Positive Numbers: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -5). Warning y'all in advance: I have constructed this screening Week's survey with a lot of compromises that may not be consistent with how I've ranked teams in the past. There are a lot of even splits and apples-and-oranges cases this Week, so I have to make a decision and stick with it (sorta).
I know for sure that the U. male icers top the list this Week by virtue of their sweep of border rivals Wisconsin at Mariucci over the weekend. Friday's Win was notably exquisite because they came back from a 2-0 deficit after one Period to win going away, 5-2, and they were in control Saturday, 4-1. It now appears (even though there was little doubt coming into the weekend) that Minnesota will be in the NCAA Tournament even if they lose out, and their case for getting a 1-Seed remains strong. They visit Michigan in two Weeks.
Busy Week -- At Ohio St. Friday, home to Purdue Sunday afternoon.
#-1: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -2). I really thought they were going to get swept by Ohio St. at Ridder over the weekend, I really did. But I caught glimpses of their upset 3-1 Win over the Buckeyes on Friday and was quite impressed. Now, they coughed up a 1-0 lead after one Period and went on to lose Saturday by a score of 7-3, so that's icky. But that split will go a long way to ensuring these Gophers finish ... well, as the 3-Seed in the NCAAs. But hey, they have a weekend series against the other power program in top-flight women's hockey, Wisconsin. Sadly, it's in Madison.
#-2: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -3). I think this team has a better record than they do. I still believe they, at best, have the third-worst record in the 18-squad Big Ten, where only the top 15 teams make the B1G Tournament. (And by the way -- 15? Not 16, not 18, but 15? How does that bracket work? Oh, and conference tournaments prove that there are way too many fucking clubs in a conference these days.) But they are playing much better than they were when they started conference play. Yes, they dropped a winnable Game at home to Washington Saturday afternoon, but they bounced back to win for only the second time this season on the road last/Tuesday night over Penn St. It'll now take a miracle to make any postseason tournament, but there is talent there. And this screening Week they have only one contest, a home one Saturday versus Illinois.
#-3: Wild (Last Week: -6). The two pro teams currently playing confound me -- similarly in some ways, very differently in others. The Wild just finished a five-Game road trip 3-2. But a screening Week that began with Wins over Toronto and Montreal (where hometown son Marc-Andre Fleury had a multi-minute standing ovation) were followed by back-to-back shutouts by Ottawa and Boston, and since the scores were 6-0 and 3-0, they were not even competitive. Worse yet: Ryan Hartman has just been suspended ten Games for a cheap shot on the Senators' Tim Stutzle. He won't be allowed to get back on the ice for the next Month, and that includes the NHL taking a break for their 4 Nations soiree. Hartman also loses almost half a million dollars for the suspension, and the Wild get no cap relief while he's sitting out.
There are now nine teams with as many or more Points as Minnesota. They have overachieved thus far in the Year, and projections have them making the playoffs. But the Week showed signs this team's engine is finally bogging down. The two-Week break for the 4 Nations, then, might be good timing. (Oh, wait a minute -- is there no All-Star Game this Year?) But first they need to finish off the first half of the season with home Games vs. The Bastard Hartford Whalers and The New York Islanders.
#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: -1). Meanwhile, like the Mild, the Woofie Dogs had a 2-2 Week. And they too also started off with victories on the road, over Phoenix and Utah. But they came home to start a five-Game homestand and dropped a pair of two-Point results over two clubs they should have beaten, Washington (who was without their top four scorers) and The Bastard Rochester Royals/Kansas City-Omaha Kings (who had just traded De'Aaron Fox.
I just saw Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves beat writer for The Athletic, write that this team is playing as good as they have after a rough start. I don't see it. Anthony Edwards remains hot-headed, Julius Randle is a black hole when he has the ball, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley are aging rapidly before our eyes, and Jaden McDaniels, who needed to make the jump after Karl-Anthony Towns was shipped off, hasn't grown into the role, at least not to my satisfaction. Also, the Wolves are so up against the second apron (I think) that they can do little to nothing by tomorrow/Thursday afternoon's Trade Deadline.
They finish off the homestand playing Chicago, Houston and Portland. (They play at Cleveland Monday, good luck.) No joke, they can finish the homestand 0-5. Head Coaches have gotten fired after 0-5 homestands. Watch your neck, Chris Finch.
#-5: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -4). See, I feel bad putting these players down here. I am going by Week record, and this is the only team in the WMNSS to go winless this Week. But let it be known that this Week they had to face a pair of Top 5 teams on the road and in the same city. Let it also be known that they gave my alma mater more of a scare than what would be indicated on paper on Thursday, only losing by 13, and the U. played UCLA tough through the First Half before the Bruins put the pedal to the metal and trounced the Gophs by 24. Not fair, but consider the competition. Also, Charlie Creme said yesterday/Tuesday that Minnesota is the last team in the actual tournament. They slipped, but that's to be expected losing twice to great clubs on the road.
This screening Week will be a challenge -- Iowa Thursday, Indiana Sunday. Both tilts are at home, though, so these are opportunities to fly up Creme's bracketology.
No comments:
Post a Comment