#-1: Gopher football (Last Week: -6). No letdown -- they handled Northwestern Saturday, 38-22. That sets up a winner-take-all with Wisconsin at TCF Bank Saturday, both for the Big Ten West Division crown and Paul Bunyan's Axe. But the real crowning achievement for the team (and the main reason these guys top the survey this week) came during the Arizona St.-Oregon game on Channel 5 (at least to me), when it was announced (at least I think) that ESPN's College GameDay will, for the first time ever, come to the campus of the University of Minnesota. I have never watched an entire episode of that show, and honestly, I think I've seen a grand total of, like, 75 Minutes. But over its lifetime (and I don't think it's been around that long) it has become an American sports TV institution, so much so that a part of me wants to be a part of it. Unfortunately I work during the day, so I can't be a part of it. Probably too crazy for me to be a part of the Dinkytown mob that'll be there Saturday morning, anyway.
#-2: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -7). When it comes to non-BcS teams, these Golden Gophers apparently look good; routs at Williams over Central Michigan and North Dakota will do help you feel good, even if the NET won't budge one lick. They finish out this six-Game homestand with a pair of toughies: A Black Friday afternoon contest against DePaul (which will happen around the same time as the Mild's Game versus Ottawa), then a late Monday showdown against Clemson, a Game I bought a ticket for at the State Fair.
#-3: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -2). Only one Game, an 11-Point victory over Montana St. at The Barn. Four in a row, although three of them are against barely worthy clubs. The next foe is similar -- tonight (Tuesday night) against Bryant, a tilt that marks the end of this basketball program's six-Game homestand.
#-4: Wild (Last Week: -5). After blowing leads and losing in Overtime in their last two Games (in Boston and the Rangers), I was ready to stash the Mild down at the bottom of the survey. But then I checked their website and remembered that they started off the screening week destroying the Sabers in Buffalo and then outlasting The Bastard Quebec Nordiques at home. And then I checked the standings; Minnesota was the worst team in the NHL last week, but as of right now the Kings, the Red Wings and Devils have fewer Points. So, such as it is, things are "improving." But I will go out on a limb and state this: Of the two professional sports teams in the Twin Cities, the worm has turned and now it's the Timberwolves, and not the Wild, that have a window for success. Well, beyond this week (see below). But I mean that.
They stick around Metropolis for a road date in New Jersey tonight/Tuesday night. They then come home for a Black Friday afternoon tilt vs. Ottawa and a Sunday afternoon date at The Team That Was Stolen From Us.
#-5: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -9). College hockey Overtime periods, and the Points they get from them, are weird. The U., at Mariucci, beat Wisconsin Friday but lost to the Badgers Saturday in a Shootout. The NCAA mandates a 5-on-5 First Overtime if a Game is tied at the end of regulation. After that, each conference is allowed to make its own rules. The Big Ten has teams play a 3-on-3 Second OT, and after that a Shootout, in order to award a second Point after a first Point given to both teams after, I believe, this NCAA-mandated First OT. I prefer ties.
Anyway, this means that the Gophers picked up four out of a possible six Points. In years past I would consider this series just a win and a loss. And maybe I should go back to that.
I don't know if I have any more to add to this.
Hmmm ... I just saw that the men's hockey program will finish up its own six-Game homestand this weekend, just like the men's basketball and women's basketball squads. For the male icers, it's a non-conference throwback showdown two-Game set against North Dakota, at the special days of Thanksgiving and Black Friday nights.
#-6: Gopher women's hockey (Re-Entry!). College hockey Overtime periods, and the Points they get from them, are weird. They outlasted Minnesota-Duluth Saturday, 4-3. But on Friday they lost to the Bulldogs on the, I think, 3-on-3 Second Overtime. Therefore, the female icers also pick up 4/6 Points, even though they really lost for the second time all year. I think?
They're in Nashville this weekend. The city of Nashville has, to their credit, really taken up the sport of hockey. Obviously this city does not have a snowy winter, and they surely don't have an intrinsic foundation of hockey. And even though they were rewarded an NHL team, there was a time not too long ago the Predators had to hit attendance figures or else they would trigger plans that could have had them leaving the city. But then the front office got their shit together, the Preds finally won a playoff series, they actually reached the Stanley Cup Finals a few years ago and boom, they're acting like they're an actual hockey town. Well, they're not, but they are demonstrating more love for hockey than some cities that are taking the sport for granted because the pro team sucks.
So, yeah. Anyway, the Golden Gophers are participating in this "Country Classic," which is the first I've heard of it and therefore should not be called a "classic." Wisconsin is also a part of this showcase, but the U. plays Boston College Black Friday afternoon (just before the start of the Mild's Game vs. the Senators) and Harvard Saturday afternoon.
#-7: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -4). Swept Iowa Saturday at Maturi, but at home on Friday (in a Game that tipped off at 8) they came back from two Sets down to Nebraska, only two run out of steam and lose the Fifth at, ugh, 3. Sort of weird since the Goofers won the Fourth at 11. John Cook knows when he's beat; he rallied his Cornhuskers to concentrate on the Fifth Set, and that's what they did.
One bracketologist I see (albeit on a chat board) sees Minnesota as the overall #8 Seed and travelling to, of all places, Waco, Tex., to face overall #1 Baylor. A non-traditional Queens Of The Mountain? That's ripe for an upset, in my mind, but I have no faith that this program can do it. Besides, they finish up the regular season on the road -- first to Rutgers on Friday (no problem), but then against Penn St. Saturday. Maybe it doesn't really matter if the U. is 8 or 9, but ... ah, fuck it, what really matters if these young women can actually fucking win a championship.
#-8: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3). This week perfectly encapsulates the weird dichotomy the Woofie Dogs find themselves in at the beginning of the season. They dropped home games versus Utah and Phoenix (the latter only by two), but then go out to Atlanta and coast past the Hawks last/Monday night. So as of press time, this squad is 3-6 at home, but 6-2 on the road. The fuck?!
A light schedule this screening week. At San Antonio Wednesday, home to The Bastard Vancouver Grizzlies Sunday afternoon, right around the time the Mild host The Bastard North Stars. So expect a win and a loss.
#-9: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -8). Huh, the Gophers lost at Oklahoma St., like I thought. But I thought they were going to get blown out, much worse than the 21-12 actual score. And then I see that the Cowboys are ranked 11th while the U. 12th. So ... this should have been a more competitive Dual, right? That it was not falls on Eggum & Co.
They're at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Vegas in two weeks. They don't have an actual Dual till the 20th, so unless something good actually comes from the Invitational, don't see them for a month. Probably for the best.
#-2: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -7). When it comes to non-BcS teams, these Golden Gophers apparently look good; routs at Williams over Central Michigan and North Dakota will do help you feel good, even if the NET won't budge one lick. They finish out this six-Game homestand with a pair of toughies: A Black Friday afternoon contest against DePaul (which will happen around the same time as the Mild's Game versus Ottawa), then a late Monday showdown against Clemson, a Game I bought a ticket for at the State Fair.
#-3: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -2). Only one Game, an 11-Point victory over Montana St. at The Barn. Four in a row, although three of them are against barely worthy clubs. The next foe is similar -- tonight (Tuesday night) against Bryant, a tilt that marks the end of this basketball program's six-Game homestand.
#-4: Wild (Last Week: -5). After blowing leads and losing in Overtime in their last two Games (in Boston and the Rangers), I was ready to stash the Mild down at the bottom of the survey. But then I checked their website and remembered that they started off the screening week destroying the Sabers in Buffalo and then outlasting The Bastard Quebec Nordiques at home. And then I checked the standings; Minnesota was the worst team in the NHL last week, but as of right now the Kings, the Red Wings and Devils have fewer Points. So, such as it is, things are "improving." But I will go out on a limb and state this: Of the two professional sports teams in the Twin Cities, the worm has turned and now it's the Timberwolves, and not the Wild, that have a window for success. Well, beyond this week (see below). But I mean that.
They stick around Metropolis for a road date in New Jersey tonight/Tuesday night. They then come home for a Black Friday afternoon tilt vs. Ottawa and a Sunday afternoon date at The Team That Was Stolen From Us.
#-5: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -9). College hockey Overtime periods, and the Points they get from them, are weird. The U., at Mariucci, beat Wisconsin Friday but lost to the Badgers Saturday in a Shootout. The NCAA mandates a 5-on-5 First Overtime if a Game is tied at the end of regulation. After that, each conference is allowed to make its own rules. The Big Ten has teams play a 3-on-3 Second OT, and after that a Shootout, in order to award a second Point after a first Point given to both teams after, I believe, this NCAA-mandated First OT. I prefer ties.
Anyway, this means that the Gophers picked up four out of a possible six Points. In years past I would consider this series just a win and a loss. And maybe I should go back to that.
I don't know if I have any more to add to this.
Hmmm ... I just saw that the men's hockey program will finish up its own six-Game homestand this weekend, just like the men's basketball and women's basketball squads. For the male icers, it's a non-conference throwback showdown two-Game set against North Dakota, at the special days of Thanksgiving and Black Friday nights.
#-6: Gopher women's hockey (Re-Entry!). College hockey Overtime periods, and the Points they get from them, are weird. They outlasted Minnesota-Duluth Saturday, 4-3. But on Friday they lost to the Bulldogs on the, I think, 3-on-3 Second Overtime. Therefore, the female icers also pick up 4/6 Points, even though they really lost for the second time all year. I think?
They're in Nashville this weekend. The city of Nashville has, to their credit, really taken up the sport of hockey. Obviously this city does not have a snowy winter, and they surely don't have an intrinsic foundation of hockey. And even though they were rewarded an NHL team, there was a time not too long ago the Predators had to hit attendance figures or else they would trigger plans that could have had them leaving the city. But then the front office got their shit together, the Preds finally won a playoff series, they actually reached the Stanley Cup Finals a few years ago and boom, they're acting like they're an actual hockey town. Well, they're not, but they are demonstrating more love for hockey than some cities that are taking the sport for granted because the pro team sucks.
So, yeah. Anyway, the Golden Gophers are participating in this "Country Classic," which is the first I've heard of it and therefore should not be called a "classic." Wisconsin is also a part of this showcase, but the U. plays Boston College Black Friday afternoon (just before the start of the Mild's Game vs. the Senators) and Harvard Saturday afternoon.
#-7: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -4). Swept Iowa Saturday at Maturi, but at home on Friday (in a Game that tipped off at 8) they came back from two Sets down to Nebraska, only two run out of steam and lose the Fifth at, ugh, 3. Sort of weird since the Goofers won the Fourth at 11. John Cook knows when he's beat; he rallied his Cornhuskers to concentrate on the Fifth Set, and that's what they did.
One bracketologist I see (albeit on a chat board) sees Minnesota as the overall #8 Seed and travelling to, of all places, Waco, Tex., to face overall #1 Baylor. A non-traditional Queens Of The Mountain? That's ripe for an upset, in my mind, but I have no faith that this program can do it. Besides, they finish up the regular season on the road -- first to Rutgers on Friday (no problem), but then against Penn St. Saturday. Maybe it doesn't really matter if the U. is 8 or 9, but ... ah, fuck it, what really matters if these young women can actually fucking win a championship.
#-8: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3). This week perfectly encapsulates the weird dichotomy the Woofie Dogs find themselves in at the beginning of the season. They dropped home games versus Utah and Phoenix (the latter only by two), but then go out to Atlanta and coast past the Hawks last/Monday night. So as of press time, this squad is 3-6 at home, but 6-2 on the road. The fuck?!
A light schedule this screening week. At San Antonio Wednesday, home to The Bastard Vancouver Grizzlies Sunday afternoon, right around the time the Mild host The Bastard North Stars. So expect a win and a loss.
#-9: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -8). Huh, the Gophers lost at Oklahoma St., like I thought. But I thought they were going to get blown out, much worse than the 21-12 actual score. And then I see that the Cowboys are ranked 11th while the U. 12th. So ... this should have been a more competitive Dual, right? That it was not falls on Eggum & Co.
They're at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Vegas in two weeks. They don't have an actual Dual till the 20th, so unless something good actually comes from the Invitational, don't see them for a month. Probably for the best.
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