ranked Purdue.
What can I say? They've been swept by a pretty good Boilermakers team. They are now 2-2 in the B1G and 10-8 overall. I hope Pam Borton's players are going to class and being good role models. At Michigan this (Sunday) afternoon, then home to Michigan St. this Thursday.
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