#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -2). Wisconsin still hasn't returned to its lofty heights of yore, so this remains a lopsided rivalry. Still, it's kind of impressive that this club went into Madison and swept the Badgers, who received votes in the polling, over the weekend by identical 3-2 scores, extended their winning streak to eight tilts. And considering the relative unimpressive Wins by the other local teams this screening Week, that's good enough for the top spot in this Week's survey.
That winning streak should extend even further this weekend as they have a home-and-home series with Bemidji St. (here Thursday, there Saturday).
#-2: Wild (Last Week: -1). A 5-1 defeat at home to Los Angeles on Tuesday, the team's first real clunker of the season, and a 2-1 Overtime Loss in Chicago last/Sunday night, bookend matching 5-2 victories on the road over San Jose and Anaheim. So why are these guys second in the WMNSS? Somehow, they are tied for the second-most Points in the NHL, matching defending Stanley Cup champs Florida and trailing only The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers. That's the insulation a hot start gets you, but it's startlingly good nevertheless.
The Wild are relatively quiet this Week as they stay at the X -- it's Montreal Thursday, The Team That Was Stolen From Us Saturday.
#-3: Vikings (Last Week: -5). Won 12-7 at Jacksonville on Sunday. The Jaguars' starting QB, Trevor Lawrence, couldn't play this Game. Their Head Coach might have been playing for his job. Mac Jones started under Center, for God's sake. And the Vikes were bailed out by virtue of four Field Goals by Kicker John Parker Romo, who was signed to the team only this Week because their starting Kicker, Will Reichard, had to go on Injured Reserve because of a quad injury.
By Buddha, this was the most unconvincing Vikings Win in recent history. And it probably can be laid at the feet of Sam Darnold, who threw three Interceptions and no TDs in Sunday afternoon's contest. He hasn't been sharp in a while. My friend on Bluesky just called him "Scam" Darnold, and that is a perfect (and probably already-used) insult for his poor play.
And this is supposed to be the Vikings' soft part of the schedule. Sure, a Win's a Win. But can they somehow play more competently Sunday at Tennessee against The Bastard Houston Oilers?
#-4: Gopher women's basketball (NEW SEASON!!). It also feels as though the college basketball season start date varies from Year to Year. This Year it came faster than I thought, the first Week of November. What hasn't changed is colleges from power conferences starting their seasons playing pushovers at home. And like clockwork, the University of Minnesota women's basketball team starting out of the gates 2-0, throttling Central Connecticut St. by 41 on Monday and crushing Vermont by 22 on Friday.
Minnesota clearly isn't in the top echelon of teams making a postseason run. They may not be in the middle. And that's a shame for a school that took the state by storm during that Final Four run twenty seasons ago. Women's basketball has hit the accelerator, and its popularity will not slow down or go back, ever. This is the time of the maturity of the sport where casual fans are buying in. I believe that programs that meet the moment by having teams that are really good right now are going to have a lot of fans that will propel their brand for some period of time. South Carolina is doing that as back-to-back champs. UConn is doing that as the elder statesman program of the sport. I think my alma mater is striking while the iron is hot with a loaded team. Minnesota isn't on that level. But, for what it's worth, they did make it to the WNIT title Game (where they lost to Saint Louis). And while they didn't get any transfers of note, the nucleus of that squad has come back. So I expect the U. to make it to the NCAAs this Year.
After hosting Massachusetts - Lowell Tuesday, the club will actually hit the road this non-con season, travelling to Tempe, Ariz., this weekend to participate in the Briann January Classic. They will play Oregon St. Saturday afternoon and SMU Sunday afternoon.
#-5: Gopher men's basketball (NEW SEASON!!). Stating out their season with a lot less hype, the Gopher men ballers are also 2-0. But while they destroyed Oral Roberts at Williams Arena Wednesday by a score of 80-57, they somehow had to survive Nebraska-Omaha Saturday, 68-64. Ben Johnson overachieved at times with last season's squad, and they have Dawson Garcia back this Year. But you can't say your program has turned a corner if you barely beat UNO by four at home.
They stay at home this screening Week with contests versus North Texas Wednesday and Yale Saturday.
#-6: Timberwolves (Last Week: -6). They were cruising along this screening Week, defeating Charlotte, Chicago (in Chicago) and Portland by double digits. And then Fourth Quarter fuck-ups bedeviled the Wolves last/Sunday night in a 95-94 come-from-ahead Loss to Miami at Target Center. And now, at 6-4, they are in a five-way tie for sixth place in The NBA's Western Conference. That's the reason these guys are so low here this Week. That West is so competitive, one person thought these guys will be battling for a playoff spot. Can that be true?
I know I should talk about the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, but maybe some other time.
The Group Stage for The NBA Cup begins in earnest this Week. They're going to Portland for back-to-back Games vs. the Trail Blazers tomorrow/Tuesday and Wednesday, but only the Tuesday match-up counts for The NBA Cup. They travel to Sacramento Friday, then they return home Sunday afternoon to play Phoenix as part of the Group Stage schedule.
#-7: Gopher football (Last Week: 0). There are several big things that affect college football in ways it doesn't quite in the NFL: Emotion (mostly in the form of personal animosity), momentum, and lassitude. I don't know if the last two had anything to do with the Goofers' 26-19 upset Loss at Rutgers on Saturday. But the Quarterback leading the Scarlet Knights to the victory is Athan Kaliakmanis, who was the U.'s starting QB last Year before transferring. He went 17-of-33 for 240 Yards, and three Touchdowns (and one Interception). Rutgers is 5-4 on the season and 2-4 in the B1G, so the only reason Minnesota lost, IMHO, is that Kaliakmanis was fired up to stick it to his old team. And he did.
All isn't lost. They host Penn St., but they have a Week to prepare for them. An eight-Win season still is at hand.
#-8: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -3). Goddamn, what happened to this team this weekend? At home, they lost to unranked Washington in four Sets on Thursday and then got swept by 12th-ranked Oregon Saturday. This weekend cements, to me, the continuing slide into meh-goodness the once-aspirational University of Minnesota volleyball program has now become. Forget finally winning that elusive national championship; Final Fours are out of the question, for this Year and many Years to come. By God, seeing these results, reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is going to be the best they can do. And really, Keegan Cook, that shouldn't be enough.
At second-ranked Nebraska Thursday (good luck with that), hosting Michigan Sunday.
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