#-1: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -1). Rolled over Indiana Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, 35-6. Can't say anything more than that because their next match, their last in the regular season, is at home against the #1-ranked team in the land and the best program in top-flight wrestling in recent years, Penn St., led by Head Coach (and undefeated wrestling legend) Cael Sanderson. This match has been so anticipated that it's sold out. If I were in town Sunday afternoon, I would head down to the Sports Pavilion -- not to necessarily see if I could get a ticket, but to see if there's enough interest from scalpers to try and flip some tickets there.
#-2: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -6). See, this is one of the quirks of failing to complete a WMNSS before that evening's games are done. I got last week's survey done a bit past the 9 o'clock hour, when, it just so happened, the University of Minnesota women's b-ball team had just lost at home to Iowa but just before the Timberwolves won their game. I had to count that defeat in last week's survey, where they cemented their last-place finish.
By all rights that loss should have been calculated into this week's survey. But it's not. The only results I have for this screening week is a pretty good beatdown of Michigan on the road. I have no idea how good or bad the Wolverines are, but I didn't think the Gopher women ballers had an 85-69 road rout in them. The game-shifting as a result of my failure to publish this in time forces me to deny this team the top spot, unfortunately.
They only have one game this week as well: At Williams Arena versus Illinois Sunday afternoon, the start time of which is one hour later than the Gopher wrestling team's dual against the Nittany Lions. If you're going to this game, plan accordingly.
#-3: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -2). So I was at Friday's Chinese New Year's game against Michigan St. at Mariucci Arena, and I was stunned that they fell behind at home 2-0. Is this the first time they've behind by two goals at home this year? Both goals were breakdowns in positioning, I think. At least and possible three Gophers went after a loose puck along the half-wall, leaving the Spartans' Mike Ferrantino all alone in front to slap the pass from teammate Matt Berry past Gopher Goalie Adam Wilcox. The next goal, scored just 94 seconds later, was scored when an unmarked Villiam Haag wristed the puck home while Wilcox was screened by his own guy.
It's a testament to the U.'s speed, patience and overall talent that they were able to come back with two goals of their own, even though they eventually lost in a shootout that had to go to six rounds instead of the mandatory three. Technically, this goes down as a tie, which means the U. currently hold the nation's longest active undefeated streak at 13. But they only get a single point because they lost the shootout (the Spartans get two). Whatever; they came back to win a tight second game Saturday 1-0. For all his efforts, Wilcox was named the Second Star for the week by the Big Ten, the second straight week he has made the conference Three Stars. They travel to Wisconsin for a pair this week.
One other thing I noticed in Friday night's game: The public address announcer erroneously said after all six scheduled shooters in the shootout failed to put the puck in the net that the game was going to "sudden death." He should have said "extra shooters," I think, because when the fifth Michigan St. shooter, Berry, finally scored, all the Gophers were standing there as if the game was over. After a few long seconds, they realized they still had a chance to extend the game. Taylor Cammarata went over the boards and slid the puck between the legs of Spartans Goaltender Jake Hildebrand. (Michigan St. scored the next time and the Gophers didn't, ending the game.) I guess Minnesota should know the rules about what happens in a shootout, but this is the first year the program is using it. I still don't mind ties and wonder what is the obsession over getting to a score where one team has more "goals" than the other.
#-4: Wild (Last Week: -4). Just when you start to think this team is finally living up to the lofty expectations they placed on themselves, they stub their toes. This week they had to roar back from a 5-1 deficit but lost in Colorado by a goal. They then lost to Calgary in overtime before surviving at home against Tampa Bay.
Five Mild players will be in Sochi for the Winter Olympics, foremost among them Ryan Suter and Zach Parise playing for the Americans, the latter of which was named last week as captain. Lofty yet deserved designation for Parise, but I wonder if both the wear and tear of playing in Russia as well as the extended schedule the Olympics forces will take a toll on him and the squad once the National Hockey League resumes play. In the meantime the Wild has one final game before the Olympic Break, at home Thursday against Nashville.
#-5: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3). It is very weird, but the fortunes of both the Timberwolves and the Wild mirror each other. Both teams have the misfortune of being in not only the more competitive conference but a year where that Western Conference is decidedly better than the Eastern. And both teams, have had trouble establishing consistency. The Wolves have had the tougher time at it. After nosing above .500 for the first time in a dozen attempts with a win over New Orleans, they lose two in a row against Memphis and Atlanta. They rebounded with a win over the Lakers, but tonight (Wednesday night) they lost to The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics. (Once again I miss the Wednesday night deadline; I have to take in this result for this current survey.) They are below the Mild in the WMNSS because they are below .500 now while the Wild are not, and as of now the Woofs would not make the playoffs while the Mild, despite all their difficulties, will.
Two details in dissecting the Woofie Dogs: Kevin Love has frequently been the only offensive weapon the team relies on, but it's been show that the more he shoots, the less of a chance the club wins. Also, Ricky Rubio, for all his passing prowess, has progressed in his shooting -- and his free-throw shooting is not characteristic of a guard. They play in New Orleans before coming home to play Portland and Houston.
#-6: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -5). Let me start by making excuses. Northwestern is headed up by a man named Chris Collins, son of former NBA player and legendary (and peripatetic) Head Coach Doug Collins, who himself is a rookie Head Coach but a longtime assistant under the legendary Mike Kryzyzewski at Duke. He is doing very good things, as his road win at the Barn can attest.
That being said, you cannot choke at home, 55-54, to a program that has never been to the NCAA Tournament, but they did Saturday. (And by the way, Saturday was an extremely busy day for Twin Cities sports: Gopher basketball, men and women; Gopher hockey, men and women [the U. women's hockey team won, BTW]; the Timberwolves and the Wild. Twin Cities teams went 3-3, if you want to know.) Now, Andre Hollins was not playing because of his ankle, but really, that's no excuse. We'll see if they bounce back against Purdue, whom they are playing on the road as I type this. They then host Indiana Saturday.
#-7: Swarm (Re-Entry!). Oof -- I will say that they began the regular season on the road for four of their first five games. Saying that, with their 14-12 loss in Colorado Saturday, they are now 1-4 to begin the year. (Those four defeats weren't all on the road; the Smarm's only win was in Philadelphia, it's just that their only home game so far, also against the Wings, was a loss.) Not a good way to start when you spent the off-season pleading your case for more money or else you'll fold the team. At least they have two in a row at the Xcel, beginning this Saturday against Calgary.
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