#-1: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -5). Feel a lot of ambivalence about this week's survey. Many of the teams had the same record (or at least the same percentage) for the screening week, so it was really hard to differentiate one from the other when I could have just put them on the same level. But since all of them seem to be in the same underwhelming bundle, I bit the bullet and ranked them anyway, for reasons as flimsy as cut-rate tissue paper.
Who takes the top spot is the most clear-cut, even though they really are the club that underwhelmed the least. The Golden Gopher volleyball squad reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the umpteenth time in school history but sweeping the North Dakota Fighting Hawks Friday and beating Northern Iowa last (Saturday) night. I was at that victory over the Panthers at Maturi, and frankly, they disappointed me. The same things that led to their loss to Penn St. to end their regular season seemed to crop up too often in this second-round game: Slow block set-up, no juice on kill shots, an inability to scramble. That's what led the U. to drop the second set, shockingly. They regained their composure late in Sets 3 and 4 to finally eliminate the Panthers, but I have to admit I am now disillusioned: I don't think they're going to win the title this year. In fact, I'm betting against them reaching their third consecutive Final Four in Gainesville next weekend. I just don't think that championship teams drop Sets to competition they face in the Round of 32. Yes, the Nittany Lions, the #1 overall seed and presumptive favorite, dropped a set on their way to winning over Pitt Saturday night as well. But ... uh, that' s different.
The 7-seeded (and thus appropriately-seeded) Gophers play my alma mater next. If they win, they then face either 2-seed and host Florida or 15-seed UCLA.
#-2: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -1). So here are two teams that went 2-1. I put the lady icers ahead, even though their wins (Sunday at Lindenwood and Friday vs. Bemidji St. at Ridder) were in Overtime, and then they got doubled-up at home Saturday by the Beavers, 4-2. (They host a pair against Minnesota-Duluth next weekend as part of a seven-game homestand.) I'm still guessing that their record, as frighteningly mortal as it is at 14-5-1 overall, will get them into the NCAA Tournament. Postseason dreams cannot be said as confidently for the ...
#-3: Wild (Last Week: -3). ... which did double up surprisingly good (Las) Vegas and beating St. Louis in OT. But on Monday in Winnipeg they jumped out to a 2-0 lead before letting The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers tie it up at the end of one on their way to a 7-2 ass-kicking. What was most puzzling about that loss was the post-game comment of erstwhile "leader" Ryan Suter, who actually said that the club thought that after staking out to a 2-0 lead, he thought the Jets would just pack it up and quit. Never mind that that didn't happen; who the fuck thinks that way in a hockey game? For that reason I put the Mild behind the U. women's hockey players.
The Mild, who have at least climbed out of the cellar of the Central Division (Colorado's down there now) will be playing the three California teams in Cali. They get the two SoCal teams this week.
#-4: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: 0). And now we get the squads that went .500 last week. Of the three, I put these ballers first, even though their 0 went Wednesday when they lost as part of their contribution to the ACC/B1G Challenge, also by five (88-83) to North Carolina, also on Wednesday, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Frankly, I know jack about this team, so I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. But they have a fairly adventurous week coming up: Hosting Eastern Michigan this (Sunday) afternoon, then playing a name-brand non-con game, Thursday at Georgetown.
#-5: Timberwolves (Last Week: -4). My alma mater is arranging for some of us to go to a game next month. I used to be hyped up about it, but after another choppy (2-2) screening week, I don't know if these guys are going to make the playoffs. Seriously!
They won a game they should have, home versus Phoenix. They lost a game they should have, at Oklahoma City (although it was close, 111-107). But they also lost a game they should've won -- Washington, 92-89, at Target Tuesday, with John Wall not playing due to injury. And then, in a game they should have lost because they were playing on the road the night following a home game opposing a team on three days' rest, they throttled the Pelicans in New Orleans Wednesday, 120-102. And this was a week where Jeff Teague was battling his right Achilles. Tyus Jones has, by all accounts, acquitted himself well. Don't know if he's a difference-maker (at least not yet), but his confidence and fearlessness should assure fans that this team can run plays without Ricky Rubio or Kris Dunn at the point.
This week: Home to the Clippers this (Sunday) evening; immediately out to play in Memphis Monday; at said Clippers Wednesday.
#-6: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -6). These guys remain maddeningly inconsistent, and this may go the way off way too many seasons past, where lofty expectations are made out to be lies in the face of spotty results. Results such as this weekend's split at 3M vs. dreaded rival Wisconsin.
That's all I've got for these guys. A two-game series at Ohio St. next weekend.
#-7: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -2). Guess I don't feel bad spending ten bucks seeing this game. It was sold out, and the crowd was keyed-up from the get-go. It was an atmosphere I haven't seen in Williams Arena in a long time, and I'm glad I went.
Too bad they lost to Miami by five, 86-81, in their contribution to the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Wednesday night. It was tied after a very entertaining First Half. Minnesota was protecting the rim with authority then; I think Reggie Lynch got, like, four or five Blocks. But in the Second Half the Hurricanes made adjustments. They got hot from outside enough to break the tie and create the cushion they basically carried till the end of the game. After that, Lynch and the interior defense had to come out to defend jumpers, and thus they were susceptible to the pick-and-roll. Miami had not played anyone of the Goofers' caliber until Wednesday. And if the season spirals out of control, with conference games vs. Rutgers and at Nebraska (followed by a Saturday early evening contest at Arkansas; the entire B1G kicked off their conference scheduled early because the conference tournament [to be held at Madison Square Garden a week before the Big East continues its annual tradition of hosting its tourney there] is a week early this year), the Canes would still have not beaten a quality opponent. Sorry to be cynical, but even with Dupree McBrayer, out, they still should have won that game.
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