#-1: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -2). Odd screening Week ... the top three teams went undefeated (they all played only Game, sure, but still), yet none of them were really impressive.
In cases like this, I look at all the squads' prospects of reaching a postseason. Thus, the Gopher women's b-ballers take the top spot by virtue of a true road Win, 68-43 over an obviously outgunned Drake club in Des Moines. The Bulldogs' record overall became 2-9, but it is a road victory, something they didn't have until Sunday afternoon, and that will help maintain their spot in the NCAAs, where Charlie Creme of ESPN.com still has the U. as a 9-Seed.
Conference play now begins, albeit quality: Minnesota visits Indiana early Monday evening.
#-2: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -3). They wallop Campbell Sunday evening at The Barn by 28, but it's Campbell and these guys are going nowhere, yadda-yadda-yadda. One more contest to finish up the non-conference portion of their schedule and the Year: At home versus Farleigh Dickinson late Monday.
#-3: Vikings (Last Week: -1). Yeah, they've won three in a row, but Sunday they beat the Giants. The fuckin' Giants, man. And they had to squeak by with a Field Goal from Will Reichard, who, and I'm not shitting you, should be the MVP of this team. Max Brosmer played the Second Half in place of J. J. McCarthy ... and he gained more Passing Yards in one Half (52) than Giants starting Quarterback Jaxson Dart did the entire Game (33). The Vikings won, 16-13, but the biggest loser was the sport of football.
But back to McCarthy. He hurt his hand as he was sacked and stripped of the football, which was returned for a scoop 'n' score that made the score 13-10 Minnesota at the Half. That is now, I think, three different injuries McCarthy has suffered this season, and that's on top of the torn meniscus that forced him out of the entire 2024 Year. I keep forgetting what is becoming the biggest liability to a long career for him: He gets hurt too often. If this continues, the organization will have to find another new QB because it's looking more and more like McCarthy is just too injury-prone.
And still I think there's a faint chance that this club can run the table. Detroit comes here tomorrow/Thursday/Christmas Day. Even with Max Brosmer officially in as QB, I can see ways that a demoralized Lions squad, knowing that their chances of making the playoffs are just about kaput, throw in the towel and give Vikes fans a Christmas present.
#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: 0). A screening Week that began with an unacceptable six-Point Loss to The Bastard Vancouver Grizzlies at Target Center on Wednesday kind of boiled over to the next tilt, Friday's home date vs. The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics. Chris Finch got tossed over a non-call on Anthony Edwards, and he had to be restrained from going after the refs. He was yelling and pointing fingers as if he wanted to physically attack them. (He got fined for his actions.) Finch seems to be a mild-mannered man, so I have never seen him that pissed.
That may have sparked the Timberwolves, as they were able to close out a 112-107 Win, mostly on the back of Edwards, who drained a Three-Pointer, then executed a chase-down Block, then stole the ball on a sequence very late in the Game. Following that up with victories over Milwaukee (by three) and KAT and the Knicks (by eleven, and all three Games were at home), and they have gotten past The Bastard San Diego Rockets for fifth place in The Western Conference. But that defeat to Memphis still bothers me.
As one of the better teams in the NBA, they once again receive the privilege of playing on Christmas Day, this time at Denver in the final Game of the five-Game slate. They then host The Bastard New York Nets Saturday before travelling to Chicago Monday.
#-5: Wild (Last Week: Positive Numbers). Welp, they were going like gangbusters, with matching 5-2 Wins at Columbus and home to Edmonton to stretch their winning streak to seven. But the latter half of the screening Week produced a pair of duds: 5-1 to The Bastard Quebec Nordiques Sunday and a 3-2 Overtime defeat to Nashville (both of these Games were at the GCA).
I won't sound the alarm: They are virtually an island to themselves in third place in The Central Division. But the Wild acquired Quinn Hughes to be a difference-maker, and a final piece that would help Minnesota stand toe-to-toe with the West's best. Colorado right now is the best of the best, on pace for a record number of Points in NHL history, and they came in here and dog-walked the Mild. And then they took it from a team below them in the standings. It's a two-Game slide, and that happens to every team. But they need every Point they can muster to catch The Bastard Quebec Nordiques and The Team That Was Stolen From Us, those last two Losses give credence to the thought that this team is still a cut below.
The Wild now have to vacate Grand Casino Arena because the Twin Cities are hosting the World Juniors, starting on Boxing Day and continuing to January 5. I have a ticket to a Group Game at GCA and at least one ticket (to a Quarterfinal) at Mariucci Arena, the other venue hosting the World Juniors. I'm excited. But, that means the Wild are road warriors for 13 Days and seven Games, starting Saturday in Winnipeg and continuing Monday in (Las) Vegas.
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