For this reason, I am keeping them on top of the survey, even though they lost Saturday at the X Grand Casino Arena to Boston. It matters that they lost to the Sabers in a Shootout only. And even though that Loss ended a seven-Game winning streak (which ended this screening Week with an Overtime Win in Chicago and a Shootout victory at home over The Bastard Quebec Nordiques Black Friday afternoon), they beat the Oilers in Edmonton last/Tuesday night, 1-0, so they have won eight-of-nine. They remain one of the hottest, if not the hottest, team in The National Hockey League, buoyed by the dynamite goaltending tandem of Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson. The early season doldrums can now be forgotten, even if they still sit only third in the Central.
That Win over Edmonton began a four-Game road trip that takes them to the Prairie Provinces and the Pacific Northwest. Trips to Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle follow.
#-2: Timberwolves (Last Week: -5). It was impossible that it would stay like that all season, but the T-Wolves finally beat teams with winning records this Week. Two of them, actually -- Boston at Target Center Saturday by four, then San Antonio by a baker's dozen Sunday. Now, the downside. Both the Celtics and Spurs were cold from deep, which helped a lot. Also, the Woofies were down against San Antone to begin The Fourth Quarter. Chris Finch was desperate to spark something on the squad, so he sat Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert and went small. That lineup did go on a run that finally put away the Spurs. I like it when a Head Coach finds something that works and isn't afraid to implement it, especially when it means benching your star players and your defensive stalwart.
Nevertheless, the Wolves remain sixth in the West. Also, they began the Week losing at Oklahoma City, so they still will have failed to reach the NBA Cup Knockout Round even once. Drat. But I wonder if this team is finding itself. They begin this screening Week playing the second of two Games at The Bastard Charlotte Hornets tomorrow/Thursday night (they beat them in Overtime last/Tuesday night to complete a 3-1 Week -- don't have too much fun down in New Orleans, ya heah!). They then come home for tilts versus The Bastard Buffalo Braves/San Diego Clippers and Phoenix.
#-3: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -3). Seeing the squad's early stumbles non-conference, I don't hold out as much hope their season will be a successful as I do for the Wild and even the Timberwolves. That's why they're down here. But I have to note they played an extremely entertaining U. S. Hockey Hall Of Fame Game in Denver on Saturday, and they beat then-fourth-ranked Denver in Overtime, 6-5! The Gophs held a 3-1 lead going into The Third Period and blew it. L. J. Mooney scored on the Power Play to put the U. back in front, 5-4, only for the Pioneers' Boston Buckberger to tie it with 23.1 Seconds to go in regulation. But then, with only 35.6 Seconds left in Overtime, Javon Moore, the Carver native, did this:
If I had the time to watch it, and if I thought the Gophers had a chance of winning this one, I would have been thoroughly entertained.
At Ohio St. this weekend to for the final Games of 2025.
#-4: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -2). Finished the regular season with two big Matches at home. Defeated then-#11 Purdue Thanksgiving Eve in four Sets, but got swept by then-#10 Wisconsin late on Black Friday. Still, that was enough to get Minnesota into a 4-Seed for the NCAA Tournament and the right to host the first two Rounds. Still, there's no way this outfit wins it all, and I'm still not sure if they can win in the Second Round. They play Fairfield first Friday night, but then play the next night either the Region's 5-Seed, Iowa St., or, playing in its first NCAA tourney in school history, Little Sister to the east, St. Thomas. I didn't have plans on going, but I would love to see that Cyclones-Tommies Game ... if I was sure it wasn't going to sell out.
#-5: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -4). I keep waiting for this program to break through, but I'm sorry, but for a third Year in a row, I don't see it. In the championship contest of The Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship in Nassau, Bahamas last Wednesday night, they got clipped by Alabama, 63-58. They have played two BcS schools, Kansas as well as the Crimson Tide, and while the Gophs made it close, they lost both times. There is little to no heft in their non-con resume come tourney time, unfortunately. Drubbing Samford by 37 at Williams Monday night doesn't mean much.
They have an amuse bouche of a start to conference season playing Maryland at home Sunday afternoon.
#-6: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -6). This is a season that the players playing for Niko Medved have to take their lumps. In their tournament this Year, the 2025 Acrisure Series in Palm Desert, Calif., they were the ones who went home winless, falling to Stanford Thanksgiving Night by four, then losing to Santa Clara the next night by eleven. Ah, well.
They begin B1G play tonight/Wednesday night vs. 22nd-ranked Indiana at The Barn.
#-7: Vikings (Last Week: -8). Just when you think this godforsaken club can't get any worse, they do, and by a large margin. All those Vikes rubes clamoring for Max Brosmer got the obvious wake-up call they deserve. The dude threw four picks? I'm not sure he'll be on a team next Year. Don't pin Sunday's 26-0 Shutout Loss in Seattle to the Defense; once again, they tried all they could to keep the team in this, and they held current Seahawk and ex-Viking Quarterback Sam Darnold to only 128 Yards and no Touchdowns. They sacked him four times, too.
This Game, and season, is proving how valuable Brian Flores is. Keep him. Meanwhile, what is getting frightening is how the aura of Kevin O'Connell being this offensive guru is being stripped at supersonic speed. Brosmer is not Josh Dobbs v.2.0; he didn't throw for a TD either, and he got sacked four times, just like Darnold. Was there nothing O'Connell couldn't do to help Brosmer? O'Connell once said that young players don't fail teams, teams fail young players. Well, what does this fucking say to you? And by the way, the reputation of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is pretty much shit if it wasn't above that coming into this debacle. That four Sacks came despite throwing a ton of money on the Offensive Line, a line whose two left positions are now hurt, again.
They probably would've lost anyway, but I think the Game turned on the decision by KOC late in The Second Quarter after Dallas Turner, one of KAM's draft picks who is playing better this Year, forced and recovered a Fumble in Green Bay territory. Brosmer got the Offense to the Seahawk 4, but it faced a 4th & 1. Although the O was constipated, Seattle only led at this point, 3-0. I wouldn't have minded kicking a Field Goal then; a Game the Seahawks were supposed to have seized by Halftime instead would be tied, and Seattle could get a bit desperate as to why this isn't the case. Instead, they go for it. A Blitz comes, Brosmer stupidly tries to pitch it out of bounds underhand, and instead Ernest Jones IV catches it and runs it back 85 Yards for the tuddie. The absolute worst goddamn thing that could happen to the Purple actually fucking happened. It was 10-0 Seahawks, logic asserted itself, and that's when the Vikings lost the Game. They lost the season long, long ago.
Kicking the short FG also would've prevented the Vikes from being shut out for the first time since 2007, 34-0 at Green Bay when the QB was Brooks Bollinger. Honestly, I am surprised by how mad I am that this execrable club got shut out. Kick the fucking Field Goal!
Marcus Mariota and The Washington Commanders almost beat the Broncos in Washington, D. C., Sunday night. They're coming here Sunday -- and I think they're going to win easily.
#-Infinity: Gopher football (Last Week: -7). Kind of feel bad whenever I end the Gophers' football season down here when they win their last Game, but hey, that's college football for you. But at least they defeated Wisconsin to retain Paul Bunyan's Axe, 17-7 in wintry conditions to watch football on your TV. Fourth time in five Years, too, and they currently claim the lead in the rivalry, 64-63 with eight Ties forever encased in amber. And P. J. Fleck stays as Head Coach because Minnesota ain't gonna be fuckin' crazy and think they can do better, tossing millions into the air while doing so.
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