THE OPENER: Let’s start big! Michigan State and Maryland were tied at 55 and headed for overtime Wednesday night when Minneapolis native and Cretin-Derham Hall grad Tre Holloman took a shot that boosted the Spartans to a 58-55 victory and first place in the Big Ten. The shot rocks and the reactions are almost as good, from both the winners and losers.
THE QUOTE: Via Associated Press. “I knew that it was good,” Holloman said. “We practice those.”
Buzzer-beaters are the best. Read to the end of today’s Sports Take and you’ll see one of the best, and most meaningful, in Minnesota sports history. And they’re tops even when a team is losing in a game that not many people saw. Like this one, posted a few days back on Facebook by a proud parent from northern Minnesota. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/buzzer0227
There’s lots more to talk about. Let’s go! — Howard Sinker
BASKETBALL BEAUTY: Even if the Wolves hadn’t recovered from a 25-point deficit to stun first-place Oklahoma City in overtime the other night, I would be raving about the game. The teams were playing the second consecutive night of a home-and-home series, with the first game (at Target Center) tipping off close to 9 p.m. for TV scheduling purposes. The run-outta-gas excuse in such a situation would be understandable. But both teams played 100-octane hoops throughout. Credit to the teams . . . and an unexpected thrill that the Wolves rallied to split the series.
STAT OF STATS: Via Marcus Fuller at Star Tribune. VERBATIM: “1,552 consecutive games lost by NBA teams when trailing by 24 points or more in the fourth quarter.” NOTE: The win probability statistic above is from when OKC led by 12 points with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter. In other words, the Wolves' chance of winning at that point was 500 to 1. BASKETBALL ACROSS MINNESOTA: https://fluence-media.co/bam0227
OKLAHOMA VIEW: Via Justin Martinez at The Oklahoman: VERBATIM: “Why not beat traffic on the way home, right? OKC led by 22 points entering the final 12 minutes of regulation, and it was well on its way to a dominant victory. . . . ‘Well, that sucked, huh?’ Jalen Williams said as he began his postgame press conference. ‘We just stopped playing, to be honest, and then they got life. They're a good team. When you give teams like that life, you get punished.’ “ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/okc0227
WHAT IT SHOULD MEAN: The Wolves played without injured Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Dante DiVincenzo and still came back to win. Sure, the Wolves are better at full strength, but beating an elite team in any fashion with the players available creates optimism for what’s ahead despite the season’s maddening inconsistency. Minnesota has dropped out of the NBA title talk of which it was a part before the season (and before the KAT/Randle trade), but the Wolves are still a team with the potential to make a fun run.
ONE MORE THING: Monday’s 131-128 win was a master class in coaching by Chris Finch, mainly in letting the younger players finish off the rally that sent the game to overtime while Anthony Edwards (with a sore calf and a subpar game to that point) watched from the bench. And then bringing back Edwards midway through OT, where he applied the defensive finisher by blocking a shot by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 13 seconds left and the Wolves up by 1.
HEAR THIS: Via The Dane Moore NBA Podcast. The comeback and what it means beyond just a thrilling win chopped up by hoops analysts Moore and Britt Robson. Good one for the next drive or bus ride. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/dane0227
SEE THIS: The comeback portion of the game highlights. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/comeback0227
FOOLED ME: I didn’t build up the Gophers last week with the expectation that they’d put themselves in position to bumble their way out of the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament. After winning at USC and UCLA, it was almost impossible to imagine them losing home games to Penn State and Northwestern, who were among the bottom three in the Big Ten. What’s a good antonym for “miracle”? Calamity, maybe? The Gophers (6-11) are tied for 14th with Iowa and Northwestern, and there’s one game separating the seven teams that are currently 10th through 16th in the standings. You won’t get any schedule analysis here: The Gophers have games left with Nebraska (7-10), Wisconsin (11-6) and Rutgers (7-10). Sorry, I’m done trying to figure this out.
WHAT WENT WRONG? Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press. VERBATIM: “Northwestern is known as a heavy screening team, and Minnesota didn’t fight enough to go through and around the picks in the first half, allowing more good shot attempts. The Wildcats jumped out to a 10-0 lead and were able to immediately build on their 70-49 blowout of Ohio State on Thursday. The second half started the same way. On the first defensive possession, Lu’Cye Patterson didn’t make it through two screens, giving Jordan Clayton space to knock down a 3-pointer. (Coach Ben) Johnson said his players are reacting a half-step slow and are fighting a ‘paralyzed feeling.’ ” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/gophers0227
AWFUL DEFENSE: Via Marcus Fuller at Star Tribune. Defense played a big role in the California wins — and throughout the four-game losing streak at the Barn. VERBATIM: “Johnson’s style of play is to slow down the pace and make the game have fewer possessions, but that backfires when opponents can score at will. . . . In four straight home losses, the Gophers allowed Washington, Illinois, Penn State and Northwestern to combine to shoot 50.2% from the field and 45% from three-point range. Minnesota’s field goal defense is 13th in Big Ten games at 47%, but its three-point defense is 17th at 38.6%.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/fuller0227
MORE COLLEGE HOOPS MISERY: The Gophers women dropped into a tie for 12th place in the Big Ten by losing to Washington on Wednesday. It was Minnesota’s eighth loss in 12 games after a 16-1 start. With one game left — at No. 23 Michigan State on Saturday (1 p.m., BIG+) — before next week’s conference tournament, an NCAA bid isn’t the sure thing it looked like a couple weeks back. St. Thomas men’s basketball lost two games last weekend, including one to last-place Oral Roberts, and dropped into a second-place tie with South Dakota State in the Summit League. The Tommies have home games tonight vs. North Dakota and Saturday vs. Kansas City (both at 7 p.m.) and start their conference tournament on Wednesday in Sioux Falls.
ONE BRIGHT SPOT: The St. Thomas women have rallied from a slow start to move into fourth place in the Summit by winning seven of their last nine games. The women’s conference tournament also starts Wednesday.
PREP HOCKEY’S HUGE WEEK: For many hockey folks, the week of boys’ section finals ranks close to the state tournament for excitement. There were seven title games Wednesday, seven more tonight and the final two on Friday. The field will be set and seeding takes place Saturday. In metro-area games, Holy Family plays Shakopee at Braemar for the Section 2AA title (Livestream), Rogers plays Champlin Park in Elk River for the 5AA title (Livestream), Mahtomedi plays Chisago Lakes at Aldrich for the 4A title (Livestream) and Lakeville North meets Lakeville South in Rochester for the 1AA title (Livestream). All games are at 7 p.m. The state tournament starts at the X next Wednesday with the Class A semifinals. FULL SCHEDULE AND RESULTS: https://fluence-media.co/statepuck0227
IRON RANGE REVIVAL: Hibbing/Chisholm defeated Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 4-3 on Wednesday to win the 7A title. Tonight at 7 p.m., the combined Eveleth and Virginia school called Rock Ridge plays Andover for the 2AA title in Duluth. Livestream.
NO DEAL: It was almost five months ago that Joe Pohlad announced that his family had “reached a decision this summer to explore selling the Twins.” The hopes of many were focused on Justin Ishbia, whose family owns the Phoenix Suns and has poured resources into them (without much success to this point). But Ishbia has apparently dropped out and plans to increase his minority interest in the Chicago White Sox. He lives near Chicago and already has business interests there, so the decision shouldn’t feel like a shocker, all the more because the White Sox’ majority owner just turned 90 and is likely to eventually sell. So the sale-by-the-start-of-the-season storyline has pretty much bitten the dust. MY TAKE: It’s just as valid right now to wonder if there will even be new owners in the near future as much as wondering who they’d be.
BACK TO BASEBALL: One fun subplot of spring training is the introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system that could come to MLB in 2026. It’s not a “robot umpire.” It’s a system closer to tennis, where a player (catcher, pitcher or batter) has to challenge a pitch immediately — and the result is quickly known. I like it. Among other things, it changes one aspect of catching from “pitch framing” — the craft of fooling umpires into thinking balls are strikes — to using knowledge of the strike zone to correct an umpire’s mistake.
TWINS VIEW: Via Aaron Gleeman at The Athletic. Smart, veteran catchers will become even more valuable because of ABS. VERBATIM: “Just as there’s a substantial gap between the best and worst pitch framers, the potential exists for catchers with elite challenge judgment to add game-altering value. Teams will lean heavily on veteran catchers like Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez to make their challenge decisions because managers can’t and pitchers, while eligible, might be too emotionally invested. ‘It has to be an instantaneous challenge,’ Jeffers said. “(Catching) skills might shift a little bit, but there’s going to be another level of responsibility: knowing which pitches to challenge. There’s going to be a learning curve. Some players might lose the chance if they’re really bad at it. You only get two (wrong) challenges. There’s going to be strategy built around that.’ ” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/abs0227
ABS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Via Jon Hoefling at USA Today. https://fluence-media.co/qanda0227
MEET ‘LOUIS’ VARLAND: Via Dan Hayes at The Athletic. You should still call him “Louie,” but the Twins pitcher will now be called “Louis Varland” on scoreboards and in more formal communications. VERBATIM: “It’s not like I’m changing my name. It’s my real name and I decided just to do it because maybe my mom and grandparents would like it because I’m named after my uncle. … Call me Louie. On the scoreboard it will say Louis. That’s it. Plain and simple. Everybody’s freaking out about this for no reason.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/varland0227
TRANSITION MONDAY: Derek Falvey will officially take over President of Baseball and Business Operations on Monday. Dave St. Peter, who had been president of the business side, will take the title of Strategic Advisor. Falvey’s promotion was announced in November.
DARNOLD OR McCARTHY? Via Dane Mizutani at Pioneer Press. The NFL Combine is going on in Indianapolis but off-field chatter about the Vikings quarterback situation is as interesting as anything happening during more formal activities. VERBATIM: “Though neither general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah nor head coach Kevin O’Connell would tip their hand about the upcoming decision surrounding Sam Darnold, they both raved about J.J. McCarthy’s progress while talking to reporters this week at Lucas Oil Stadium, site of the NFL Combine. It sounds as if McCarthy could be back on the field as soon as organized team activities this spring, which would put him in a good spot heading into training camp this summer. . . . It remains to be seen whether McCarthy, who turned 22 last month, will be named the starter ahead of next season. Even if the Vikings decide to move on from Darnold, they could decide to have somebody like, say, veteran quarterback Daniel Jones compete for the job. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/qbs0227
HINT COMING UP: Via Ben Goessling at Star Tribune. VERBATIM: “The first indicator of their plans will arrive by Tuesday, the NFL’s deadline for teams to place the franchise or transition tag on one of their pending free agents. Placing the franchise tag on Darnold would cost the Vikings nearly $41 million but would buy them more time to make their quarterback decision for 2025, or give them a better return on Darnold than the 2026 third-round compensatory pick they might get if he leaves in free agency.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/decision0227
WHAT’S A FRANCHISE TAG? Via ESPN.com. There’s a three-part answer. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/tag0227
WILD HURTING: Via Jess Myers at Pioneer Press. The latest update on Kirill Kaprizov is that his lower-body injury will sideline him for longer than expected. And now Joel Eriksson Ek will be out for several weeks with an injury disclosed by the Wild on Tuesday. Kaprizov still leads the team with 52 points despite missing 21 of the team’s 58 games so far. Eriksson Ek had nine goals and 15 assists in 42 games. VERBATIM: “With two of their top forwards out of the lineup likely until sometime in March, at best, and the March 7 trade deadline approaching, one could realistically expect the Wild to acquire a forward. Of course, the budget is tight, with millions in dead money still on the books. But general manager Bill Guerin and his staff have proven to be adept at managing the team’s minimal fiscal wiggle room. If there is offensive help to be had for a reasonable price, one should not be surprised to see the Wild make a move or two (by the deadline).” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/injuries0227
FABULOUS FABER: Via Michael Russo at The Athletic. Based on his play at the 4 Nations tournament, you can expect to see Wild defenseman Brock Faber as one half of Team USA’s top shutdown pairing on the blue line at the 2026 Olympics in Italy. VERBATIM: “Faber, a 2020 Los Angeles Kings second-round pick and last year’s Calder Trophy runner-up, is a well-decorated international player, winning gold at the 2021 World Junior Championship and playing in the 2022 Olympics. But going up against the NHL’s biggest superstars was one of the coolest experiences of his life and the defeat in the title game (to Canada) ‘makes you that much more motivated and excited to hopefully get them again a year from now.’ “ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/faber0227
THIRD-GENERATION STANDOUT: Via Regan Guirguis at Minnesota Daily. Team-leading scorer Jimmy Snuggerud of Chaska is carrying on a family tradition with the Gophers. His father Bo played for the Gophers from 1985-89 and his grandfather, James Westby, was on the team from 1958-63. Snuggerud leads the U this season with 21 goals and 22 assists in 34 games. He’s also been named the Big Ten’s No. 1 Star of the Week three times. VERBATIM: “Being a third-generation Gopher is not lost on him, despite his grandfather playing over 60 years ago. ‘I think that’s kind of a cool side aspect of being a Gopher is that third-generation piece. It’s just something special that I don’t think about often, but when I do, it just reminds me of why I came back and why I’m here.' “ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/snuggerud0227
TITLE HOPES: The Gophers men lead the Big Ten by two points going into the final weekend of men’s hockey with games at Penn State at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday (BIG Network) Looking further ahead, they are currently third in the USCHO PairWise rankings, which would get them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA regionals if they maintain that position or fall no lower than fourth. If they maintain a top seed, the best bet would be for Minnesota to end up at the regional in Fargo on March 28-30. PAIRWISE RANKINGS: https://fluence-media.co/pairwise0227
U WOMEN’S HOCKEY: The Gophers host Minnesota State in a best-of-three WCHA quarterfinal series that starts Friday and ends Saturday or Sunday. Minnesota finished third, Minnesota State sixth. The Gophers went 4-0 against the Mavericks during the regular season. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and — if needed — 3 p.m. Sunday. Games are on FOX9+ and BIG+. First-round winners advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff next weekend in Duluth. TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/utix0227
OTHER WCHA SERIES: No. 8 Bemidji State plays at No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 7 St. Thomas plays at No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 St. Cloud State plays at No. 4 UMD. All tournament games are on BIG+. TV SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/plus0227
FIRST MINNESOTA OLYMPIANS? Via Nick Zaccardi at NBC Sports: Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of Duluth won the U.S. Olympic Mixed Doubles Curling Trials last weekend in Colorado to take a big step toward the 2026 Olympics. VERBATIM: “Thiesse and Dropkin aren’t qualified for the Olympics yet. They must still earn their spot through international competition later this year. Their first chance is at the world championship in two months in New Brunswick, Canada. Nations’ results at the 2024 and 2025 Worlds are combined to create a ranking that determines the first seven nations to qualify for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games (plus automatically qualified host nation Italy). After that, a last-chance global qualifying tournament in December will determine the last two Olympic spots.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/curling0227
DIGGINS UPDATE: Via Naila-Jean Meyers at Star Tribune. Afton resident Jessie Diggins leads the World Cup Nordic Ski standings by 472 points heading into the world championships in Norway that started Wednesday and go through the end of next week. Diggins finished 23rd in Thursday’s sprint competition, the first of five individual events. Three others with Minnesota connections are competing: Zak Ketterson, 27, of Bloomington and Alayna Sonnesyn, 28, of Plymouth are making World Cup debuts. Eduardo Arteaga, 47, is skiing for Venezuela. He moved to Minnesota to attend Hamline. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/diggins0227
SOLUTION SEEKS PROBLEM: Via Star Tribune. Outstate columnist Karen Tolkkinen wrote recently that transgender women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports, a piece that apparently meant to parse out the rights that transgender women should and shouldn’t have. Marry and have children, yes. Play sports, no. It’s the selective rights argument that during the 20th Century led to many homes in Minnesota having racially restrictive covenants. (There was such a covenant on our home, which we filed paperwork to have removed several years ago.) The column sparked a rebuttal from Megan Peterson, executive director of Gender Justice, an advocacy group headquartered in St. Paul. Among other things, Peterson pointed to NCAA data that there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes that officials are aware of among the 510,000 men and women playing intercollegiate sports.
PETERSON WRITES: “Being assigned male at birth does not automatically make someone a stronger or faster athlete. In fact, after hormone therapy, trans women’s performance aligns with cisgender women’s performance. When it comes to both gender and athletic performance, the reality is far more complex than XX and XY, and clinging to outdated and oversimplified ideas about sex differences isn’t common sense — it’s just inaccurate. Worse, the column’s author, Karen Tolkkinen, cloaks her argument in a veneer of reasonableness, suggesting that selectively barring trans people from public life is a fair compromise. It’s not. It’s discrimination.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/peterson0227
REJECTING A COMPROMISE: Via Rudy Gobert at Players’ Tribune. I remember reading this last year when it was published and, by coincidence it recently showed up in my Facebook feed. It’s Gobert talking about how his mother was welcome to spend Christmas with family members in France — but with one condition: VERBATIM: “It’s a painful memory, but one that I need to share. You see, every year, my mom’s side of the family had this big Christmas dinner at a certain person’s house. My mom is white. My dad is Black. He’s from Guadeloupe, and he was playing basketball professionally in France when they met. My mom already had two white children from her previous relationship, and then I came into the world. And for some people, that was a problem. After I was born, certain relatives made it very clear to her that she wasn’t welcome to come to Christmas dinner if she brought me along. She could come on her own. But she couldn’t bring ‘that child.’ She couldn’t bring Rudy. She was devastated. And obviously, she spent Christmas with me instead.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/rudy0227
BILL DEBATE MONDAY: A bill that would ban transgender women from playing women’s sports in Minnesota is scheduled for debate in the Minnesota House of Representatives on Monday. Rallies for and against are planned at the Capitol. Attorney General Keith Ellison and the Minnesota State High School have stated their intention to follow state law, which currently protects transgender athletes, as opposed to an executive order by President Trump. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/for0227 and https://fluence-media.co/against0227
TAURASI RETIRES, SPARKS QUESTION: Women’s basketball icon Diana Taurasi officially announced her retirement this week, after which she was granted GOAT status by many of those writing about her career. Yes, Taurasi is great. But the greatest of all time in women’s basketball? Nope. That would be . . .
MORE MAYA: Here’s supporting evidence for Lynx great Maya Moore. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/goat0227
Thanks for reading and watching. Back with more next week.
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