#-1: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -1). I highly doubt they're a championship contender. Far from it. But after coasting a Win in their Duel at Illinois Friday, 28-12, and sextupling Purdue on the road yesterday/Sunday afternoon, 36-6, this group of grapplers has won five in a row, and that long a streak is more than enough to put them in the top spot of this Week's WMNSS. They finish the regular season at home against Wisconsin Friday night.
#-2: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -5). Sure, it was home vs. Penn St., which is a good team. But they painted back-to-back 3-0 Wins on The Nittany Lions to drift up to eighth in the PairWise, and Justin Close was the Goaltender for both Shutouts. Still doubt they'll make The Frozen Four, which is being held at The Xcel Energy Center, but they've done more than enough to be to make into the NCAA Tournament, where every team will have a chip, a chair, and a chance.
At Notre Dame for two over the weekend.
#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -2). "The dog with the bone is always in trouble" is a slogan I saw on a t-shirt from a long-ago once-popular brand whose name I don't remember. The Western Conference is tight. The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics, who had been battling with the Wolves for tops in the conference, is now fourth in the West, but only a Game behind. Meanwhile, The Bastard Buffalo Braves/San Diego Clippers and Denver are now half-a-Game behind ... Minnesota, who, despite inexplicably dropping an Overtime decision at crap Chicago, responded by going to Milwaukee and drubbing the Bucks (who probably kept it at third gear for the tilt) by 24. That they're still in first place despite some glaring weaknesses with Turnovers and Fourth-Quarter play is a miracle. And now they have traded for Point Guard Monte Morris, a man who I saw one writer speculate should be traded from Detroit to the Timberwolves. Morris was with Denver when Timberwolves President Tim Connelly was with the Nuggets. Morris is known as a PG who protects the ball. And the team only gave up a 2030 Second-Round draft pick, Shake Milton and Troy Brown, Jr. (who, to be fair, lit it up in the Fourth Quarter back in November to beat The Bastard Sonics) to get him. Perfect!
The club will finish their road trip at the Clippers tomorrow/Monday and a two-Game series at Portland before the All-Star break.
#-4: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -3). Swept a home-and-home with St. Cloud St. But the roadie was only a 1-0 Win. And hey, it's just St. Cloud St. What matters way more is a two-Game set at Wisconsin this weekend, and I'm scared that the U. will be lambs to the slaughter.
#-5: Gopher softball (NEW SEASON!!!). Even while we're living in The Winter That Wasn't, I'm somewhat shocked that the college softball season has already begun. As per usual, the U. begins in hotter weather, this season in San Diego to take part in The SDSU Season Kickoff. There, they went 3-2, taking both Games from Cal-Santa Barbara and one tilt with host San Diego St., which happened to be ranked 24th. On the dark side, they got shut out by third-ranked Stanford, 3-0, and lost to 25th-ranked Kentucky, 3-2 in eight Innings.
I have no idea how experts say their season is going to go.
This screening Week's Games, as part of the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational (presented by EvoShield), are being held in Clearwater, Fla., and while there is a breather of a matchup against Georgia Tech, check out the other four contestants in this tournament: 14th-ranked LSU, seventh-ranked Washington, sixth-ranked Georgia, and third-ranked Stanford, the same team that shut out Minnesota, 3-0, Saturday. This may be the strongest group of teams the U. has ever faced in the same before-regular season tourney. So I fear that the Gophers will drop four of even all five Games they play in that tournament.
#-6: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4). This Week, this team taketh and giveth away. On Tuesday, they came back from a Second Half deficit to eke out a 59-56 Win over Michigan St. at Williams Arena. But yesterday/Sunday afternoon the U. choked on a 20-Point lead at Iowa and lost, 90-85. In that defeat to the Hawkeyes, Dawson Garcia hit the floor hard and left the Game. They weren't the same ever since. That broke their winning streak at three.
The road won't get any easier. They go to second-ranked Purdue Thursday, then host Rutgers Sunday evening.
#-7: Wild (Re-Entry!). Getting back from the All-Star break (in which Kirill Kaprizov participated), the club picked back up with a pair Wins, at Chicago and, on a night where Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was feted for becoming the Goalie with the second-most Wins in National Hockey League history (he passed Patrick Roy, but no one is going to catch Martin Brodeur), he was in the pipes in St. Paul to beat the team he will enter The Hockey Hall Of Fame sporting, Pittsburgh.
Sadly, this squad has teased us like this before, stringing together a couple Wins before sliding with a streak of contests where they don't pick up victories in regulation. They are currently five Points behind the final playoff spot in the West -- that's what you get when you get a Point if you achieve a tie after regulation and only get one Point if you win -- but they seem to be perennially five Points behind all season. Moreover, they remain top-heavy and depthless. There will be another losing streak that should finally convince Bill Guerin to initiate a fire sale.
At (Las) Vegas and that rinky-dink community rink in Tempe, then home to Buffalo Saturday.
#-8: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -6). Yeah, unfortunately, this team has been obliterated after the loss of Mara Braun. An 11-Point Loss at Michigan St. followed by a 24-Point shit-kicking at The Barn versus Ohio St. has extended this club's losing streak to five. Forget the NCAAs; this club is now trying to reach any postseason tournament.
It is weird how the women's and the men's basketball squads at the U. have switched places since their seasons started. It looked like Dawn Plitzuweit was the missing piece to finally unlock the talent on the women's team, while Ben Johnson looked like a dead man walking after two dreadful seasons with the men. But as the future of the men's program looks kind of rosy as they have gotten up off the mat, one injury (albeit to an important and great player) has sunk women's. If this losing keeps up, we'll really have to start wondering about the future of the women's team.
At Rutgers Tuesday, home to Northwestern Saturday.
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