Author: David Shama

Tubby Smith kicked a towel with more accuracy Tuesday night at Williams Arena than his Gophers shot the ball in an embarrassing 84-60 loss to Illinois, a team with a 2-9 Big Ten Conference record coming into the game.  Smith excelled in distance and accuracy on his kick in front of the Minnesota bench during a frustrating second half when his players made 20.5 percent of their shots (33.3 for the game), but the headline story is that the Gophers likely booted away their NCAA tournament hopes.

The Gophers, now 5-6 in the conference and 15-8 overall, lost to a team they seemed likely to defeat. Minnesota, still in search of a signature win against a top 25 opponent, has a signature loss and a not too promising future.

The Gophers play at No. 15 ranked Wisconsin tomorrow (Saturday, 1 p.m.) and the Badgers methodically took Minnesota apart, 63-47, earlier this month in Minneapolis.  Then the Gophers have winnable home games with Michigan and Penn State, before playing at No. 19 ranked and Big Ten leading Purdue, the surprise team of the conference at 11-1.  A home game follows with Ohio State (the Buckeyes won by 16 in Columbus in January) and then the regular season league schedule ends for Minnesota with road games at No. 13 ranked Indiana and Illinois (the Illini are more talented than the record indicates with three conference losses by six points or less).

Two or three more wins seems most doable for the Gophers who except for the Illinois game have established a season long pattern of beating the teams they’re expected to defeat.  We’re talking post-season NIT for the Gophers unless a March miracle happens and Minnesota ends up 9-9 in the Big Ten and 19-11 overall, or even better.  At 9-9 and 19-11, the Gophers could position themselves for an NCAA tournament invite with a win or two in the Big Ten tournament.

A couple of March snowstorms are more likely, though, than an NCAA invitation.  The Gophers’ lack of talent, including athleticism, was exposed again on Tuesday night.  Although shooting accuracy was an issue, Smith talked about his disappointing defense that contributed to Illinois making almost 60 percent of its field goals.  The Gopher coach said: “Our defense sucked the whole game. …”

Smith was clearly frustrated with his team’s performance and said at his post-game news conference that poor defense has been an issue for awhile.  He criticized the Gophers for lack of aggressiveness and toughness against Illinois. Now the Gophers go to Madison to play Wisconsin after being “awful” against the Badgers in Minneapolis, Smith said.

Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman told Sports Headliners on Wednesday that he wouldn’t be surprised if Bob Knight coaches again and that the legendary coach was interested in becoming Gopher coach last year before Smith was hired.  “He would have taken it (the Gopher position),” Wittman said.  “They didn’t even talk to him.”

Knight resigned as Texas Tech coach earlier this month, leaving his job in Lubbock where he had been since 2001.  Reports said the 68-year-old coach was tired but it’s believed the right offer may bring him back to coaching.

Wittman played for Knight at Indiana in the early 1980s and stays in touch with his friend.  Regarding a return to coaching, Wittman said of Knight, “I’ll never say never to him. That’s who he is.”

Knight coached for over 40 years with stops at Army, Indiana and Texas Tech, winning more games than any coach in NCAA Division I history.  While at Army there was talk that he might become the Gopher coach but instead he went to Indiana where he won three national championships.

Boosters of Knight promoted his name as the successor to Dan Monson as Gophers’ coach in 2007.  However, Knight’s personality and controversial incidents over the years made him an unlikely fit in the Minnesota athletic department.

Years ago Knight almost left Indiana to become a TV color commentator with CBS.  Now it seems likely, at least for the near future, that Knight will be on TV talking about college basketball.

Speculation will grow in coming weeks, too, about a return to Indiana where coach Kelvin Sampson faces allegations of NCAA infractions.  There will be lots of passion on both sides of the proposition to return Knight to Indiana.

The 2008 U.S. Women’s Open coming to Interlachen Country Club has over $3 million in corporate sponsorship sales, plus advance ticket sales of about $220,000, according to Linda Mona, general co-chair for the tournament that will bring 156 of the best female golfers to town June 23-29.  Those sales figures surpass any previous U.S. Opens approximately four months out from the tournament, she said.

Mona said sellout status will be about 22,500 spectators per day at Interlachen.  So far the tournament is almost 50 percent sold out.  The public can obtain ticket and event information at www.2008uswomensopen.com, or by calling 800-241-OPEN.

Funnyman emcee and Gopher basketball public address announcer Dick Jonckowski whispers a joke or two to Tubby Smith prior to tip off at each home game.  Here’s Jonckowski telling the two stories he told Smith earlier this week: “Two kids in Hollywood are talking. One kid said, ‘my dad can beat up your dad.’  The other kid said, ‘my dad is your dad.’

“And the second one is a gentleman came up to me the other day and he said, ‘Dick, my wife’s an angel.’  I said, ‘you’re lucky—mine’s still alive.’ ”

Timberwolves guard/forward Gerald Green defends his title in the Sprite Slam Dunk competition tomorrow (Saturday) on TNT starting at 7 p.m.  Green had a perfect score in the finals last year on a windmill dunk, leaping a table to defeat defending champion Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks.  The dunk competition is part of NBA All-Star weekend in New Orleans.

When the Twins go on the road to play National League teams and can’t use the designated hitter, newly acquired pitcher Livan Hernandez could be more than your usual feeble hitting pitcher.  Hernandez previously spent his entire career in the National League where he has a .232 lifetime average with nine home runs and 73 RBI.  In 2001 he hit .296 in 33 games and 81 at-bats.

Since the beginning of the 2000 season, Hernandez pitched 1,837.2 innings and 32 complete games, the most in major league baseball. His 270 starts are tied with Tom Glavine for the second, trailing Greg Maddux, 275.

The next Minnesota Wild Hockey Unplugged event is Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Primetime Sports Bar, 14103 Irving Ave. in Burnsville. Fans can receive autographs from Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik.

The Minnesota Minutemen announced the following candidates for the 24^th Annual Mr. Hockey Award. Tyler Barnes (Burnsville High School), J. T. Brown (Rosemount High School), Cory Fienhage (Eastview High School), Jake Gardiner (Minnetonka High School), Joe Gleason (Edina High School), Justin Jokinen (Cloquet High School), Zack Lehrke (Park Rapids High School), Aaron Ness (Roseau High School), Drew Olson (Brainerd High School) and Jake Youso (International Falls High School).   The Mr. Hockey Award is given to the outstanding high school senior and is selected by a panel of NHL scouts, Division I coaches and media.

The Minutemen also announced earlier this week that Joe Phillippi of Hill-Murray High School has won The Frank Brimsek Award in recognition of the state’s top senior goaltender.

The MIAC led all NCAA Division III conferences in football attendance for the third straight season in 2007. The conference’s nine teams averaged 3,594 fans per game, 372 more per game than in 2006. In 49 home games, the MIAC total attendance was a Division III-best 176,129 fans.

For the seventh straight season Saint John’s was the Division III attendance leader. The Johnnies averaged a school-record 8,769 fans per game. Concordia College-Moorhead finished second in the nation behind Saint John’s with an average of 5,441 fans per game.

The Crown Royal Golf Show is expected to have over 100 golf exhibitors, plus special attractions including the $100,000 Putt Challenge.  The show will be at the Metrodome February 22-24.