A reminder that for 2025, Weekly Minnesota Sports Surveys will be published on Wednesdays, the Day of the Week January 8, 2025 falls:
The team's still suffering under an injury bug, and they still have the $15 million-plus millstone around its neck, but they are tied with three teams for the third-most Points in the NHL. And Kirill Kaprizov is starting to really state his case for The Hart Trophy. The name "Wild" sucks, but this team doesn't. Pray that continues.
Host The Bastard Quebec Nordiques, then visit San Jose and Las Vegas.
#0: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -2). OK, this is the kind of fight I want to see from this program in its second Year under Dawn Plitzuweit. On New Year's Eve they traveled to Madison and came away with a 59-50 victory over Wisconsin. Then on Sunday afternoon, after visiting Illinois turned a tie at Halftime to an eight-Point lead after three Quarters, the Golden Gophers ran roughshod over the Fighting Illini in the Fourth Quarter, 28-13, to win by seven, giving Plitzuweit her 400th Win in her coaching career. Illinois isn't ranked, but they received votes, so getting a victory over a team like that, and to do so in comeback fashion when they needed a comeback, is a sign of a good club.
This screening Week: Home to Rutgers tonight/Wednesday night, who may or may not have its best player playing after she put her Head Coach on blast Sunday. Then a sterner test comes Tuesday: A tilt at Maryland.
#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Re-Entry!). Swept Mercyhurst at Mariucci last weekend. Went for Friday's series opener. Good to see the crowd back filling up the place, as they have done for the past few seasons, to be fair. Odd to hear only recordings of The Rouser because the band wasn't there. Sure, it technically was Winter Break, but couldn't any student who lives in the area just drive from home, plop his clarinet or trombone in the marching band section, and play? Anyway, the Lakers made it 3-2 in the Second Period before pulling away with three Goals to triple up Mercyhurst.
They keep chugging along, safely ensconced close to the top of the PairWise. But this weekend comes a trip to 11th-ranked Ohio St. for a two-Game series. This should be a fight.
#-2: Gopher women's hockey (Re-Entry!). Opened 2025 defeating Bemidji St. on New Year's Day in The U. S. Hockey Hall Of Fame Museum Face-Off Classic in Lakeville, then started the East/West Showcase at Ridder Arena over the weekend trouncing Brown, 9-1, on Friday. (By the way, this tournament involved four teams, and Bemidji St. was the fourth team but did not play the Gophers in this tourney because, of course, they played New Year's Day in Lakeville.) I am quite, quite concerned, however, that Penn St. blew the doors off the U. Saturday afternoon by a score of 6-2. The Nittany Lions are ranked, but Minnesota is ranked higher. To get their asses kicked like this and at home? I continue to insist that this program is a clear cut below Ohio St. and Wisconsin, and bad results like this is just more proof.
Two at home against St. Thomas this weekend.
#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3). This is now a walking headcase of a team. If I were a sports team, the 2024-5 Wolves club would be it. They began the screening Week-plus losing three in a row. The last of those three, a 119-105 Loss in Detroit, came despite Anthony Edwards popping off for a career-high 53. Afterwards, he was popping off about how he's doing everything and his squad is still losing. The big picture issue of this team not jelling is bad enough; the maturation (or lack thereof) of the putative Face Of The Franchise is an unnecessary distraction.
The Wolves have won their last two. Monday they had to survive a Three-Pointer miss to survive The Bastard Buffalo Braves/San Diego Clippers at Target Center, then they survived The Bastard Charlotte Hornets in New Orleans last/Tuesday night. (By the way, besides the Pistons, they lost to The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics and Boston. Wins over not good teams always makes a team feel good.) They are in eighth place and only a Game back of sixth. However, Chris Finch still has limited time and limited moves to finally lock this team into place. In the Win over the Clippers, he benched Mike Conley, then brought him in and benched Julius Randle in the clutch. Rudy Gobert's decline in play means the team can't score when he's in the lineup, but it's still not good enough to play great Defense when he's not in the lineup. Finally, Rob Dillingham is banged up, and who knows if Conley can run the point for even half of a Game. The West is wild, but they could still be roadkill by the time the season's over.
This Week: At Orlando, home to The Bastard Vancouver Grizzlies, at Washington.
#-4: Vikings (Last Week: 0). It is neck-breaking, and yet predictable, how our hopes for this franchise -- or really any franchise, if we're being honest with ourselves -- can turn into fears on the basis of one Loss. Leading up to Sunday night, we were talking about how Sam Darnold is a fringe MVP candidate and Vikes social media was lighting up with talk about whether he's the team's Quarterback going forward instead of J. J. McCarthy.
Then, in The Biggest Regular-Season Game In NFL History (no matchup heretofore had clubs with more Wins than the 28 both Minnesota and Detroit were sporting), the Lions took the NFC North, the #1 Seed in the NFC, and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by making the Vikes look silly, 31-9. And frankly, and unfortunately, a lot of the defeat can be put on the shoulders, or rather the arm, of Darnold. Minnesota reached the Red Zone four times and did not score a Touchdown in any of them. And Kevin O'Connell was able to scheme at least one receiver open pretty much every time, but the depleted Lions Defense just blitzed the fuck out of him (at the behest of Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn -- credit to him; he risked sending what guys he has left to pressure Darnold, and the plan worked beautifully) and, well, scared him into throwing errantly, and usually high. I'm not sure if the Vikings would've made it a Game if those passes connected, but it would've been a hell of a lot closer, that's for sure.
And because of all this, Minnesota sports pessimism has (rightfully) crept in. Before Sunday, I would've been OK if the Vikings lost. Sure, they would be the #5 Seed, but they're still a good team. (Aside: NBC pointed out that only two #5 Seeds have ever reached the Super Bowl ... but both teams won.) A victory over the Rams Monday would mean a rematch with the Lions in Detroit about two Weeks after this beatdown; resuscitate all the "it's hard to beat a team three times in one season" talk. And remember that Minnesota only has lost to two teams, the Rams and the Lions. They most likely will have to play the Rams and then the Lions to reach the NFC Championship Game. How about a revenge tour? It's like The Bride, Beatrix Kiddo in the Kill Bill films!!
Or the psyche of the squad has been shattered and they can't overcome a now-fully-back Rams team that had already defeated the Vikes (albeit on a Thursday night) in Los Angeles before. Yeah, it's one Game. But things can fall apart quickly. All 14 remaining teams feel good about their chances, but 13 of them are going to end their season disappointed. Based on the huge letdown on Sunday, this team probably is going to be one of the 13, and they might be ushered out of the postseason as soon as Monday.
#-5: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4). At this point it's just sad. I am sure Ben Johnson is a good person, but his seat is scalding after his squad began the New Year and restarted conference play by losing a pair at home. On Thursday they got walloped by Purdue, a team that made it to the title Game last season but is nowhere near that level now, by 20. They played much better against Ohio St. Monday, but missing so many Free Throws (they missed 15 of their 27) was the main reason the U. couldn't put the Buckeyes away, and instead they fell in Double Overtime, 89-88.
This squad now goes on the road to play Wisconsin and Maryland. They have started Big Ten play 0-4, and I'm afraid that "0" ain't going anywhere a Week from now.
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