#-1: Vikings (Last Week: -2). In a WMNSS that is both light and chock full of teams that won the only game they had to play, I give the nod to the team whose win is most important. I thought the ViQueens had a better-than-fighting chance to beat the Rams in St. Louis, but considering Christian Ponder's continuing struggles to throw a ball and the Rams' rapidly improving defense, I would not have been surprised if they lost and fatally damaged their playoff hopes.
Instead, they did something I don't think I've seen all that much this season: They forced turnovers and were aggressive early in the game. It helps that Sam Bradford -- I thought he was going to be The Next Great Quarterback -- threw an interception to Defensive End (and USC Trojan!) Everson Griffen that he took all the way back for a touchdown. It also helps that the Vikes won the turnover battle. Finally, it helps that the team has Adrian Peterson. I was wrong about him. I thought he needed to take it easy, and I didn't expect him to have a great 2012. He in fact is having a season for the ages, thrashing the Rams for that long touchdown that set the tone for last Sunday's game.
He needs to gain 300 more yards to break Eric Dickerson's single-season mark for rushing yards. I want him to get it, and I will not count him out, but for some reason I think his hopes of catching Dickerson, as well as the Vikes' playoff hopes, will end in Houston this (Sunday) afternoon.
#-2: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -3). Instead of going to a stripper party I decided to spend the first night after being "let go" at my temp job going to a University of Minnesota women's basketball game for the first time in two, possibly three years. I figured there would be more parties, but the women's b-ball team playing this non-conference opponent again may never come again in my lifetime. Specifically, this is the rematch of the Women's Basketball Invitational Championship Game against Northern Iowa, the final of four tournament games the Goofs were given in exchange for accepting the WBI's invitation to compete.
This is not your father's Gopher women's basketball game. The Lindsay Whalen-Jalen McCarville days of packing Williams Arena are long gone. The announced crowd was 2,853, but all attendance announcements lie; eyeballing the crowd I say there was close to half that, maybe. That much of a crowd could pack the Sports Pavilion, the place the team used to play in before their breakthrough season sent them to Williams permanently.
At least the team beat the Panthers. In fact, they beat the ever-lovin' shit out of them, exactly doubling them up, 86-43. Guard Rachel Banham is the real deal; she scored 26. The team was aggressive, out-stealing Northern Iowa 11-3 and finishing the half leading, get this, 50-16. The only downside is seeing Micaella Riché continue to commit travelling violations and offensive fouls. She counts as the inside beef on this team, and if she remains plagued by foul trouble, she'll find herself working those demons out at the back of the bench.
It's weird to see the scores of the games this club has played so far. They have whipped non-BcS clubs, especially at home. But then you look at the losses the 10-3 Goofs have suffered so far: a pair of 12-point setbacks to Richmond (played in Cancun) and an embarrassing 22-point defeat to Virginia at home. The evidence points to a bully of a team, a bunch of players that can batter around teams much smaller than them, but powerless when it comes to squads that are bigger than them, or at least ones the same size. That doesn't portend well since conference play starts up before you know it.
However, they are off till the 30th. You will not see them in next week's survey.
#-3: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4). I thought these guys were going to play Louisiana-Lafayette. But tonight (Saturday night) I saw a few minutes of the replay of their game last (Saturday) night, and they said it was just Lafayette. And then it occurred to me -- oh, you mean the Lafayette of that famous Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry? Anyway, the Gophers clubbed the ... Leopards, 75-50, their eighth win in a row. I am particularly impressed that 42 of the team's points came from guys who started the game on the bench. That's a testament to depth, especially since Trevor Mbakwe, their biggest inside presence, was finally moved into the starting lineup. Now, let's see if Tubby Smith's best team ever since he came here lives up to the hype now that the non-conference/creampuff portion of the regular season is out of he way; however, you'll have to wait, because they're off till New Year's Eve.
#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: -1). Frustratingly, they began the week with a pair of consecutive losses, at Orlando and at Miami. But then, inexplicably, the Woofie Dogs come back to Target Center and defeated the team with the best record in the NBA, The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics. Moreover, they ended the Thunder's 12-game winning streak. Almost as impressive: The Wolves led that game wire-to-wire.
Why the inconsistency? Both Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio have to develop chemistry between the two. But Rubio seems to have more pet players to feed the ball to. Both Nikola Pekovic and Derrick Williams seem to play a lot better with Rubio in the game, even though the team is crazy deep with J.J. Barea the important player that maintained breathing room between them and Oklahoma City. So where does Love fit in? And can he completely overcome the pain he feels in his shooting hand? Until he comes back fully healthy, he and Rubio won't have the proper time to develop the tendencies that could make this team a truly great one.
For example, ESPN is saying that Love won't play in today's (Sunday afternoon's) tilt in New York. Also, the team hosts Houston (and Head Coach Kevin McHale) Wednesday, then host Phoenix Saturday.
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