It's a shame that Rachel Banham's 60-point performance in helping her team squeak past Northwestern, 112-106 in double overtime in Evanston, Ill., happened on Super Bowl Sunday. Because if it were any other day, it would definitely lead the sports segment on local TV and would've gotten at least some publicity on SportsCenter. The Wildcats certainly aren't world-beaters, but neither are the Gophers. I wonder how in the hell did Northwestern allow any player, let alone a Top 20 player in women's top-flight basketball, go off for 60. Shit, you double-team her, like, a dozen times during the game and the 'Cats probably would win it. Oh, by the way, the 60 points ties the record for most points scored by a player in a single top-flight women's college basketball game, first set by Cindy Brown of Long Beach St. in 1987.
And then they follow that up with an oh-my-fucking-God 110-73 shit-kicking of Nebraska at Williams Thursday and you have to say, hey, this team is pretty good. Banham only notched 32 -- slacker. But she got four other players to reach double digits, and the 110 matches the most the Cornhuskers have ever allowed in a single game. Also, this is the first time in U. history that they've hit the century mark in back-to-back games. And they didn't even need one OT against Nebraska. Where did all of this prolific scoring come from?
So the club has won eight-of-nine and is now 17-7 overall and 9-4 in-conference. That should put them into the tournament field, right? No; Charlie Creme of ESPN.com and one other website I checked out still has the Gophers on the outside looking in, and it's not even close. That's why the lead this survey but still receive a -1. However, their trajectory is good, and they can improve upon their momentum this week. They have the weekend off, which is rare for any team, but then get back onto the court with their Breast Cancer Game against Iowa Monday. I should be there, mourning the last day of work at this current assignment (I'll tell you guys about it later). They then visit Indiana Thursday.
#-2: Timberwolves (Last Week: -2). In this survey week, all at home, they took two of three. They outlasted a decent Chicago club, got off on the wrong foot vs. New Orleans and never recovered, and stayed one step ahead of Toronto, arguably The Second-Best Team In The Eastern Conference. Add their surprise road upset of the Clippers on Wednesday the 3rd and the Woofie Dogs have won three-of-four. They're not reaching the playoffs, again, this year, and I could be wrong. But you might -- might -- look back at this week as the point where this organization started turning things around.
The points leader in all three games for the squad was Karl-Anthony Towns, who already seems like he "gets it." Meanwhile, Tayshaun Prince did not start at Shooting Guard for the Wolves because he was in Detroit celebrating the Pistons retiring the No. 1 jersey for his teammate, Chauncey Billups. In his place was Zach LaVine. It was the first time LaVine started a game alongside Point Guard Ricky Rubio this season. Wait ... you mean to tell me that a rebuilding franchise with so much young talent has started a grizzled veteran every single game? I don't care if LaVine falls flat on his ass -- you start him with Ricky Ricky and you find out how good he is! And by the way, he's turned out to be a pretty good player, as evidenced by the T-Wolves upsetting the Raptors. This should be the point of the season where Prince (and, let's be honest, Kevin Garnett) firmly plant their behinds on the bench. Their roles now are to verbally accost the young players into playing well together. That is how the Timberwolves stop being embarrassments. Although, to think pie-in-the-sky, that moment may have arrived this week.
This weekend is All-Star Weekend and the team is off until Friday, so we are dropping them from the WMNSS next week.
#-3: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -4). Well, OK; color me surprised that the grapplers went on the road to play two teams last weekend -- a gauntlet I thought that this program, with its down year, would get plowed under -- and swept both duals. Sure, it was in close fashion, 22-20 to Northwestern Friday, 17-16 to Wisconsin Sunday. (The one-point margin of victory was provided by Brett Pfarr, who Technically Felled Nic Veiling at 197.) They have won four-of-five -- a sign that things are turning around, perhaps, although it is much too late, I fear, to salvage this from being an uncharacteristically down year. Nevertheless I now think they've got a shot to take out Illinois at Illinois tonight (Friday night).
#-4: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -5). This team remains too young and too raw to do nothing besides hang on in the lackluster B1G. They split a home series against a vastly improving Penn St. program at Mariucci last weekend, thereby keeping these Goofers in a tie with Michigan for the top spot in the conference. That keeps them off of the PairWise cutoff line; damn, that 5-3 loss to the Nittany Lions Saturday (one which, by the way, was the first for the Penn St. program on the road; they have now won in each of the other five opponents' arenas, which is a mini-milestone in its third full-fledged year as a varsity program) hurt.
Next up is a pair at Ohio St. Three of their final opponents are the three have-nots in the Big Ten. The upside is is that the U. should be favored to win both games. The bad news is that if they so happen to lose, that'll damage their chances to get into the tournament severely.
#-5: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -3). In their only game this week they lost at home Wednesday to Michigan, 82-74. But hey, it looks like they put up a fight. They remain winless in-conference and have dropped their last baker's dozen. And they won't be getting off the schneid this upcoming screening week, either -- Sunday at Iowa, Thursday home to Maryland. Good luck with that.
#-6: Wild (Last Week: -6). Oh, fuck this team. They get their asses handed to them in St. Louis, then drop a home game in OT to The Team That Was Stolen From Us (disgraceful!), then allow Alex Ovechkin to tally a Hat Trick against us as Ovie's NHL-leading Washington Capitals beat the Mild 4-3. The calls for Mike Yeo's head get louder. Now former Mild player (former player period) Zenon Konopka is piling on:
The Minnesota Wild have so much talent. All the pieces to be Stanley Cup champs- wasting years isn't fair to the players or fans #YeohastoGo— Zenon Konopka (@ZenonKonopka) February 10, 2016
You know who else wants Yeo fired? Zenon Konopka's bunny:
I'm not saying Mike Yeo is a bad coach but change is due in Minny #YeomustGo pic.twitter.com/1GsdYh9lvt— Zenon Konopka (@ZenonKonopka) February 10, 2016
This "club" has lost seven games in a row and twelve of their last thirteen. This week they host Boston before going to the Prairie Provinces to take on Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Will Yeo survive this?
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