Author: David Shama

TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley chose his words poorly when he went off on Glen Taylor Tuesday night after earlier in the day the Timberwolves owner had suggested Kevin Garnett “tanked” some late season games last year while still playing here.  “Glen Taylor’s got a lot of money but he doesn’t know anything about basketball,” Barkley said.  Barkley then made a crude remark about where Taylor could kiss him and he still wouldn’t know who Taylor is.

Kirk Snyder, traded to the Wolves in late February, has now matched his total starts here, nine, with what he had in Houston.  His minutes per game have almost tripled, from nine to 26.9 as the Wolves try to learn whether the 6-6, 24-year-old forward can be part of their future.  He’s averaging 7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds for the Wolves.

ESPN2 will televise the Gopher women’s opening NCAA basketball game Sunday night against Texas from Bridgeport, Conn.  Game time is 8:30 p.m. central daylight.

Four MIAC men and five women have been named to the 2008 D3hoops.com All-West Region teams as selected by sports information directors at various Division III schools. Macalester senior forward Tom Conboy was a first team selection.  Bethel junior guard Tim Madson and Concordia senior forward Luke Linz were second team selections. Carleton junior forward Zach Johnson was a third team pick.

Gustavus Adolphus senior guard Jess Vadnais and Bethel junior center Annegret Nautsch were both first team All-Region women’s selections. Concordia senior forward/ center Melanie Hageman and St. Thomas senior forward Carrie Embree were selected to the All-Region second team.  Macalester sophomore forward Trina PaStarr was a third team pick.

San Jose, which clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Wild on Wednesday night, was Sports Illustrated’s preseason Stanley Cup favorite.  The Sharks, who didn’t lose a game this season to the Wild, are in second place in the Western Conference with 97 points.

The Wild are at Vancouver tonight, the first of eight remaining games against Northwest Division teams.  Minnesota, leading the division, needs one more win to tie the franchise record for most road victories in a season, 19.

Brent Burns, 23, had an assist Wednesday night and added to his club record for most points in a season by a defenseman, 41. Burns has eight two-point games this season, plus a career-high three points – all assists – in a January game against Dallas. Minnesota is 10-1-3 this season when Burns, now in his third season with the Wild, scores a goal and 7-0-2 when he has two or more points.

Marian Gaborik, team captain for March, scored two goals in the Wild’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Sharks.  He now has 38 goals, matching his single season career best 38 set in 2005-06.

Gopher women’s hockey coach Brad Frost has been named a finalist for national coach of the year, announced earlier this week by the American Hockey Coaches Association. The award will be presented at the AHCA Coach of the Year Banquet on Saturday, April 26, in Naples, Fla.  Frost was the WCHA coach of the year after his team finished second in the league during his first season.

Seems like there are about as many opinions as to the eventual winner of the NCAA basketball tournament as predictions regarding the recovery of the stock market.  I checked earlier this week with former Gopher coach Jim Dutcher and he projected a different winner than the experts on CBS and ESPN who have five different choices.

Dutcher, who has been an outstanding commentator on Gopher telecasts for years and follows college basketball closely, picks Georgetown, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, to emerge as the national champion next month when the tournament ends.  CBS studio analysts Seth Davis and Clark Kellogg favor UCLA, No. 1 in the West.  ESPN studio analysts Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis predict a Kansas national title (No. 1 Midwest).  Their colleagues all have different picks: Dick Vitale chooses North Carolina (No. 1 East); Digger Phelps likes Memphis (No. 1 South); and Bob Knight makes Pittsburgh, a No. 4 seed in the South, his choice.

The diverse views are a reminder of the competitive balance in college basketball, making the exercise of forecasting a national champion part skill and part luck.  “If I had to pick one team from what I’ve seen, I pick Georgetown,” Dutcher said.

He likes the Hoya’s 7-2 preseason all-American center Roy Hibbert and the team’s outstanding guard play.  He respects coach John Thompson III and knows that Georgetown’s deep run in last year’s tournament will likely help this bunch that has a 27-5 record and plays its opening game tomorrow (Thursday).

The 64 team field will be down to 16 by Sunday night and while there are several teams  getting at least a sniff, only the blindly loyal or delusional are picking a Big Ten team. Wisconsin was impressive, winning both the regular season and tournament titles.  The Badgers operate on brains more than most teams and Dutcher thinks a talented group that has them down by 10 points puts Wisconsin in trouble.  He believes the Badgers, a No. 3 seed in the Midwest, might at best make the final 16 teams.  “I can’t see them going beyond that,” he said.

Michigan State is the Big Ten team best built for a successful tourney run, Dutcher said.  The Spartans, who were pre-season conference favorites, have athletes, size and a “great point guard” in Drew Neitzel, according to Dutcher who coached the Gophers in two NCAA tournament games in 1982.

This will be a showcase tournament for individual talent with Neitzel and a full roster of other stars from coast to coast.  Two of the best are in the same game when USC and guard O.J. Mayo play tomorrow night (Thursday) against Kansas State and forward Michael Beasley in a Midwest bracket game.  Other show stoppers include UCLA guard Darren Collison and Bruin center Kevin Love (phenomenal outlet passer), Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody, Texas guard D.J. Augustin, Indiana guard Eric Gordon, Memphis guard Derrick Rose, and North Carolina center Tyler Hansbrough, a popular choice for player of the year.

Those players will impact the tournament and so, too, will the game’s never ending love affair with the three point shot.  “I don’t think it’s ever been so obvious, the value of three point shooters,”  Dutcher said.  “Teams go out and make 12, 14 (three point shots) and turn around a game.”

The Gophers made 6 of 19 three pointers in their upset win over Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament last Friday. The Hoosiers were 1-14 in the 59-58 loss.

The Gophers and their fans had thoughts about making the tournament this winter, but an 8-10 regular season conference record and a soft non-conference schedule ranked among the worst in the country kept Minnesota off the final list of invitees.  “One thing they’ve got to do is, they’ve got to upgrade their schedule,” Dutcher said.

Better nonconference opponents could increase respect for the Gophers come tourney selection time and sharpen their play before the Big Ten season begins.  “You can fool yourself if you don’t get tested,” Dutcher said.

The Williams Arena patrons who have paid $30 per game for years to watch the low rent non-conference teams parade by each season would appreciate a schedule that included a few brand names like Marquette, Oregon, Arizona and, gasp, Kentucky. In a big league town, fans expect a product and Dutcher made an observation this season about Gopher basketball and coach Tubby Smith.

“The thing that amazed me was there was not a lot of buzz about Gopher basketball,” he said. “There was buzz about Tubby but not Gopher basketball.”

With fewer games on TV because of the Big Ten Network fiasco, people were less familiar with the team.  Years of losing and disappointment under former coach Dan Monson was another factor.  But with Smith here and a top 25 recruiting class coming, it’s time to fix the home nonconference schedule, too.

In the meantime, try to pick the team that will emerge as national champion on April 7 in San Antonio.