#-1: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -2). I was hoping they would continue to win this week so I can put them atop the WMNSS and therefore make it up to them for a) not doing so last week and b) missing the beginning of their year. And they obliged: They trounced Boise St. at the Sports Pavilion Sunday 30-6, then went to North Dakota St. and (unbeknownst to me because the university sports site did not indicate this) they were part of a tournament called the Bison Quad, and they tore through the host Bison as well as Eastern Michigan and a tagalong community college.
This meet marked two very significant milestones. The Gophers become the sixth school ever to reach 900 wins in program history, and Head Coach J Robinson became the all-time winningest coach in U. wrestling history, surpassing I don't know with 394 wins (alongside 129 losses and four ties). He seems to be a conservative hardass; several years ago he handed out pamphlets decrying Title IX and he has been scrutinized for his side work of real estate properties he owns around the Dinkytown arena, residences he has sold at cut-rate costs to his players upon their graduation. But the guy knows how to coach.
They take next week off. And they'll need it, because they have three games the following screening week. All three opponents are ranked, as of now: Northwestern (tied for 16th, at least according to InterMat), Oregon St. (10th) ... and traditional power Oklahoma St., which sits fourth, one place behind the Gophers. The match against the Cowboys happens next Sunday afternoon; for that reason I'm thinking about going to my first-ever wrestling meet.
#-2: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -1). You can't ask for a team to finish the regular season in better fashion -- unless, of course, you want them to go undefeated. The volleyers finished Big Ten action with back-to-back road sweeps of Wisconsin and Indiana. They finish the year 24-7 overall and 15-5 in conference play, winning their last four and sweeping the last three. Even their micro-finish was awesome; they were down to the Hoosiers 20-12 in the third set, but then went on an 11-1 run to put away IU 25-22.
Next up: The Selection Show, which will be at 3 this (Sunday) afternoon. Last year there was a bit of controversy about how the NCAA Selection Committee relied on the Ratings Percentage Index for both picking at-large teams and seeding the field to the point of co-dependence. Turns out that the actual rankings of the teams in the polls at the end of the regular season was a better indicator of how the teams would fare in the tournament ... or do I have that the other way around? Anyway, this is the site to see the NCAA RPI, essentially the list of who makes the tournament and in what order, and this is the last AVCA Top 25 before the last poll, the one taken after the whole year is over. The Gophers are ranked 7th in the former and 11th in the latter; we'll see where they are placed.
#-3: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -5). Now that's better: They sweep Vermont in their first-ever trip to the state by scores of 5-1 and 3-1. They have been victorious in their last three games and are unbeaten in their last six. They come home to host a pair against Nebraska-Omaha.
#-4: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -3). Well, they won't pull an Indiana and run the table, but it turns out that their first journey on the road and against really good teams didn't turn out so bad. They got busted down to the consolation bracket of the Battle 4 Atlantis Thanksgiving afternoon with an 89-71 loss to Duke, but they rebounded with an 84-75 victory over Memphis and a thrilling 66-63 win over Stanford in, if I am not mistaken, a rematch of last year's NIT Final.
Andre Hollins stepped up and regulated in the Bahamas this weekend. The point guard poured in 41 against his hometown college team (his residence is Memphis because his father is Lionel Hollins, current [?] Head Coach of the Memphis Grizzlies), then got fouled on a half-court attempt with .4 seconds left and sunk all three free throws to beat The Farm. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Next week: The annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, where they go to Florida St. Tuesday, then home to North Florida Saturday.
#-5: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -4). Like the Gopher men, they Gopher women went to paradise this Thanksgiving Weekend to play in a tournament. And they also lost their quarterfinal game, to Richmond. And they also came back to win the consolation bracket of the Cancun (Mexico) Challenge with wins over James Madison and Missouri. Does this mean that this team is also not bad? I don't know, but I put them below the male ballers because it looks like the female ballers faced lesser competition.
One game this week: They host their game of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge against Virginia Thursday.
#-6: Timberwolves (Last Week: -6). Wow. The season is young, but I can see the wheels falling off this team already. They lose all three games this week, none of them close. They have now lost five in a row and now are below .500 at 5-7. At least one beat reporter says that there are chemistry issues now that Kevin Love is back playing. I thought things would be better with him back, but ever since he shocked the world (let alone Wolves public relations) by getting activated and inserted into the starting lineup at home to Denver Wednesday, they have not won. The grind continues with games at Sacramento and the Clippers and a home game versus Milwaukee.
#-Infinity: Gopher football (Last Week: -7). I thought the Goofs could beat a weakened Michigan St., or at least do well enough to cover the spread of 8 1/2 or so. Instead, the team finish listlessly, 26-10. What was more embarrassing: That the team allowed 266 yards to Spartans Runningback Le'Veon Bell; that the U. only amassed 96 yards total; or that they officially ran for only four fucking yards? OK, by my italics you can tell I think it's the last fact.
What is probably worse than all that is the fact that Head Coach Jerry Kill suffered a seizure yet again. This occurred at the half, and he wasn't on the sideline at all for the second half of the defeat. If only the paying customers at TCF Bank Stadium could have been so lucky.
I feel bad for saying this, but the seizures are starting to get tiresome. I'm sorry, but if the leader of a team isn't able to be there for the three most important hours of his week, maybe he shouldn't be there. I don't remember if he had three seizures during a season at any of his previous stops, but it's starting to become kind of a joke, I'm afraid.
But they got to six wins and therefore they will play a bowl game. Will I talk about it? Unless something extraordinary happens, I don't give a shit. To me, this team is done for the year.
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