The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: 0).  I am still skeptical that the team's 10-1 record is an illustration of its true strength (with apologies to Bill Parcells), and even if they crash and burn in conference play it doesn't matter because of my First-Year Coach Proviso.  But Wednesday afternoon's clash vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay -- a Game that was moved up from 7 to 4 because, I guess, of the Big Ten Network, and so I missed the first four Minutes of this tilt because of work -- was an indication of, I think, a different way of doing things from The Richard Pitino Era and, possibly, a coaching staff that might get it.

The Phoenix actually led at Halftime, 29-28, through Three-Pointers and Offensive rebounding.  Not great, of course.  But through almost the first four Minutes of the Second Half, the Golden Gophers outscored Wisconsin-Green Bay 12-2 and they never looked back.  Halftime adjustments are magic when it comes to winning Games, and it's a sign that coaching knows what it has and what can be done to take control of play.  People who know what to change is a great asset.  And now Minnesota is being mentioned as part of the NCAA Tournament field -- not the Play-In Games, the actual field.  That's why I'll put these guys on top (although not above Positive Numbers because, well, it is just Wisconsin-Green Bay).

Final non-con, and it's a bodybag Game: Alcorn St. at The Barn Wednesday evening.

#-2: Vikings (Re-Entry!).  I thought these Vikes would underachieve at Chicago because they have traditionally underachieved at Chicago.  I was so convinced of that that, before I left Las Vegas, I bet $100 that the Bears would upset Minnesota.  I was as sure of that bet as I was of any other I made while I was there.

Well, I was wrong.  (I was wrong about a lot of bets I made.  I'll talk about that in a blog post in the near future.)  They beat Chicago Monday night, 17-9.  It was a Win in which the Vikings were ... well, I won't say they were never in danger of losing the Game, but for most of it Chicago, through Penalties and Turnovers, kept shoving the Game into their arms.  But that score makes you think that a better club would have beaten the Bears by at least 20, you know?  So in that sense, this victory should give you even less confidence that this squad is "putting things together."

And sure, they're technically in the last NFC playoff spot, and that's why they take second place here.  But Sunday they host The Cleveland-By-Way-Of-St. Louis Rams, the NFL's version of Showtime, and even though they've been imperfect in reaching 10-4, this is a Game where I'm afraid they'll come into Das Bank and blow out the Vikes.  Moreover, the Vikes will go into this Game without Dalvin Cook, who is an anti-vaxxer and got pinched for COVID.  I've got to say: Kirk Cousins is also anti-vax, but he hasn't entered the league's health and safety protocols yet.

#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -1).  Extended their winning streak to four after home Wins over The Team That Was Stolen From Us v.1.0 and Dallas, but have since dropped Games at said Mavericks and Utah.  Last/Thursday night's Game may be an omen; seven Wolves were out due to "Health & Safety Protocols," including four of the squad's starting five, including Karl-Anthony Towns (recently named Western Conference Player Of The Week) getting COVID-19 for the second time.  There has been talk that the NBA might loosen testing protocols because they say too many vaccinated players who are asymptomatic are being forced to sit out.  I kind of think that's dangerous, but that would theoretically allow a team to get their players back faster, and isn't that the whole point?

Only Games scheduled this Week come back-to-back at Target Center: Boston Monday, New York Tuesday.

#-4: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -3).  Got drubbed at Drake yesterday/Thursday afternoon as they got outscored by the Bulldogs in the Second Half, 50-36.  They've lost their first two Games in B1G play and they're 7-7 overall.  Usually, even the worst BcS school in-conference runs up the victories in the non-conference section of their schedule.  Of course, many BcS schools would schedule all tomato cans instead of the likes of Connecticut, North Carolina, and even Drake.

Off until New Year's Eve afternoon when they host Northwestern.

#-5: Wild (Last Week: -4).  Well, now these guys are in a slump -- a halting, stuttering one, but a slump nevertheless.  The club had three Games scheduled this screening Week, and the two that Minnesota was going to host (versus Florida and Detroit) has been postponed.  To be clear: Both contests were postponed because of COVID-19 outbreaks on the Panthers and the Red Wings, not on the Wild.

The only Game that got to play was in Big D, and they got whipped by The Bastard North Stars on Monday, however.  Not only have they now lost four in a row, on the WMNSS, this team gets docked if they lose to The Team That Was Stolen From Us.  And now Joel Eriksson Ek is out, possibly for a while.  They still seem to be in a good position to make the playoffs, but they have a tricky Game in Winnipeg on Monday.  This team obviously is not playing well right now.

#-6: Whitecaps (Re-Entry!).  What may be the most overlooked story in Twin Cities sports -- assuming you care -- is the sudden shitty play of the Whitecaps.  They got swept by the Toronto Six over the weekend in the Twin Cities (4-0 Saturday night at TRIA Rink they're usual home, 2-1 Sunday afternoon at the Roseville Ice Arena).  They've lost five in a row and now sit at 1-7.  They were the Isobel Cup losers last Year, and now they're horrible.  What the fuck is going on with this club right now?  They're done for the next couple Weeks, and they seem to need it desperately.