DIVE IN — If you’re a basketball or hockey fan, you can have an immersive experience in the Twin Cities and in your media space this weekend. Same thing if your main sport is hockey. If you’re a Twins fan, it’s time for the annual mix of anticipation, hope and nerves with the regular season a week away. And if you’re a Vikings fan, the next chapter of fun times is about to begin. Let’s go! — Howard Sinker
THOSE GONE GOPHERS: Let’s start a conclusion and finish with speculation. If the Gophers hadn’t lost so many key players from the 2023-24 team, they would be playing in the NCAA men’s tournament today or tomorrow and Ben Johnson would still be the coach. The starting lineup? Dawson Garcia would have been joined by Cam Christie, Elijah Hawkins, Pharrel Payne and either Joshua Ola-Joseph or Parker Fox, with the other coming off the bench.
Also on the bench: Mike Mitchell Jr. Braeden Carrington, Isaac Asuma, Isaiah Ihnen and Kayden Betts. It’s an easy leap to make that those 11 would have gotten the few more wins needed for the NCAA field. They probably make it with a couple of subtractions, as long as the departed aren’t both Hawkins and Payne.
Let’s look at some numbers:
Hawkins: 30 starts in 31 games for No. 9 Texas Tech. 9.1 points per game and a Big 12 leading 6.4 assists per game. Payne: 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds for No. 19 Texas A&M in 20 minutes per game. Christie: 18.4 points and 4.6 rebounds for the G-League San Diego Clippers. He also played briefly in eight games for the L.A. Clippers. Carrington: 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 26.8 mpg for Tulsa, including 19 starts in 29 games. Joshua Ola-Joseph: 7.2 ppg and 10 starts for Cal. Playing time decreased as the season went on. Ihnen: 10.4 points and 55.3% field goal percentage for Liberty before suffering a season-ending knee injury, his third in four years.
That’s not a title-contending team, but it’s also not a 15-17 team in a season of frustrating losses and blowouts. Aside from Dawson’s excellence, Gophers fans settled for lauding an eight-year veteran who averaged under 6 points per game, average players on their third or fourth college and some spirited reserve play.
Athletic Director Mark Coyle fired Johnson and has vowed to devote a major chunk of upcoming revenue sharing and NIL money to the men’s basketball program. But what if the Gophers had been able to compete with the money that Hawkins, Payne and others got from their new schools instead of playing catch-up now? As I said, Johnson would still be coach, fans would be hoping for a tournament run and the future would be dozens of shades brighter.
Where does the blame fall for the Gophers falling behind in the financial game? Isn’t that Coyle’s responsibility? Seems so. A Gophers booster — a through-thick-or-thin kind who has season tickets for several sports — pointed out that none of Coyle’s three basketball hires (Johnson, Lindsay Whalen and Dawn Plitzuweit) has produced a winning season in the Big Ten. How much should those things count in assessing Coyle’s future at Minnesota if things don’t get better?
HEADING OUT: Center Frank Mitchell, who played a bigger role as the season progress, says he’s entering the transfer portal. So are Betts, who averaged less than 5 minutes per game, and guard Tyler Cochran, who missed the season after having foot surgery.
0-FOR-18. Via Marcus Fuller at Star Tribune. Four years ago, there were five Black head coaches of the 14 Big Ten men’s basketball team. Right now, with openings to be filled at the U and at Iowa, there are none. Both of the resumed favorites for the vacancies — Niko Medved at Minnesota and Ben McCollum at Iowa — are white. At the moment, there’s only one Big Ten women’s team with a Black head coach. VERBATIM: “So there’s a strong chance the Big Ten will enter next season with no head coaches of color in men’s basketball, the only major conference with that distinction. That’s a statement in itself.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/bigten0320
ROSTER EVOLUTION: The changes since last week have been less dramatic, but the Vikings are filling the holes that were created by the frenzied opening days of free agency. BIGGEST MOVES: Trading with the 49ers for running back Jordan Mason to team up with Aaron Jones and signing Rondale Moore, a big-play threat who sat out last season with a knee injury. Remember this play?
LESSON LEARNED: Via Mark Craig at Star Tribune. Free-agent cornerback signee Isaiah Rodgers brings an interesting history to Minnesota. He was suspended for the entire 2023 season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy and then played for the Super Bowl-winning Eagles last season. VERBATIM: “I think the first thing I realized [about 2023] was the league doesn’t need anybody,” he said in a video call. “The league was still going on without me. It was, ‘Wow, nobody really cares.’” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/rodgers0320
BACKSTORY: Via Brooks Kubena at The Athletic. VERBATIM: “Rodgers told ESPN last year that the wagers, which included a $1,000 prop bet, had been placed from his online sports gambling account. He said they’d been made for people who lived in Florida, where such gambling at the time was illegal. Rodgers said he understood and accepted the NFL’s ruling and its handling of the cases of five other players who were reinstated five days earlier than he was. Their cases weren’t as severe, Rodgers said. ‘Rules are rules. They’re there for a reason,’ Rodgers said. ‘So, if you break them, you get your consequences. If you don’t, you continue to be great.’ “ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/suspension0320
THAT OTHER RODGERS: Via Ben Goessling at Star Tribune. The Aaron Rodgers discussions look to be over and he won’t be coming to Minnesota to suck the oxygen out of the team’s ecosystem. VERBATIM: “The Vikings’ intrigue in the four-time MVP was at least strong enough to entertain a conversation; if they could get one great season from a centered and collegial Rodgers, they might be able to pair the 41-year-old with a talented roster and make a Super Bowl run. But the idea always ran against two currents: what Rodgers would do if he came to Minnesota, and the Vikings’ optimism about what J.J. McCarthy could achieve after a year to learn their system.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/aaron0320
SOMEONE LIKED THE IDEA: Via John Shipley at Pioneer Press. VERBATIM: “Sam Darnold had a terrific regular season, and parlayed that into a big contract with the Seahawks, but he wasn’t up to the challenge when the stakes were higher and opponents were better. He had never been there, and with everything on the line, it showed. My God, Rodgers would be fun, for all the reasons. For fans, though, the only one that counts is the football reasons, and the biggest one there is the fact that Rodgers has been to the Super Bowl and won and — this is a two-fold reason — is one of the most exciting quarterbacks to ever play the game.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/signhim0320
HA! Via the Onion. VERBATIM: “Leaping at the opportunity to make their intentions clear, numerous NFL front offices expressed interest this week in quarterback Aaron Rodgers playing elsewhere, sources confirmed Tuesday. ‘Aaron Rodgers feels like he could be a great fit for the culture of other places,’ said an anonymous NFC general manager among the flurry of teams across the NFL frantically stating their commitment to keeping Rodgers off their roster. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/satire0320
LATEST VIKINGS UPDATES: The Star Tribune free agent tracker is here. Team contracts from Spotrac are here.
SO MANY MINNESOTANS: Via Pioneer Press and Star Tribune. The Gophers didn’t make the NCAA basketball fields, but there are 38 women and 24 men playing for other schools in the tournaments. Led by UConn’s Paige Bueckers (Hopkins), the consensus No. 1 pick in next month’s WNBA draft, the women have a higher profile. They include freshman Olivia Olson of Michigan (Benilde-St. Margaret’s), who led her team in scoring and grad student Ayoka Lee of Kansas State (Byron), a 6-foot-6 center who holds the NCAA single-game scoring record with 61 points. THE LISTS: https://fluence-media.co/men0320 and https://fluence-media.co/women0320
WHO PLAYS WHERE? Thirty-two men’s first-round games and four networks. Here’s the list of who plays when and on where to find it. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/hoopsked0320
INJURY TRACKING: Via Isaac Trotter at CBS Sports. How the team you chose in your NCAA pool performs could well depend on the health of key players, including standout freshman Cooper Flagg of Duke, the tournament favorite. VERBATIM: “The biggest name in college basketball enters the NCAA Tournament with an injury. Duke expects Cooper Flagg to suit up in Friday's NCAA Tournament opener after rolling his ankle against Georgia Tech. Flagg was not spotted in a walking boot and X-rays came back negative. And he looked fine on the bench for Duke's final two games in the conference tournament Those are all positive signs for Flagg's outlook.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/health0320
CONSOLATION PRIZE: The Gophers women are a No. 2 seed in the WBIT (the NCAA-sponsored tournament for the top 32 teams that don’t make the main field) but are being forced to play on the road at Toledo tonight because the boys’ high school tournament has taken over Williams Arena. The game is at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. Winning would advance the Gophers to a game on Sunday against Missouri State or Oral Roberts at a site and time to be determined. BRACKET AND TV INFO: https://fluence-media.co/wbit0320
TWINS WIN THE DIVISION? Via The Athletic. Five of The Athletic’s baseball writers, including Twins reporter Aaron Gleeman have previewed the division and they’re picking the Twins to win the American League Central. VERBATIM: “Minnesota carried a 70-53 record into mid-August before collapsing down the stretch and the Twins made few substantial roster changes beyond Max Kepler and Carlos Santana leaving as free agents. That means they’re counting on essentially the same group of 20-something core players who were injured and ineffective for much of the second half. It’s also largely the same group that won the division title in 2023. Pitching depth should be a strength, much like in 2023, and several of the Twins’ top prospects are knocking on the door to the majors.” The report gives the Twins a 42.8% chance to win the division with Kansas City next at 27% MORE: https://fluence-media.co/twinswin0320
STILL WAITING: When next week’s Sports Take comes out, the Twins will be on the field for their regular-season opener in St. Louis. At this point, fans are still waiting for cable and satellite TV details. Yes, other teams whose broadcasts have been taken over by MLB have waited until the very last minute before those details were made public. But the stew of last season’s blackout, the uncertain ownership situation and general fan skepticism about the team is combining to make the situation feel dicey. I’m reasonably sure things will be worked out. At the same time, I understand why others wouldn’t share that view.
OH, BLEEP: Via Betsy Helfand at Pioneer Press. Royce Lewis is injured. Again. He strained a hamstring running out a ground ball on Sunday and won’t be ready for the start of the season. The Twins haven’t announced a timetable for his return, but that doesn’t mean much because their timetable history has never been particularly adept. “Day to day” can mean “week to week” and . . . . so on. “Moderate hamstring strain” is the working description. VERBATIM: “Two anterior cruciate ligament tears in his right knee forced him into two year-long rehab processes. Since then, oblique, hamstring, quadriceps, adductor and now another hamstring injury have landed him on the injured list. ‘You put in so much work, you put in so much time, money, energy. If I could, shoot, I’d rather save the money I’m spending on my body if I knew I was going to keep getting hurt,’ Lewis said. ‘I jokingly say that, but it’s true. There’s a lot of money being spent, a lot of time being spent (that) I’d rather be spending with my family instead of hours in chambers, doing other stuff.’ “ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/lewis0320
GUESS WHAT? Via MLB Film Room. Brock Stewart is injured again, too. He walked off the mound during the middle of an inning on Saturday after feeling pain in his left leg. All parties are claiming it’s nothing serious, but given Stewart’s injury history, you have permission (and maybe the expectation) to wonder. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/stewart0320
INJURY BOOKMARK: Keep this page handy for Twins injury updates. The current list includes news on Lewis, Stewart, Michael Tonkin, Matt Canterino, Erasmo Ramirez, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins LIST: https://fluence-media.co/injuries0320
HOCKEY WEEKEND MINNESOTA: If you want to do nothing but watch hockey games this weekend, the Twin Cities is golden. The women’s Frozen Four opens Friday at Ridder Arena, Augsburg University hosts a women’s Division III quarterfinal and the NCHC men’s semifinals are at the X.
CAN GOPHERS RETURN TO GLORY? Via Dave Kallmann at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. No. 4 Minnesota plays No. 1 Wisconsin at 7:30 p.m. Friday (ESPN+). The Badgers have won all five games between the teams this season, the latest a 4-3 victory on a last-minute goal in the WCHA title game. VERBATIM: “What’s happening Friday night in Minneapolis is the women’s college hockey equivalent of Packers-Bears, Yankees-Red Sox or Ali-Frazier. As rivalries go, it doesn’t get much better. Wisconsin has won seven NCAA championships, Minnesota six. One or both have appeared in the title game in 17 of the 23 tournaments held.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/frozen0320
ON THE GOPHERS: Via Tyler Kuehl at Daily Faceoff. VERBATIM: “After missing out on the Frozen Four last season, Minnesota is hoping they can get one big game out of its stars to take down Goliath in the semifinals. It wasn’t an easy road for head coach Brad Frost’s team, who had to go through Ohio State to get to the WCHA final just a couple of weeks ago. If they want to move on to the national championship game for the first time since 2019, they need Abbey Murphy to have an outstanding game. Going up against many of her Team USA colleagues, the senior has to be masterful as she has for most of her career. Murphy leads the nation in goal-scoring with 33 markers on the season, sitting fourth in points with 65 in 41 games, including two in the quarterfinal win over the Colgate Raiders.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/preview0320
THE OTHER GAME: No. 3 Cornell plays No. 2 Ohio State at 4 p.m. Friday. (ESPN+) MINNESOTA ANGLE: Both teams have six Minnesotans on the their rosters. THREE (DEFENDERS) OF NOTE: Former Minnetonka star Rory Guilday of Cornell is ranked No. 9 in the Hockey News 2025 PWHL draft rankings. (Wingers Murphy and Natalie Mlynkova of the U are ranked No, 1 and 7.) Emma Peschel of Ohio State is the team’s fourth leading scorer with 33 points (7 goals) and a +30 rating. She made the all-WCHA first team and played for Benilde-St. Margaret’s. Buckeye Emily Zumwinkle is the younger sister of former Gopher star and current Frost player Grace Zumwinkle. She played three years at Minnesota before transferring. The Zumwinkles played for Breck School. The championship game is at 3 p.m. Sunday (ESPNU).
TICKETS? Sold out through the U for both sessions but available on secondary markets. PRO TIP: Look for title game tickets to be available soon after the semifinals from fans of the semifinal losers.
AUGGIES STILL ALIVE: Augsburg plays St. Norbert of Wisconsin at 3 p.m. Saturday in the D-III quarterfinals at its arena in Cedar-Riverside. The Auggies (23-3-1) won 4-2 when the teams played in January. Winner goes to the Frozen Four next weekend in River Falls. TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/tickets0320. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/stream0320
D-III HOCKEY’S RISE: Via Steve Megargee at Associated Press. VERBATIM: “Overall, the skill level has gotten so much better over the years that it becomes one of those sports that was almost a no-brainer to be adding at the Division III level,” said Joe Cranston, who coaches defending champion Wisconsin-River Falls. ALSO: “I have kids on my team who were All-Americans 15 years ago who couldn’t make my team now,” Cranston said. “Kids who were Division I players 10 years ago who couldn’t make my team now.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/dthree0320
NCHC AT THE X: Via Lydia Morrell at KARE-11. Semifinals of the NCHC are at the X on Friday and Sunday. No. 3 Denver plays No. 2 Arizona State at 4 p.m. and No. 5 North Dakota plays No. 1 Western Michigan at 7:30 p.m. Winners play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Games are on CBS Sports Network. There’s also an assortment of fan-related activities in downtown St. Paul. GOPHER ANGLE: If Western Michigan wins the weekend, the Broncos could knock Minnesota from a No. 1 seed in the NCAA regionals. Can fans suck it up and cheer for UND? MORE: https://fluence-media.co/nchc0320
SIDE NOTE: This is the last year the NCHC’s top teams will gather in St. Paul. Starting next year, the conference will follow the lead of others and do its full playoff schedule at home sites.
DISAPPOINTING WOLVES: On Monday morning, I was planning to be writing about a 10-game Timberwolves winning streak. They’d won eight in a row and had games coming up against injury-depleted Indiana and flat-out lousy New Orleans. That the Wolves lost to the Pacers in a thrilling overtime game could be accepted as a blip. But losing to both them and the bottom-feeder Pelicans (19-51) was a brutal step backward. As TV analyst Jim Petersen stated in the final moments of Wednesday’s 119-115 loss to New Orleans: “It’s just a gut punch to lose these last two games the way they’ve done it — against two completely depleted teams.”
THE CAUSES: Poor shooting, especially on three-pointers, sunk the Wolves against Indiana. So did an amazing performance by fill-in Pacers forward Obi Toppin, who scored 34 points and hit four three-pointers in overtime of his team’s 132-130 victory. On Wednesday, the offense returned to its stand-and-watch habit for much of the game and added soft defense to the losing mix. Both are especially frustrating because these final weeks of the schedule will determine whether the Wolves will need to qualify for postseason through play-in games (quite likely) and because they’re capable of much better. More Petersen from Wednesday’s broadcast: “If you’re going to finish the season strong and going to be a good playoff team, you’ve got to be good at end-of-game situations”
MORE BAD: Via Chris Hine at Star Tribune. VERBATIM: “The Wolves have prided themselves on being a defensive-minded team the past few seasons, but the defense has been missing the past two games. Zion Williamson scored 29 points on 12-for-16 shooting, and the Wolves had no answer for him no matter who was guarding him or if they tried to double-team him. The Pelicans, the second-worst team in the Western Conference and down multiple starters, shot 53%. Anthony Edwards also had 29 points but was 5-for-19. He earned the majority of his points at the free-throw line (15-for-17). The Wolves had 14 turnovers, but nine of those came in the third quarter.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/wolves0320
NBA STANDINGS AND PLAYOFF PICTURE: https://fluence-media.co/nbastandings0320
MESSI SITUATION: Via Jon Marthaler at Star Tribune. There’s excitement about Inter Miami’s visit to Allianz Field on May 10 to play Minnesota United, and most of it is centered on superstar Lionel Messi’s first game in Minnesota. Problem is that, in addition to inflated prices from $330 to $10,669 (including fees) for a pair of tickets, there’s no guarantee Messi will play. That happened earlier this season in Houston and last year in Vancouver. Make-goods offered by the teams hardly made up for the no-show and Minnesotans look to be somewhat prudent investors as there are plenty of seats still available. VERBATIM: “Any team in the world is better with Messi on it, but Miami has shown the ability to win without him, and the Herons have a packed schedule this year — including playing in the Club World Cup in June. . . . Those who already have tickets, and those who are saving up to buy them, can only wait and cross their fingers that Messi’s health and Miami’s competitive needs will both hold out.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/messi0320
MARCH MADNESS ENDS: The boys’ basketball tournament marks the end of the winter tournament season and there are reasons to turn away from the college tournaments to take notice. All but one of the 12 teams in the Class 4A, 3A and 2A semifinals finished in the top five of the final AP regular-season poll. (Class 1A quarterfinals started this morning.) Class 1A quarterfinals are at Target Center, but the rest of the tournament is at Williams Arena. Camping out there for the next few days wouldn’t be a bad life choice. Semifinals and finals are on Ch. 45. Brackets, ticket info, the tournament program and more are here. FINAL AP POLL: https://fluence-media.co/poll0320
DARN GOOD DOZEN: Via Marcus Fuller at Star Tribune. The newspaper’s Player of the Year, 6-foot-8 forward Chase Thompson of Class 3A Alexandria, tops the list. He’s headed for Clemson to play college ball. FULL LIST: https://fluence-media.co/dozen0320
BIG SCORE IN VEGAS: Ray Hassan of Brooklyn Park won $200,000 last weekend for placing third in the National Horseplayers Championship held in Las Vegas over the weekend. There were 800 entries in the annual contest that entrants qualify for by winning a feeder tournament on the web, at a racetrack or in a casino. Hassan, who has been trying to qualify for about 20 years, started his run by winning a contest at Canterbury Park.
DULUTH MUSHER FINISHES IDITAROD: Via MPR. Emily Ford, whose mushing career was the subject of an in-depth Star Tribune story recently, finished 18th out of the 22 participants whose team finished the race. VERBATIM: “Earlier in the race, at a checkpoint along the trail, Ford was asked by race officials whether the Iditarod was living up to what she dreamed about, in her lengthy preparation to compete. Ford said it was. ‘I get to spend unlimited time with my little pack, and my sled becomes kind of my house or like my mobile home almost. I’m out here with some of the best mushers, and it’s amazing to be on trail with them.’ “ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/iditarod0320. PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/ford0320
ERASING HISTORY: Via Washington Post. The Trump administrations clumsy attempts to erase history hit sports when the story of Jackie Robinson’s military career was removed Wednesday morning from the Department of Defense website — and then reinstated Wednesday afternoon after scrutiny from the media and elsewhere. It was among a number of web pages taken down in the current administrations obsession with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. VERBATIM: “Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others — we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop,” Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot said in a statement. “We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or sex. We do so only by recognizing their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission like ever other American who has worn the uniform.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/jackie0320
BUT EARLIER YESTERDAY: This is what Ullyot said when queried by ESPN. In military terms, this could well be a record-setting about face.
AND FINALLY: Seems fitting for this week’s exit music to come from the Twin Cities-based Sounds of Blackness.
Thanks for reading. Back with more next week.
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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
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