Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 12.1.25
Happy first week of competition dance season to those who celebrate. The annual first week of December pilgrimage to Branson, Mo., is nearly upon me.
St. Thomas has its first Division I NCAA Tournament bid. The women’s volleyball team doesn’t have to go very far to face Iowa State Friday at Maturi Pavilion.The winner gets either Minnesota or Fairfield on Saturday.
The Frost is off to a 1-0-1 PWHL start.
Gophers win Paul Bunyan’s Axe with a 17-7 decision over Wisconsin. I’m not a huge fan of celebrating “undefeated at home” seasons (they failed to win away from home or of storming the field after beating teams that have two conference wins. Bowl game awaits P.J. Fleck’s crew.
Vikings Blanked 26-0 in Seattle
It turns out all the Vikings fans clamoring for Max Brosmer did not, in fact, know more about football than Kevin O’Connell. In his first (and maybe only, for awhile) NFL start, Brosmer was picked four times as Seattle left little doubt in a 26-0 win over the Vikings on Sunday. Minnesota hadn’t been shut out since 2007, against Green Bay.
O’Connell can only play the QB’s he’s been given. But you have to wonder, what was Kwesi doing spending $300 million on this roster but handing the reins to J.J. McCarthy, he of no NFL starts and one major injury. McCarthy, of course, has been plagued by injuries this season too, the latest a concussion that gave Brosmer the nod.
It’s so bad that Justin Jefferson caught two passes for four yards, and left the locker room without speaking to reporters. J.J. wants to win, and it’s hard to figure how this team does that without an elite quarterback next season.
You have to feel for the Vikings’ defense, which held the Seahawks and former Vikings QB Sam Darnold (a bargain at $30 million) without a touchdown till late. They bend (four field goals) but barely break, which is amazing considering how much they’re on the field.
The injuries continue to mount for the Vikings. Aaron Jones has a shoulder injury, his second big injury of the season.
Who’s lining up to go to the home game against the Commanders this Sunday? That’s at least one of three straight winnable-ish games for the Vikings, who end the season against Detroit and Green Bay.
Wolves Rally for Win Over Spurs
It took till the season’s three-quarter pole for the Wolves to defeat a team with a winning record, but they’ve now done it twice in a row. The Wolves beat the Spurs 125-112 at Target Center on Sunday thanks to a furious 27-7 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. The win came a little more than 24 hours after a four-point win over the Celtics.
Closeouts have not been the Wolves’ strength - two losses last week in which they led by double digits late. But despite playing the second of a back-to-back, the Wolves were a much better team in the fourth quarter. They moved 1.5 games back of San Antonio for fifth in the West.
Julius Randle was a beast all night - he scored 22 points to go along with 12 assists. Anthony Edwards scored 32 points despite seven turnovers - he’s got five straight games with 30 or more points for the first time in his career. Amazingly enough, ANT didn’t score in the 27-7 run (he wasn’t on the court for much of it).
The Wolves get two road games this week against a three-win Pelicans team.
Wild Beat Avs but Falter to Sabres
A day after beating the Avs 3-2 in a shootout in a matchup of the NHL’s two hottest teams, the Wild suffered a predictable letdown in a 3-2 shootout loss to Buffalo. Still, the Wild is 9-0-2 in the last 11 games, despite having a seven-game winning streak snapped against the Sabres.
The game against Colorado was one of the more entertaining NHL regular season contests you’ll find this year or any year. The Avs have just one regulation loss in 25 games (!).
There’s little doubt the Central Division is the best in the league. Yes they had a slow start, but the Wild is still three points behind Dallas and nine behind Colorado despite an 11-1-2 November.
How I miss the old days of the Northwest Division. The Wild will head to Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver (and Seattle) beginning Tuesday.
Gopher Hockey
Freshman Javon Moore scored with 36 seconds left in overtime as the Gophers beat No. 4 Denver 6-5 at Ball Arena in a thrilling edition of the U.S. Hockey Fall of Fame Game. The Minnetonka product and Ottawa draft pick helped the Gophers beat their former WCHA rival. Minnesota led 4-2 and 5-3 in the third period but need OT for the win.
The Gopher women, ranked third, have had two weeks to think about their sweep at the hands of Minnesota State. They play St. Thomas for a home-and-home this weekend, the Gophers’ first trip to the new on campus arena at UST.
Gopher Hoops
The Gopher men have lost three straight after getting swept in Palm Desert, Calif., by Stanford and Santa Clara They were competitive in each game but faltered late. They begin Big 10 play against No. 25 Indiana on Wednesday at The Barn.
The Gopher women lost a close 63-58 matchup to Alabama in the championship game in The Bahamas. They’ll take their 5-2 mark into a home game tonight against Samford. Big 10 play begins this weekend.
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