Before I begin, I want to note that I am writing about 11 local teams this WMNSS. I think that's a record:
#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -4). The top five teams in this Week's survey went a combined 8-0, but none of the victories are particularly mind-blowing. With that being said, these Gophers went to South Bend and swept Notre Dame, which received votes in the polls, over the weekend by scores of 6-3 and 5-3, so that's why these guys take the top spot. Don't know if they will do so next Week as they host Alaska-Fairbanks, which I believe is a program that was revived either this Year or the season prior, for two over Thanksgiving Weekend.
#-2: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -3). North Dakota St. and Campbell ain't Oklahoma and Penn St. But the Gopher grapplers did pitch Shutouts this screening Week, 39-0 over the Bison Friday and 44-0 over the Camels yesterday/Sunday afternoon. So while beating up on tomato cans probably shouldn't get you the top spot in this Week's WMNSS, not allowing either school to score is really, really good.
At South Dakota St. Sunday.
#-4: Vikings (Last Week: -1). Yes, they are 9-2, but dammit, that record is so unimpressive. Not when you blow an 11-Point lead in the last 90 Seconds of the Game by allowing a huge Kickoff return, a Two-Point Conversion and, worst of all, an Onside Kick with National Football Rules basically making a successful recovery impossible. The Chicago Bears did all that and forced Overtime, then won the coin toss to potentially ride the momentum from the comeback to a Win. Fortunately, Minnesota stopped Caleb Williams & Co., Sam Darnold (who did not throw an Interception yesterday/Sunday afternoon) found T. J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison in the ensuing drive, and John Parker Romo drilled the Game-ending Field Goal to take the Win at Soldier Field.
A surprisingly spry Bastard Chicago-by-way-of-St. Louis Cardinals team, even though they lost to Seattle Sunday, comes to town in a deceptively meaningful Game.
#-5: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -6). In their only Game this Week, the squad defeated Cleveland St. by 11 on Tuesday at Williams. I kind of think that a slightly more talented team would've crushed the Vikings by 25. Anyway, these young men have a really busy screening Week coming up. They host Central Michigan tonight/Monday night, go down to Orlando to quickly play The ESPN Events Invitational Thursday (against Wichita St.) and Friday (either Florida or Wake Forest), then come back to The Barn to play Bethune-Cookman Sunday afternoon.
#-6: Wild (Last Week: -5). I don't know how this club is doing it. They still have the second-most Points in the National Hockey League (tied with The Bastard Colorado Rockies, both behind The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers) despite Kirill Kaprizov battling yet another injury. They were on the road this Week but beat St. Louis and Edmonton before losing in Calgary in a Shootout in a Game where they came back to score two Goals to force OT. Things are going so well now that I just know the other shoe is going to drop.
Speaking of The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers, they're in town tonight/Monday night in an early-season showdown. They fly out to Buffalo Wednesday. They then have their customary Black Friday afternoon matchup, this time at home versus Chicago, then host Nashville Saturday night.
#-7: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -8). I'm settling into a new level of bored ossification with this program. Though the club took it to the whole five Sets, they still lost at sixth-ranked Wisconsin on Wednesday, and sweeping Iowa at Maturi Saturday doesn't change my opinion that these players aren't going to do much come tournament time. At least the regular season is over this Week -- at Illinois Wednesday, home to Ohio St. Black Friday.
#-8: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -2). Women's college hockey doesn't really matter until the NCAAs, especially for Minnesota, who seems to have trouble breaking through over Wisconsin and Ohio St. but will routinely whip all their other opponents and ... wait a second -- did the lose at St. Cloud St. Saturday afternoon?! They did, 3-1!!! What the fuck, Gophs??? You're not supposed to do that shit. You're supposed to be a cut below elite, not part of the muck with the Huskies. Holy fuck, what is wrong with this program??
At St. Thomas in two Weeks.
#-9: Timberwolves (Last Week: -7). An goddammit, what the fuck is happening with the Woofie Dogs? Dropped both their Games this screening Week, and they had a chance in both. Moreover, there are glaring signs that the locker room is not completed copasetic right now. First, in their five-Point Loss in Toronto on Thursday, Rudy Gobert apparently threw a tantrum because Julius Randle wouldn't pass him the ball by intentionally committing a Three-Second Violation, then quickly fouling on the other end of the court. The Raptors are shit, by the way, so an outburst like that played a not-insignificant factor in the defeat.
Follow that up with yesterday/Sunday afternoon's 107-105 Loss where, to be fair, they came buck from an 11-Point deficit after three Quarters to make it a close one, and oh my fucking God, they're currently eleventh in the West and technically out of the playoffs. The Defense, virtually rock solid last Year, has been merely average so far this Year. Not to say that Karl-Anthony Towns, a man who has a reputation for dogging it on D, is the reason for the defensive decline (though, to provide context, New York fans are noticing he isn't playing shut-down D in Manhattan, either). But safe to say that last season both KAT and Kyle Anderson that provided a chemistry that kept the squad together and made their Year magical. That isn't there, and the players in the locker room need to find some chemistry, and soon.
They start a four-Game homestand this Week. NBA Cup Group Stage contests continue, with Houston tomorrow/Tuesday and The Bastard Boston Braves/San Diego Clippers Friday, with a run-of-the-mill tilt vs. The Bastard Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City-Omaha Kings inbetween on Wednesday, a Game I will be attending for a friend.
#-Infinity (tie): Gopher soccer and United FC (Last Week, respectively: Positive Numbers and Re-Entry!). The seasons for two soccer teams that kind of mirrored each other ended Sunday. Both the Golden Gopher soccer side and the Loons had seasons that pleasantly surprised some, and it ended with sound defeats.
For the Gophers, while it didn't end with a championship, you can see that it was a success. In fact, it was a much-needed breakthrough season for Head Coach Erin Chastain. The U. followed up their First Round Win over South Dakota St. with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the Region's 3-Seed (and 14th-ranked) South Carolina on Friday afternoon. The Sophias, Boman and Romine, were the scorers, the former on a Penalty Kick, the latter on a golazo from outside the box. Yesterday/Sunday afternoon marked their first appearance in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen since 2010. Unfortunately, they ran into 2-Seed and weekend hosts North Carolina, and the Tar Heels shut them out, 3-0. Again, no shame. They hadn't been in the tournament since 2018 and didn't host a tourney Match since 2016, so there a lot of positives to take away from the Year. Now, it's a matter of building on it.
As for MNUFC, a rollercoaster of a season that got extended with a 2-0 upset sweep of Real Salt Lake ended with a 6-2 thumping in Carson, Calif. last/Sunday night by The Los Angeles Galaxy. You can be forgiven if this Western Conference Semifinal Game snuck up on you; because of Major League Soccer's playoff format and the International Break, United FC last played about three Weeks ago. Not to say that rust was the reason they lost. With the way the Galaxy were cruising, I don't know if the result would have been any different had they played the last few Weeks. Nonetheless, Eric Ramsey was able to do a lot in his first season at the helm. There could be some serious re-vamping of the roster before next Year, and the stratification of MLS is starting to become a problem. But for the Loons, while they fell short, things are looking up for them as well.
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