#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -4). I have no idea if these guys have any chance of reaching the NCAA Tournament based on where they were last week. Regardless, they took a big, clutch step last weekend by going to South Bend, Ind., and sweeping two Games from then-#9 Notre Dame, giving Bob Motzko his first series sweep as a head coach at the U.
They swept in both extremes. On Friday, the club crushed the Fighting Irish, 5-1. And on Saturday, Blake McLaughlin scored with 7.8 Seconds left in regulation to eke out a 2-1 win. With those victories, the U. rises up to 21st in the PairWise -- still a far cry from where they need to be, but a lot better than where they were. The icers can keep the momentum going in a two-game series versus Michigan St. in East Lansing, Mich.
#-2: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: 0). Women's College Hockey Nation remains concentrated. The club traveled to Minnesota State-Mankato and swept the Mavericks by a combined score of 11-4. Now comes the heavyweight matchup: The Golden Gophers host Wisconsin in a matchup of #1 at #2 in a two-game series this weekend.
#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -5). A 2-1 screening week, nipping The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics in OKC Tuesday, 119-117, in Ryan Saunders's first game as Interim Head Coach. They also outlasted The Bastard Charlotte Hornets Saturday, 110-106 at home. They could have beaten Dallas Friday night at Target Center, but rookie Luka Doncic basically went nuts and took the mantle of leader away from Dirk Nowitzki on the way to the Mavericks' 119-115 win.
Do the relative good fortunes translate to a upward trend in the team's play? Well, right now they're at Philadelphia and they're getting killed, so, probably not. They come back home to play San Antonio Friday (a game I'll be attending) and Phoenix Sunday.
#-4: Whitecaps (Re-Entry!). The NWHL season is so long, yet there are so many breaks inbetween games that I don't know precisely when the 'Caps play. They played this past weekend, where they were buried early against the Boston Pride and rallied before falling, 5-4 on Saturday. The squad responded the next day by destroying the Connecticut Whale, 4-1. With the split, the Whitecaps remain tied with the Pride atop the league.
Next weekend the club hosts the Whale for two Games. They also happen to be the final home games of the season -- and, BTW, they've sold out both Games, dammit. And the weirdest thing? The season ends early March. Huh. ...
#-5: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -1). The squad raced out to leads during the screening week, at home, to both Maryland and Rutgers. The Gophs were able to maintain that big lead against the Scarlet Knights, however they choked that up against the Terrapins due to shitty free-throw shooting. They're maintaining their hypothetical place in the NCAA Tournament.
This week: At Illinois Wednesday, home to Penn St. Saturday night.
#-6: Wild (Last Week: -3). Any momentum the Mild garnered from last screening week's hot streak is all gone after going 1-3 this week. It gets even worse because their last two losses were to Detroit and Philadelphia, two of the worst teams in the NHL. This was a prime time to rack up Wins and Points and keep rocketing up the Western Conference standings, but that's all gone now.
For the second screening week in a row they have a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday/Monday schedule. They began a three-Game homestand tonight/right now against another shit team, Los Angeles. They then host Anaheim and Columbus before going to Las Vegas.
#-7: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -2). See, it's duals like Sunday's vs. Iowa at Maturi where, in days gone by, Gopher fans would actually be up for it because there was a chance that they could win. But those days are long gone, as evidenced by the Hawkeyes' thorough 24-10 frog-stomping of the Goofer grapplers. The U. won only three of the ten, led by talisman Heavyweight Gable Steveson's Major Decision. Steveson was ranked #2, but congratulations to him for rising to #1 today/Monday, the first Golden Gopher to get to tops in his weight class since Chris Dardanes at 133 four years ago.
It says a lot about the state of the program that road trips to Illinois and Northwestern this weekend aren't exactly gimmes. Man, if I were a kid these days, I would not have the handicap of remembering when Minnesota was a wrestling power. Ignorance is bliss.
#-8: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -6). Holy oy to the fucking vey. The losing streak is now at four after getting beat at Michigan St. and at home to Iowa by matching 18-point ass-kickings. The Gophers' defeat to the Hawkeyes is particularly alarming; the U. had an eight-Point lead at Halftime but were outscored 49-23 in the Second Half -- an alarming inability to adjust at he half. It's just as alarming to see a team that began so hot at the beginning of the season seemingly lose everything over the course of a couple weeks, but the team is sinking like a stone in the rankings as a result.
Just for shiggles I checked the record for the opponent against whom the Gophers notched their signature win this season, Syracuse. Believe it or not, the Orange have not lost since losing to Minnesota. That victory isn't cheapened because it turns out Syracuse isn't as good as their record suggested. No, that is happening to these Golden Goofers instead.
This squad's only conference win so far is against Wisconsin. The return date is Thursday at Madison. They also visit Nebraska Sunday. In other words, this probably will get a lot, lot worse.
They swept in both extremes. On Friday, the club crushed the Fighting Irish, 5-1. And on Saturday, Blake McLaughlin scored with 7.8 Seconds left in regulation to eke out a 2-1 win. With those victories, the U. rises up to 21st in the PairWise -- still a far cry from where they need to be, but a lot better than where they were. The icers can keep the momentum going in a two-game series versus Michigan St. in East Lansing, Mich.
#-2: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: 0). Women's College Hockey Nation remains concentrated. The club traveled to Minnesota State-Mankato and swept the Mavericks by a combined score of 11-4. Now comes the heavyweight matchup: The Golden Gophers host Wisconsin in a matchup of #1 at #2 in a two-game series this weekend.
#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -5). A 2-1 screening week, nipping The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics in OKC Tuesday, 119-117, in Ryan Saunders's first game as Interim Head Coach. They also outlasted The Bastard Charlotte Hornets Saturday, 110-106 at home. They could have beaten Dallas Friday night at Target Center, but rookie Luka Doncic basically went nuts and took the mantle of leader away from Dirk Nowitzki on the way to the Mavericks' 119-115 win.
Do the relative good fortunes translate to a upward trend in the team's play? Well, right now they're at Philadelphia and they're getting killed, so, probably not. They come back home to play San Antonio Friday (a game I'll be attending) and Phoenix Sunday.
#-4: Whitecaps (Re-Entry!). The NWHL season is so long, yet there are so many breaks inbetween games that I don't know precisely when the 'Caps play. They played this past weekend, where they were buried early against the Boston Pride and rallied before falling, 5-4 on Saturday. The squad responded the next day by destroying the Connecticut Whale, 4-1. With the split, the Whitecaps remain tied with the Pride atop the league.
Next weekend the club hosts the Whale for two Games. They also happen to be the final home games of the season -- and, BTW, they've sold out both Games, dammit. And the weirdest thing? The season ends early March. Huh. ...
#-5: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -1). The squad raced out to leads during the screening week, at home, to both Maryland and Rutgers. The Gophs were able to maintain that big lead against the Scarlet Knights, however they choked that up against the Terrapins due to shitty free-throw shooting. They're maintaining their hypothetical place in the NCAA Tournament.
This week: At Illinois Wednesday, home to Penn St. Saturday night.
#-6: Wild (Last Week: -3). Any momentum the Mild garnered from last screening week's hot streak is all gone after going 1-3 this week. It gets even worse because their last two losses were to Detroit and Philadelphia, two of the worst teams in the NHL. This was a prime time to rack up Wins and Points and keep rocketing up the Western Conference standings, but that's all gone now.
For the second screening week in a row they have a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday/Monday schedule. They began a three-Game homestand tonight/right now against another shit team, Los Angeles. They then host Anaheim and Columbus before going to Las Vegas.
#-7: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -2). See, it's duals like Sunday's vs. Iowa at Maturi where, in days gone by, Gopher fans would actually be up for it because there was a chance that they could win. But those days are long gone, as evidenced by the Hawkeyes' thorough 24-10 frog-stomping of the Goofer grapplers. The U. won only three of the ten, led by talisman Heavyweight Gable Steveson's Major Decision. Steveson was ranked #2, but congratulations to him for rising to #1 today/Monday, the first Golden Gopher to get to tops in his weight class since Chris Dardanes at 133 four years ago.
It says a lot about the state of the program that road trips to Illinois and Northwestern this weekend aren't exactly gimmes. Man, if I were a kid these days, I would not have the handicap of remembering when Minnesota was a wrestling power. Ignorance is bliss.
#-8: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -6). Holy oy to the fucking vey. The losing streak is now at four after getting beat at Michigan St. and at home to Iowa by matching 18-point ass-kickings. The Gophers' defeat to the Hawkeyes is particularly alarming; the U. had an eight-Point lead at Halftime but were outscored 49-23 in the Second Half -- an alarming inability to adjust at he half. It's just as alarming to see a team that began so hot at the beginning of the season seemingly lose everything over the course of a couple weeks, but the team is sinking like a stone in the rankings as a result.
Just for shiggles I checked the record for the opponent against whom the Gophers notched their signature win this season, Syracuse. Believe it or not, the Orange have not lost since losing to Minnesota. That victory isn't cheapened because it turns out Syracuse isn't as good as their record suggested. No, that is happening to these Golden Goofers instead.
This squad's only conference win so far is against Wisconsin. The return date is Thursday at Madison. They also visit Nebraska Sunday. In other words, this probably will get a lot, lot worse.
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