THE OPENER: — For about 10 months out of 12 we have the NFL and MLB to be the centerpieces to our fandom. The Twins are our daily show and the Vikings are our weekend adventure with everything that either leads up to the game, or is there for analysis afterward. We’re without those right now, giving us time to walk away for a bit or find other things to entertain us. I’m all about the entertainment, as I suspect most of you are. So we’ll be going deeper on some of our sports staples and looking to introduce you to some things that might not normally be on your radar. There’s no shortage of stuff out there. Let’s take a look. — Howard Sinker
BASKETBALL GOLDY WAKES UP: Sports Take has been tough on Gophers basketball this season, especially the men. There’s been no joy taken in pointing out the flaws, whether it was the inept play of the men or the tissue-soft schedule that helped the women to a 15-1 start. Little that happened at Williams Arena before the calendar turned to 2025 was very satisfying.
Now we’re in a different place. Some of us had been trying to pick a game or two from the Big Ten schedule that the men would be able to win — but they surprised us by winning three in a row, including two games at The Barn vs. ranked teams and victory at Iowa. Yes, they were overmatched in Tuesday’s 22-point loss at No. 7 Michigan State, but it was a game worth watching instead of avoiding. As Coach Ben Johnson said afterward: “This is the first time this team has been in a position where I know they didn’t take us lightly. When you beat two ranked teams and you get a win on the road, that staff is going to have their team on 10 to get ready.”
Now, there are games we can expect the Gophers to win, starting with Saturday’s 11 a.m. home game against Washington and Tuesday’s 6 p.m. game at Penn State (both on BIG Network). The challenge is for the men not to finish in the bottom three spots in the conference, which would keep them from getting into the Big Ten postseason tournament. They’re currently tied for 15th with Penn State.
Yes, making the tournament is a very low bar, but it’s the bar that Johnson’s team has set. The final 10 games of the regular season are tipped strongly toward teams that are also in the bottom reaches of the conference. There’s no reason for Minnesota not to make it.
I have another goal for Johnson, a longer-term one — and I’m stating this as if there will be a “longer term” for him as head coach. A couple weeks back Sports Take noted the answer he gave to a question about the lack of incentive for scheduling St. Thomas. Johnson gave a windy answer about there being nothing for the Gophers to gain from such a game, even though it would be good for basketball in the state. To those of you who’ve asked me to keep hammering on a Gophers-Tommies men’s basketball game, you’re welcome.
MY GOAL: Bring it, Coach! The Gophers-Tommies issue isn’t going away, especially if the women’s teams schedule a game as their coaches have talked about. Next time it comes up, though, I challenge Johnson to respond with some flair. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/flair0130
BIG WEEKEND FOR WOMEN’S HOOPS: The Gophers get appointment TV tests tonight and Sunday when they play the Big Ten’s elite teams in Los Angeles — USC tonight (9 p.m., Peacock) and UCLA on Sunday (2 p.m., BIG). Both are 8-0 in conference. UCLA is 20-0 overall and No. 1 in the nation; USC is 18-1 and No. 4. The Gophers were knocked out of the Top 25 after losing to Michigan last week. MY TAKE: The gap in women’s basketball between the top six or seven teams and those lower in the rankings is wider than it is in men’s basketball. If the Gophers can hang in against USC and UCLA, you can judge the weekend a success, all the more because most of Minnesota’s key players will be around for at least another season — as long as they resist the temptation of the transfer portal.
SWEET MOVE BY PLITZUWEIT: Via FOX9. Gophers women’s basketball Coach Dawn Plitzuweit invited center Sophie Hart on her coach’s show and had a surprise for her — an extra year of eligibility. The 6-foot-5 center from Farmington started her college career at North Carolina State before transferring to the U in 2023. Hart went from being a reserve for the Wolfpack to starting for the U. She teared up a bit when the coach broke the news. VERBATIM: "Obviously I’m excited to be a Gopher for another year. I just really have enjoyed my time here, being back in Minnesota, being close to my family. This team feels like a second family," Hart said. "If I can have the opportunity to spend more time here, I’ll obviously take it." WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/hart0130
NCAA TOURNEY TALK: Via ESPN. In his latest look at the women’s tournament field, bracketologist Charlie Creme has the Gophers among the last four teams getting into the field without needing a play-in game. They’re currently a 10th seed in his bracket and would play Oklahoma State, with the winner advancing to play No. 2-seed LSU. INTERESTING NOTE: Creme has 13 of the 18 Big Ten teams making the 68-team field. BRACKET: https://fluence-media.co/ncaawbracket
PLITZUWEIT Q&A: Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press. In preparing for the California road trip, conversation veered to the NCAA tournament. Greder asked Plitzuweit if she would define success this year as getting into the tournament. VERBATIM: “Is it a goal? Yes. But, like we talked about, too, when you focus on the outcome, a lot of times, it’s really hard to figure out what you have to do. … What is it about the Big Ten teams that played in the NCAA tournament last year? There were seven teams. What did those teams do statistically differently than our teams? What are some key statistics that we have to improve upon? And we took a look at those type of things. So, then, we want to play faster. We want to score more efficiently in transition. What does that mean? Well, that means we need to have more players comfortable handling the basketball so that we have more players who can push it. … It’s a process that we focus on to hopefully end up with the results that we want to have.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/coachqanda0130
HELP! IT’S A WEEKEND WITHOUT FOOTBALL: The weekend between the NFL conference title games and the Super Bowl gives us a weekend to practice recalibrating our sports psyches and habits for the months ahead. Let me help by offering up seven ideas to fill the football void.
HOME-AND-HOME HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY: Traditional boys’ powers Hill-Murray and Edina are playing their annual (and unique) home-and-home series on Friday at Aldrich Arena and Saturday at Braemar. Puck drop is 7 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday. Hill-Murray is 17-1-11- and ranked No. 3 in Class 2A; Edina is 14-5 and No. 6. Both are the top-rated teams in their sections. Edina won both games last year by 5-3 scores. ADVICE: Get there early. ALSO: Friday’s game will be streamed on NSPN: https://fluence-media.co/edinahill0130
CURLING ROAD TRIP: The men’s and women’s nationals run through the weekend, with the semifinals on Saturday and title matches on Sunday in Duluth. Five-time Olympian John Shuster is back leading his team, with the winners going on to the world tournament — and putting themselves front and center to represent the United States at the 2026 Olympics. DETAILS, INCLUDING TICKET INTO: https://fluence-media.co/curling0130. LIVESTREAM: https://fluence-media.co/stream0130
SATURDAY IN ST. MICHAEL: Arrive early and stay late for the St. Michael-Albertville Community Clash to see a bunch of the state’s best girls’ basketball teams. Five of the Top 10 teams in Class 4A are on the schedule, along with Providence Academy (No. 1 in 2A) and DeLaSalle (No. 4 in 3A) in a five-game afternoon and evening. FEATURE GAME: Providence vs. STMA at 7:30. FULL SCHEDULE, TICKET INFO: https://fluence-media.co/clash0130. STREAM: https://fluence-media.co/stma0130
HOCKEY BORDER BATTLE: Wisconsin is below .500 in men’s hockey. But a Border Battle is a Border Battle, right? Games are at 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday at Mariucci. The No. 3-ranked U women have a higher-end test against No. 2 Ohio State at 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. The Buckeyes have a seven-game winning streak. Minnesota has won six in a row. All four games are on BIG+. TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/uhockeytix0130
U WRESTLING VS. RUTGERS: The Gophers are 7-1 and its a chance to see heavyweight Gable Steveson, who’s 7-0 since rejoining the team. Last season’s Big Ten champion Isaiah Salazar is 13-3 after moving up from 184 pounds to the 197-pound class. Noon start at Maturi Pavilion. Noon Sunday on BIG. TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/uwrestle0130
U WOMEN AT NO. 1 UCLA: Can the Gophers pull a shocker in Los Angeles? Can they play well enough to get back into the Top 25 poll? UCLA is 20-0 and has won all games but one by double-digit margins. How will the Gophers handle 6-7 UCLA center Lauren Betts, who scored 31 against Maryland on Monday night and is the Bruins’ leading scorer? 2 p.m. Sunday on BIG.
TOMMIES HOST BISON: St. Thomas men’s basketball hosts North Dakota State at 3 p.m. Sunday. St. Thomas is 7-1 in the Summit League, tied for first place and on a 10-game home winning streak. NDSU is 5-2. The Bison take a five-game winning streak going into tonight’s game against South Dakota State. TV: CBS Sports Network. TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/tommieticketsmbb
BUTLER FOR RANDLE? SERIOUSLY? Via Ian Begley at SportsNet New York. With the Wolves under new management from his previous stint, it’s not preposterous to pass along this note from SNY’s “NBA Insider.” (SNY is the New York version of FanDuel Sports North.) Jimmy Butler has become dissatisfied with yet another team and has been suspended by the Miami Heat, who are seeking to trade him. VERBATIM: The Jimmy Butler saga is the biggest trade story at the moment ahead of the trade deadline. According to reports, the Suns and/or Heat have talked to several teams about a three, four, or five-team deal involving Butler. Keep an eye on Minnesota in a Butler deal. In the offseason, the Heat were one of the teams that expressed interest in trading for Julius Randle, per SNY sources. Randle has remained on the Heat's radar during the Butler saga, sources say. I don't know if there are any active trade talks between Minnesota and Miami. But the two teams have been in touch on Butler trades.”MORE (including a Karl-Anthony Towns note): https://fluence-media.co/butler1030
‘HE WOKE UP CHOOSING VIOLENCE.’ Via Chris Hine at Star Tribune. Chris Finch was rightfully angry at the Wolves after they blundered their way to a close win Monday over the injury-decimated Atlanta Hawks. Wednesday’s film session about the game was ugly, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who offered the “choosing violence” quote, responding with a season-best 23 points in Wednesday’s 121-113 win in Phoenix. Finch brought his anger to the game, getting ejected in the third quarter after picking up his second technical foul for reportedly calling the officials “bozos.” VERBATIM: “When told of Alexander-Walker’s assessment, Anthony Edwards said: ‘I think he went to sleep last night with violence on his mind, and you know how you go to sleep with something on your mind and you’re hoping when you wake up — I don’t think his sleep was good enough. The way he did us in film today, particularly me, it was a tough day for us.’ “
MORE EDWARDS: “He was basically telling us, how much do you care about the game? We can’t say we care about the game at all with the stuff that we watched.” STORY: https://fluence-media.co/finch0130
ICYMI: Well, Monday could have been worse for the Wolves. They could have lost to the Hawks — and the chunk that fell from the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter could have knocked out Rudy Gobert.
EDWARDS BOOK: Chris Hine’s book “Ant, the incredible journey of NBA Rising Star Anthony Edwards” is available for pre-order on Amazon. Release is scheduled for June 3. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/antbook0130
KG A TWINS OWNER? Via Dave McMenamin at ESPN. The story is about Randy Mims, who is the personal gatekeeper for LeBron James and what it’s like to fill that role. The side trip in the story is about a scene at a hotel in Phoenix, where Mims is doing his job that’s officially called “executive administrator — player programs and logistics.” Larry Fitzgerald has just stopped by the dining room to chat and ask if James can send along some shoes. Thencomes the Twins ownership interlude. VERBATIM: “Minutes after Fitzgerald leaves, Justin Ishbia -- the brother of Suns owner Mat Ishbia -- approaches. He says he is interested in purchasing the Minnesota Twins and wants to line up some famous Minneapolis sports figures to be involved in the ownership group. They start brainstorming: Justin Jefferson, Kevin Garnett, Cris Carter, Love, Dave Winfield, Joe Mauer, Randy Moss, Robert Smith. Mims says he will get Ishbia in touch with Garnett, or ‘Ticket’ as he calls him. He and Garnett share a mutual close friend in (Lakers Coach Tyronn) Lue.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/kg0130
PROSPECTS: Via Keith Law at the Athletic. Spring training starts in a couple weeks, so it’s time for top prospects season. Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins, the fifth overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, is at No. 4 on Law’s list of the Top 100 prospects. (Outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez is No. 21 and second baseman/outfielder Luke Keaschall is No. 62.) VERBATIM: “Jenkins has earned comparisons to Larry Walker since he was a high school junior, which I always suspected was at least a little bit driven by his first name, but there are more similarities than that. Jenkins is also a tall, athletic, and very strong left-handed-hitting corner outfielder, and he’s advanced quickly through the low minors when healthy by showing exceptional swing decisions — he seldom swings and misses (just 17.5 percent last year) and doesn’t chase pitches out of the zone very often (24.6 percent), unusual for a hitter of his size and power potential. He has a fantastic left-handed swing that gets him to the ball quickly and puts the ball in the air more often than on the ground, while he’s shown the ability to go the other way when pitchers try to attack him on the outer third. That feel to hit as a 19-year-old who’s already reached Double A is part of what makes him so exciting as a prospect. . . . He should return to Double A to start 2025, and if he stays healthy, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him get a call-up in September given how much hard contact he’s already making as a teenager.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/prospects0130
WINNING WITHOUT KAPRIZOV: Via Sarah McLellan at Star Tribune. The Wild showed they could win without superstar Kirill Kaprizov when he missed 12 games in December and earlier this month. They passed their first test of playing with him again in Wednesday’s 3-1 win in Toronto. Kaprizov is expected to be out for a month for surgery to fix the lower-body injury that didn’t respond to rest and therapy. VERBATIM: “The Wild picked up seven wins in that span, and they appeared unfazed by having to face the same challenge a second time. And if they keep the same strategy they used against the Leafs, they should hold up just fine once again because the Wild followed the handbook for playing without a superstar: They received solid goaltending and defending, timely offense and a depth presence.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/wild0130.
HYNES ON THE INJURY. Via Jess Myers at Pioneer Press. Kaprizov has 52 points in the 37 games he’s played this season. VERBATIM: Coach John Hynes: “I think it was really weighing on him that even though he told me, ‘Well, I’m only at 60%’ I said, ‘Well, you’re one of the best players on the ice at 60%.’ But to him, it’s the standard of helping the team at the level he wants to help the team, and he knows by getting surgery he can’t do that.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/hynes0130
ROAD RAGERS: Winning in Toronto gave the Wild an NHL-best 19-5-3 record on the road, as many games as they won on the road all last season. Now the trick is figuring out how to better the 11-12-1 record at the X.
FLEURY’S ‘ILLEGAL’ MASK BOUGHT, DISPLAYED: Via Molly Guthrey at Pioneer Press. The mask that goalie Marc-Andre Fleury wore during warm-ups during last season’s Native American Heritage Night was bought at auction for $35,100 by the Minnesota Historical Society and is currently on display. Created by Mdewakanton Dakota artist Cole Redhorse Taylor, the mask is part of the “Our Home: Native Minnesota” exhibit at the Minnesota History Center. VERBATIM: “At that time, new directives from the National Hockey League prohibited players from wearing specialty jerseys, masks, stickers, decals or tape for theme nights — a response to backlash against players who declined to wear Pride jerseys. Minnesota jerseys created for Heritage Night and auctioned off for charity were not worn on the ice that night. But the mask? Fleury, who was not scheduled to play that night, still took to the ice: He wore the mask during warmups.”
FLEURY EXPLAINS: “It was to honor Native Americans in all of Minnesota, Prairie Island, there, trying to help them. To wear the mask for 15 minutes, and they raise a good chunk of money to help the (American Indian Family Center), to me I just thought was the right thing to do, and it was an honor for me to represent them.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/mask0130
ONE MORE THING: Fleury also had a Native American-themed mask made for him when he played for Chicago.
LAST CHANCE TO BUY IN: The second round of community ownership for Minnesota Aurora ends Friday. The USL W pre-professional soccer team reports that it has more than 5,000 community owners representing all 50 states and 17 countries. Minimum buy-in is $100 and the average is $375. Aurora set a goal of $1.5 million from this round of fundraising and currently has brought in about $810,000. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/aurora0130
NATIONAL BOOST: Via Drew Lerner at Awful Announcing. The fundraising effort was amplified recently when Aurora president Andrea Yoch appeared on the Good Game podcast with ESPNw and iHeart personality Sarah Spain. VERBATIM: “This isn’t Spain’s first foray into team ownership. She’s already a part-owner in the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars. Eventually, Aurora FC would like to become an NWSL expansion team, though their bid for 2026 was denied.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/goodgame0130
HOCKEY WRITER JOHN GILBERT DIES: Via Jamey Malcomb at Duluth News Tribune. Former Star Tribune hockey writer John Gilbert died on Wednesday in Duluth. He started his career at the Duluth newspaper but made his name at Star Tribune for his coverage of the sport at all levels. Gilbert also wrote about auto racing. In Duluth, Gilbert, 82, was well known as the son of Wally Gilbert, who grew up in the city and went on to play baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers and football for the Duluth Eskimos in the early days of the NFL. VERBATIM: “The celebrated hockey writer started his career with the Duluth News Tribune before moving on to the then-Minneapolis Star Tribune in 1967. At one time, Gilbert was covering the North Stars, the Gophers and the World Hockey Association’s Fighting Saints all at the same time.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/gilbert0130
‘I WANT TO WIN BOYS’ STATE’: Via Jim Paulsen at Star Tribune. There were more than 1,500 Minnesota girls who competed in high school wrestling last season, with the vast majority competing against other girls. Gigi Bragg of Anoka isn’t — and she’s the sixth-ranked wrestler in the state at 107 pounds. And she’s aiming high as tournament season gets closer. VERBATIM: “She’s wrestled at 114 pounds for the Anoka boys but is dropping to 107 pounds in the final stages of the season. ‘It wasn’t something I wanted to tell people before, but now I’m not afraid to say it … I want to win boys state at 107,’ Bragg said. Anoka coach Todd Springer believes she can pull it off. ‘One thing I would never do is bet against her,’ he said. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/wrestling0130. NEXT MATCH: 6 p.m. Friday vs. Forest Lake and St. Francis.
HELP NEEDED: Via Dylan Callaghan-Croley at Gophers Nation. THE GOOD: Mo Ibrahim, the former star Gophers running back, has been named running backs coach at Kent State. THE BAD: Kent State is 1-23 in two seasons under Coach Kenni Burns, who was P.J. Fleck’s assistant head coach at Minnesota, including 0-12 this season. The Golden Flashes became the first team in five years to finish with an 0-12 record, were ranked last among the 134 FBS teams by The Athletic and lost nine of their games by three touchdowns or more. VERBATIM: “Before Burns took over the program, the Flashes had won five or more games in three of their last four seasons including a pair of seven-win seasons in 2019 and 2021. Ibrahim played five seasons for Minnesota, playing in 41 games. Across those 41 career games, Ibrahim carried the ball 867 times for 4,668 yards and 53 career touchdowns, both program records.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/ibrahim0130
DIGGINS LEADS PACK AGAIN: Afton native and Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins leads the overall standings in this season’s World Cup cross-country skiing competition. Diggins is second in distance races and third in sprints — and the only skier in the Top 10 on both leaderboards. She won the overall competition in 2024, too. The season runs through April. LEADERBOARD: https://fluence-media.co/diggins0130
CHANGE AT PIONEER PRESS: Sports editor Tad Reeve is retiring after 11 years on the job and 23 years at the Pioneer Press. He arrived in 2001 and was known for his golf coverage before moving into an editor’s role. Deputy sports editor John Shipley is the interim sports editor.
SPORTS TAKE FOLLOW-UP: Via Joe Sager at D3hoops.com. I noted last week that former Blake School star Robert Grace IV is splitting time between a full-time job as a videographer for the Timberwolves and finishing his senior year on the Macalester basketball team. (He’s also an Economics major.) VERBATIM: “There are 30 teams in the NBA and I would highly guess he is the only college student hired as a full-time videographer for one of the teams,” Macalester coach Abe Woldeslassie said. “He’s had to miss a couple of our games because of conflicts. But it was an amazing opportunity and something we supported. This is a job he thought he’d get maybe five years out of college and he winds up getting it as a senior. It’s incredible. He could never do this while playing at the D-I level, but we’ve had to adapt and he had to adapt. We’ve made it work.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/grace0130
ALL-NATIVE BASKETBALL TOURNEY: Via Red Lake Nation News. Sign-ups are open until Feb. 28 for the 2025 Warrior Challenge All-Native Basketball tournament, scheduled for March 28-30 at Red Lake. First place men’s and women’s teams get a $4,000 prize. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/redlake0130
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE: Last week, I mentioned Warroad’s boys’ basketball team making big noise in hockey country with a 15-0 record. That record is 16-1 after East Grand Forks ended their undefeated run 81-77 on Tuesday. PROMISE: I don’t want Sports Take to be the kiss of death. Really.
OOPS, WRONG EVENT: Via Facebook. Sports Take doesn’t party often, but when it does, it’s a sucker for a good theme. Menagerie Rugby Club holds its Winter Beer Bust on Feb. 8 at the Black Hart of St. Paul. VERBATIM: “We would love for you to dress up for . . . any event other than this one! The dress up theme for this Beer Bust is ‘Oops, wrong event!’ so get kitted out for Coachella, graduation, tropical vacation, a swim meet, Halloween, Prom, a zombie apocalypse . . . get weird with it. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/oops0130. ABOUT MENAGERIE: https://fluence-media.co/menagerie0130
AND FINALLY: Via Rachel Hutton at Star Tribune. The Sports Take Christmas gift guide included a Zamboni driving lesson at the Hopkins Pavilion. Star Tribune reporter Rachel Hutton signed up. VERBATIM: “Jodi Brummer, the pavilion’s assistant manager, says some people who book sessions are hockey fans who have criticized Zamboni drivers for missing a spot. Then their wives are like: You try to do it. ‘They want to see how hard it is — it’s kind of a competitive thing,’ Brummer explained. Afterward, she added, ‘99 percent say they’ll give the Zamboni driver a little lenience.’ ”
MORE: “Aside from the steering wheel and pedals, not much looked familiar. The Zamboni’s instrument panel lacks a speedometer. (Its top speed is less than 10 mph.) And the stick used to put the Zamboni in gear was accompanied by a half-dozen other levers and rods used to engage the cleaning and ice-making components. There was also a small wheel for raising and lowering the blade, depending on how much abuse the sheet has taken.” READ THE REST: https://fluence-media.co/zamboni0130
Thanks for reading. Back with more next week.
HOWARD ON THE WEB:
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HOW TO WATCH ALMOST ANYTHING
ESPN's guide to sports on about 250 channels and streaming services: https://fluence-media.co/3T4rYw4
Minnesota Division II and III sports: MIAC Network | Northern Sun Network | Upper Midwest Network
NSPN Minnesota high school livestreams: https://fluence-media.co/3My8Tyv
NFHS Minnesota high school livestreams: https://fluence-media.co/3MvFSU6