#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -1). Don't look now, but of all teams in the area, the Golden Gopher men's hockey one may be the one that's playing the best right now. With a road sweep of Wisconsin (by scores of 6-2 and 4-2) they have now won their last four Games. Moreover, they now have risen to 18th in the PairWise -- still out of consideration, but now they are on the bubble instead of in the fringes. Suffice it to say, these guys get to the top spot this week because they are getting hot at the right time. And they can continue their hot streak with a home duo versus Michigan St. this weekend.
#-2: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -6). Victories this screening week over Nebraska and Rutgers (the latter being a two-Overtime affair after the U. squandered a lead in the Fourth Quarter) have stanched the bleeding; as of press time, Charlie Creme now has the Gophers has the fourth-last team out. However, both wins came at home, and on Thursday they trek out to Madison to face a Wisconsin club that beat them at home Jan. 22. The Gophs then return to Williams Arena and host Michigan Monday.
#-3: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -5). Well, at least the grapplers routed the Indiana schools on the road this weekend -- 27-12 over Purdue, 38-9 over Indiana. Don't know if this means they're any closer to a championship, though. Plus they host dreaded Penn St. Sunday afternoon.
#-4: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -4). Whoa -- these young women are starting to slip. They followed up a 5-0 home win over Minnesota-Duluth on Friday, but on Saturday they were blanked 2-0 with the help of a 35-Save performance but Bulldog Goaltender Maddie Rooney. Yes, that Maddie Rooney -- the one who helped Team USA win gold in the last Winter Olympics. That was so far long ago that I thought she graduated already. Rooney's a grizzled veteran by now.
Minnesota has now lost three of their last four Games, and thus they have slipped to fourth in the PairWise. Remember that there are only eight Teams in the NCAA Tournament for women's hockey, so being fourth in the PairWise essentially is the last spot on the right side of the bubble. They travel to Bemidji St. for two this weekend.
#-5: Wild (Last Week: -2). These guys had the All-Star Week and then the bye, so they had more than a week off, and in the first Game back on Saturday ... they lay a fucking 6-1 turd to Boston at home. Jesus fucking Christ.
Maybe because of that, Golden Gopher (and One Of Us) Nick Seeler, a Defenseman who was shuffled out of the Mild lineup too often but is too good for AAA Iowa, was put on waivers and summarily picked up by the Chicago Blackhawks. That'll be the first of what is, presumably, many trades for a team that is going nowhere but doesn't have the pieces of the cap room to substantively reshape the squad for the better. You could deal off Matt Dumba, Jason Zucker, or Greg Pateryn, and you still have an aging core that cannot be moved. This is it. Falling short of the playoffs is how it's going to be in the intermediate term.
At least they got their shit together and beat the 'Hawks last/Tuesday night, 3-2. Then again, that Game was also at home, and they blew a 2-0 before Dumba won it on Overtime. They're still slated to finish last in the division.
This week: A back-to-back where they host Vancouver and then go down to Big D to face The Bastard North Stars. They then come back home for a four-Game, week-long homestand; the Mild face Colorado Sunday and Las Vegas Tuesday.
#-6: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -3). The bad news is is that they lost at Illinois on Thursday, 59-51. The good news is that Joe Lunardi has the Goofs as the second team out/Team 70, so they're not that far away. They sure could use some wins, but this week is going to give them a pair of toughies. Tonight they host Wisconsin; Saturday afternoon they're on the road vs. a resurgent Penn St. squad.
#-7: Timberwolves (Last Week: -Infinity). Losses at the Clippers and Sacramento extend their losing streak to a dozen Games. Because of that (maybe), General Manager Gersson Rosas engineered on of the biggest trades I have ever seen: A four-Team, twelve-player behemoth with Houston, Atlanta and Denver.
The Woofie Dogs dealt away Robert Covington (possibly the player on the team playing best this season but was always one foot out the door because of his 3-and-D style and friendly contract; he went to the Rockets); Keita Bates-Diop (a second-year guy who has impressed with his growth; he's now with the Nuggets); and Shabazz Napier and Noah Vonleh, two end-of-the-bench guys who had no chance of sticking around for any turnaround this franchise might make. In return, they got Evan Turner, Malik Beasley, Juan Hernangomez and Jarred Vanderbilt. Of those, Turner and Vanderbilt might be in Minnesota just for their contracts; you know how it goes in the NBA. Was the move made in light of the squad's struggles? Maybe. But one has to put faith that Rosas is setting this organization up for the future. Rosas did not pry D'Angelo Russell from Golden State, which is who he really covets, but he didn't give up a first-round draft pick, either.
They host Atlanta tonight. They then host the Clippers Saturday, then go on the road versus Toronto Monday. If they don't beat the Hawks, it might be a long time before these guys win a Game.
#-2: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -6). Victories this screening week over Nebraska and Rutgers (the latter being a two-Overtime affair after the U. squandered a lead in the Fourth Quarter) have stanched the bleeding; as of press time, Charlie Creme now has the Gophers has the fourth-last team out. However, both wins came at home, and on Thursday they trek out to Madison to face a Wisconsin club that beat them at home Jan. 22. The Gophs then return to Williams Arena and host Michigan Monday.
#-3: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -5). Well, at least the grapplers routed the Indiana schools on the road this weekend -- 27-12 over Purdue, 38-9 over Indiana. Don't know if this means they're any closer to a championship, though. Plus they host dreaded Penn St. Sunday afternoon.
#-4: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -4). Whoa -- these young women are starting to slip. They followed up a 5-0 home win over Minnesota-Duluth on Friday, but on Saturday they were blanked 2-0 with the help of a 35-Save performance but Bulldog Goaltender Maddie Rooney. Yes, that Maddie Rooney -- the one who helped Team USA win gold in the last Winter Olympics. That was so far long ago that I thought she graduated already. Rooney's a grizzled veteran by now.
Minnesota has now lost three of their last four Games, and thus they have slipped to fourth in the PairWise. Remember that there are only eight Teams in the NCAA Tournament for women's hockey, so being fourth in the PairWise essentially is the last spot on the right side of the bubble. They travel to Bemidji St. for two this weekend.
#-5: Wild (Last Week: -2). These guys had the All-Star Week and then the bye, so they had more than a week off, and in the first Game back on Saturday ... they lay a fucking 6-1 turd to Boston at home. Jesus fucking Christ.
Maybe because of that, Golden Gopher (and One Of Us) Nick Seeler, a Defenseman who was shuffled out of the Mild lineup too often but is too good for AAA Iowa, was put on waivers and summarily picked up by the Chicago Blackhawks. That'll be the first of what is, presumably, many trades for a team that is going nowhere but doesn't have the pieces of the cap room to substantively reshape the squad for the better. You could deal off Matt Dumba, Jason Zucker, or Greg Pateryn, and you still have an aging core that cannot be moved. This is it. Falling short of the playoffs is how it's going to be in the intermediate term.
At least they got their shit together and beat the 'Hawks last/Tuesday night, 3-2. Then again, that Game was also at home, and they blew a 2-0 before Dumba won it on Overtime. They're still slated to finish last in the division.
This week: A back-to-back where they host Vancouver and then go down to Big D to face The Bastard North Stars. They then come back home for a four-Game, week-long homestand; the Mild face Colorado Sunday and Las Vegas Tuesday.
#-6: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -3). The bad news is is that they lost at Illinois on Thursday, 59-51. The good news is that Joe Lunardi has the Goofs as the second team out/Team 70, so they're not that far away. They sure could use some wins, but this week is going to give them a pair of toughies. Tonight they host Wisconsin; Saturday afternoon they're on the road vs. a resurgent Penn St. squad.
#-7: Timberwolves (Last Week: -Infinity). Losses at the Clippers and Sacramento extend their losing streak to a dozen Games. Because of that (maybe), General Manager Gersson Rosas engineered on of the biggest trades I have ever seen: A four-Team, twelve-player behemoth with Houston, Atlanta and Denver.
The Woofie Dogs dealt away Robert Covington (possibly the player on the team playing best this season but was always one foot out the door because of his 3-and-D style and friendly contract; he went to the Rockets); Keita Bates-Diop (a second-year guy who has impressed with his growth; he's now with the Nuggets); and Shabazz Napier and Noah Vonleh, two end-of-the-bench guys who had no chance of sticking around for any turnaround this franchise might make. In return, they got Evan Turner, Malik Beasley, Juan Hernangomez and Jarred Vanderbilt. Of those, Turner and Vanderbilt might be in Minnesota just for their contracts; you know how it goes in the NBA. Was the move made in light of the squad's struggles? Maybe. But one has to put faith that Rosas is setting this organization up for the future. Rosas did not pry D'Angelo Russell from Golden State, which is who he really covets, but he didn't give up a first-round draft pick, either.
They host Atlanta tonight. They then host the Clippers Saturday, then go on the road versus Toronto Monday. If they don't beat the Hawks, it might be a long time before these guys win a Game.
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