Gophers Basketball – Page 132 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Peterson Owes Vikings Fans in 2015

Posted on December 22, 2014December 22, 2014 by David Shama

Vikings and Gophers notes:

Sources believe Vikings decision makers want Adrian Peterson to play for their team next season. Assuming that’s accurate, where will Peterson want to play?

Peterson should decide he is not interested in playing for another NFL team, and offer a “make-good” to the Vikings franchise, his teammates and fans. His lost season in 2014 was of his making. He made a terrible mistake in mistreating one of his sons and he has paid for his actions in the legal system, court of public opinion and via suspension by the NFL.

The Vikings, unable to duplicate Peterson’s running production in 2014, would upgrade their offense next year with the All-Pro’s return. Peterson’s large salary, though, is something the Vikings will want to address because of his advanced age for a running back, 30 years old. He reportedly is to be paid $13 million in 2015, although the money is not guaranteed.

In the pass-happy NFL, where the role of the running back has been devalued, no team in the league is likely to pay the aging Peterson anywhere near $13 million. Those facts will be in the Vikings favor (or any other team) at the bargaining table.

After a career where Peterson has earned mega riches in salary and endorsements, he is at a place where money should be a secondary concern. Peterson should take the high road and show his character by accepting a significantly reduced salary for 2015. Such a decision is another way of expressing remorse, and also gratitude to the franchise, players and fans that have supported him over the years.

The Vikings, 6-9, end their season on Sunday at home against the Bears, 5-10. A win by the Bears would leave both teams tied for last in the NFC North final standings.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was upset after yesterday’s 37-35 loss to the Dolphins in Miami. Greg Coleman asked Zimmer on KFAN’s postgame show what he told the players in the locker room about next Sunday. “I’ll keep that between us,” Zimmer said on the radio.

The Vikings, for the second consecutive game, couldn’t stop an opponent’s comeback. The game winning points came when the Dolphins got two points by blocking a Vikings punt and creating a safety.

“We played so poor on defense today it was embarrassing,” Zimmer said on KFAN. “Allowed them five-for-five in the red zone, nine out of 12 or something on third downs (nine of 13). Offensively, I thought we did some good things, and then to get the punt blocked at the end for the safety is ridiculous.”

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater impressed again yesterday, completing 19 of 26 passes including two touchdowns. His season completion percentage is 64.2 %. That is nearly an NFL record for a rookie but with one game remaining in the season odds are long that Bridgewater could break Ben Roethlisberger’s 66.4% mark set in 2004.

Vikings offensive tackle Mike Harris and wide receiver Charles Johnson have become friends, with the two sharing a room in hotels before Vikings games. Johnson dyes his hair blonde, and Harris described his roommate as a “fashion kind of a guy.”

“He’s a clean-cut guy—dresses nice,” Harris told Sports Headliners. “He’s a true pro.”

In Si.com’s December 18 college mock draft for 2015, the Vikings choose Washington outside linebacker Shaq Thompson with the No. 11 pick. Maybe the Vikings, with problems at offensive tackle, are better off selecting Texas A&M’s Cedric Ogbuehi—predicted to be drafted at No. 12 by the Rams.

Gophers football players Mitch Leidner, Tommy Olson and Maxx Williams will do the “Let’s Play Hockey” shout-out tomorrow night to start the Wild-Flyers game at Xcel Energy Center. Williams, by the way, wasn’t included in the Si.com mock draft (first round only). The redshirt sophomore tight end is eligible for the 2015 draft and may consider leaving the Gophers this winter.

Former Gophers tight end and accomplished singer Ben Utecht performed at a benefit concert earlier this month for the American Brain Foundation. The concert was held in the Gophers football locker room at TCF Bank Stadium and was by invitation only.

Utecht, 33, has experienced memory loss after a football career that included the NFL. He sang the national anthem on Friday night for the Eastview-Lakeville North boys’ basketball game at Eastview.

Gophers wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky hasn’t played since the Illinois game on October 25 because of a high ankle sprain but coach Jerry Kill said if Minnesota had a game yesterday the California sophomore would have been able to play. That means unless something unforeseen happens, Wolitarsky will play in Minnesota’s January 1 Citrus Bowl game against Missouri.

The Gophers are taking two charter airplanes and close to 300 people to the bowl game. They leave at 11 a.m. on Thursday (Christmas Day) and return after the game on January 1.

The Big Ten Network asked fans of the 14 Big Ten football schools to vote for their four “Mount Rushmore” favorites at each program. Minnesota fans got it right with Bobby Bell, Paul Giel, Bronko Nagurski and Bruce Smith selected as the four greatest Gophers ever.

Is it a challenge for coaches to win regular season Big Ten football games? Well, it is at most schools other than a couple of them like Ohio State who have the best resources including nearby high school talent. OSU coach Urban Meyer is 24-0 in three seasons of Big Ten games while the Gophers Jerry Kill is 13-19 in four seasons with a career best 5-3 in league play this fall. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who reportedly earns $3.825 million, is 68-60 in 16 seasons while Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald is 30-42 in nine seasons. Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez, who will leave his athletic director’s chair to coach the Badgers at the Outback Bowl, is 65-60-3 in 18 Big Ten seasons.

Ohio State’s quarterback depth and talent is indicative of how much skill the Buckeyes have. Senior quarterback Braxton Miller was a popular candidate to be Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and the Heisman Trophy winner before he was injured in August and lost for the season. Redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett replaced Miller and was recently named third-team Associated Press All-American quarterback. Barrett was injured late in the season and couldn’t play in the Big Ten Championship Game so redshirt sophomore Cardale Jones, the third string quarterback earlier this year, stepped in to lead a 59-0 win over the Badgers.

What will the Buckeyes do with all that talent at quarterback next season? A Big Ten insider told Sports Headliners Miller will be the starter.

The Seattle University basketball team the Gophers defeated last Friday night at Williams Arena has attracted a couple of miniscule crowds at home—554 for a December 1 game against Pacific Lutheran and 267 for the Northwest University game on December 15.

In the Seattle game Gophers senior center Mo Walker continued his efficient offense, scoring 15 points in 15 minutes on the floor. He made all six of his field goal attempts and three of four free throws. In 11 games Walker is averaging 11.5 points in only 19.7 minutes per game.

The Gophers, 9-2, play Furman at home tonight and have scored over 80 points in five consecutive games. As of December 21, the Gophers lead the nation in assists per game, 20.1. They are second in steals, 12.1, and third in turnover margin, 7.0.

Mike Lukashewich, the walk-on guard from Appleton, Wisconsin, who joined the team last week, played four minutes in the Seattle game and made his college debut. His stat line was goose eggs except for a block. The 6-3 freshman likes to play defense and came to Minnesota because of the school’s sports management program. He tried out for the Gophers earlier in the fall, then was called back and finally added to the roster. “I am having a blast so far,” he said.

Gophers coach Richard Pitino said Lukashewich has “long arms” which can contribute to his defensive effectiveness. Lukashewich had considered attending St. Thomas and playing basketball there.

Gaston Diedhiou, the 6-9 freshman scholarship forward from Senegal, suited up for the first time on Friday night but didn’t play. Diedhiou became eligible recently after improving his English proficiency. Pitino noted that Diedhiou’s English is now superior to Bakary Konate, the Gophers 6-11 freshman center from Mali, who has been eligible and playing this fall.

Charles Buggs, the 6-9 redshirt sophomore counted on to play reserve minutes as a small forward, said the left knee he had surgery on last summer is still bothersome and he expects the discomfort to continue all season. The knee impacts mobility to his left. Buggs, who was a power forward, is learning the plays for the small forward position. His reverse dunk against Seattle will be among the most spectacular at Williams Arena this season and was included in the top plays on ESPN SportsCenter Friday night.

Gophers baseball coach John Anderson is working on dates for games in 2017 to be played in the new Vikings stadium. The Gophers are interested in a first game that year against a marquee college baseball program.

The foul pole distances for the baseball field configuration are expected to be 305 feet in right field and 330 in left. The distance to the right field power alley will only be 340 feet with a 30-foot high wall.

The Metrodome was used for over 400 amateur baseball games in a single year but that number will be reduced dramatically in the new enclosed Vikings stadium because the facility is expected to aggressively seek high revenue events.

WWE Raw is at Target Center tonight with Hulk Hogan, 61, performing in Minneapolis for the first time in over a decade.

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Vikings Want Lions Sackless on Sunday

Posted on December 10, 2014December 10, 2014 by David Shama

Will Sunday’s game in Detroit be decided by the matchup between the Vikings’ rebuilt offensive line and the Lions’ formidable front four on defense?

That has to be at least a major storyline. The Lions dominated the Vikings’ offense in a 17-3 win in Minneapolis on October 12. The Vikings gave up a season high eight sacks in the game. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw three interceptions in his second career start and the Vikings were limited to 188 yards passing. Rookie running back Jerick McKinnon had a team best 40 yards and the Vikings totaled only 69 yards on the ground.

The Lions’ defense ranks second in the NFL giving up 295.7 yards per game. The rushing defense is No. l, yielding 62.8 yards per game.

When the two teams played in Minneapolis, the Vikings were without right guard Brandon Fusco—already out for the season because of a torn pectoral muscle. Since then the Vikings have also lost right tackle Phil Loadholt (another torn pectoral) and possibly left guard Charlie Johnson whose status for Sunday’s game is uncertain because of a sprained ankle. “It seems this year has been really unlucky for us,” Fusco told Sports Headliners. “We’ve had some key injuries.”

Mike Harris, who has replaced Loadholt, didn’t play against the Lions in October and watched from the sidelines. He realizes what he’s facing on Sunday, though. “I know it’s going to be a challenge for the offensive line,” he said. “They have a great front, a great defense, but I am up to the challenge.”

The Lions’ front four has much to do with Detroit having a 9-4 record and contending to win the NFC North. “They get off the ball fast,” Harris said. “They’re big and strong. This group that we have, we’re totally capable of getting the job done if we just use proper technique and match their intensity. That’s what it is going to come down to.”

The front four is led by defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. “Suh and Fairley are no joke,” Fusco said. “They’re the best in the league and week in and week out they show that.”

Fusco admitted having a rebuilt line is challenging because players become accustomed to working with one another. They know each other’s tendencies, strengths and weaknesses—and learn how to play as a unit. “Communication is big. Playing with someone you’re used to, makes your job a lot easier,” Fusco said.

Fusco believes the Vikings’ offensive line can have success on Sunday. The linemen will study film and receive direction from offensive line coach Jeff Davidson. “Coach Davidson is a great coach,” Fusco said. “He’s gonna draw some good stuff up for us.”

Worth Noting

The Vikings are 69-35-2 all-time against the Lions—the most wins Minnesota has against another NFL team. Since 1996 there have been only two seasons the Lions won both regular season games against the Vikings. The Lions, long regarded as a dysfunctional franchise on and off the field, can sweep the season series from the Vikings on Sunday and no longer deserve to be labeled the “Motor City Kitties.”

The Vikings announced this morning they have signed tackle and Eden Prairie native Carter Bykowski to their practice squad. Linebacker Michael Mauti has been placed on the injured reserve list.

Blair Walsh, the Vikings field goal kicker, badly missed a late fourth quarter attempt that could have won the game against the Jets in regulation last Sunday inside cold and windy TCF Bank Stadium. He acknowledged that kicking outdoors this time of year can be “brutal” but wouldn’t offer the weather as an excuse. “You gotta perform outside,” he said.

Walsh, who lives in Boca Raton, Florida and attended the University of Georgia, expects 20 to 30 family members and friends at the Vikings game in Miami on December 21. His father has purchased tickets for the group. Walsh plans to have dinner with family and friends the night before the game.

Gophers teammate and point guard DeAndre Mathieu predicted center Mo Walker could be the Big Ten’s best low post scorer after Walker produced a career high 22 points in 23 minutes on Monday night when the Gophers defeated North Dakota 92-56. Walker, a senior, had 13 of Minnesota’s first 18 points less than six minutes into the game.

Mathieu wants the good-natured Walker to have an assertive approach on the court. “He’s getting a lot more mean,” Mathieu said. “When he gets his mean streak, then we’ll be a really, really good team.”

Mathieu, also a senior, had a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists on Monday night. That was the first double-double in those categories by a Gopher since Damian Johnson accomplished it in 2010.

Gophers coach Richard Pitino mentioned Walker and Mathieu as two of his most improved players since the start of the season—and both were major contributors last season. He said Walker, who has had past weight issues, is in “great shape” and described Mathieu’s assist to turnovers total as “phenomenal.” Mathieu has 54 assists and just 14 turnovers in nine games.

Former Apple Valley High School all-state point guard Tyus Jones has played a major role for Duke during his first weeks as a freshman leading the team on the floor. The now second ranked Blue Devils are 8-0 and Jones has turned heads including with his team-high 22 points, six rebounds, four assists game last week against then No. 2 Wisconsin in Madison. “He controlled that game,” said Al Nuness.

Nuness, a former Gophers guard and assistant coach, is Jones’ cousin. The two have been close for years and Jones refers to Nuness as his uncle. “You just can’t teach what he’s doing—running the offense like an upperclassman,” Nuness said. “That’s hard to do.”

Nuness said Jones is learning on defense. “I think he needs to improve the most (with) on-ball defense. He’s gotta recognize when a player is a little quicker than he is, that he needs to be like a half step further from him. He’s getting a little too close and that’s why they’re able…to get around him.”

Fans here had hoped Jones would play for Minnesota but Nuness doesn’t believe the Gophers’ style of play is best for Jones because his minutes would likely be more limited. “They play guards by committee at the University of Minnesota,” Nuness said. “They press, press, (and then) you’re tired, and you come out.”

Two other high profile Minnesota natives, Reid Travis and Rashad Vaughn, are also starting and excelling as college freshmen starters. Travis is fifth in scoring and third in rebounding for Stanford. Vaughn averages a team best 16.2 points per game for UNLV.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Wild traded a prospect or two to improve the club’s goaltending. Neither Darcy Kuemper, Niklas Backstrom nor Josh Harding have consistently shown they can claim the position that will be vital to how far the Wild advance in the playoffs.

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U Needs Bowl Rally Starting January 1

Posted on December 8, 2014December 8, 2014 by David Shama

Talk about incentives.

The Golden Gophers can “exorcise a lot of demons” if they defeat Missouri in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on January 1. Coach Jerry Kill’s team learned yesterday they have an invitation to that prestigious New Year’s Day bowl.

A source told Sports Headliners last week the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida was Minnesota’s preferred bowl destination. The Citrus is the highest ranking bowl game the Gophers could have been invited to and provides Minnesota with its first New Year’s Day matchup since 1962. The Citrus is the Big Ten’s second-oldest current bowl partner behind only the Rose Bowl. Big Ten teams have played in 24 Citrus Bowls, including each of the last 22 seasons.

The Gophers have lost six consecutive bowl games. All, of course, have been disappointing but some were particularly bitter defeats including last December’s loss in the Texas Bowl to a mediocre Syracuse team. To this day the Gophers will shake their collective heads over their effort and performance.

The Gophers don’t want to lug yet another bowl loss into their offseason workouts and spring practice. The program picked up momentum this season with a 5-3 Big Ten record, Minnesota’s best since 2003. Wins included trophy game triumphs over Michigan and Iowa. A season-ending loss to Wisconsin, along with a defeat in the bowl game, will take some shine off this year.

The flip side, though, is the Gophers cannot only put themselves in good spirits during the off-season but also put more juice into the fan base. More ticket sales and interest in the program are for sure if the Gophers defeat Missouri, a team that is among the best in the SEC—America’s top college football league.

The Tigers, 10-3, won the SEC’s East Division and are No. 16 nationally in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Gophers, 8-4, are ranked No. 25.

The Tigers are perceived as the team with the better personnel and figure to be a wagering favorite, at least by a touchdown. The Gophers, though, will embrace the underdog role they have played throughout the season. Last summer virtually no one predicted Minnesota would contend for the Big Ten’s West Division title but the Gophers went into the last game of the regular season with a chance to advance to the conference championship matchup with East Division champ Ohio State.

The Gophers cannot only help their own image by winning on New Year’s Day against an SEC team. They can help pump life into the Big Ten brand. Dating back to 2000, conference teams have only twice won more bowl games than they lost. The last four years the Big Ten record in postseason is 10 wins, 21 losses.

The national exposure on New Year’s Day can help Minnesota’s recruiting which is already on an upswing because of this season. The Gophers target recruiting high school players in the Southeastern part of the country, so playing in a major bowl game in Florida for the first time since 2000 is valuable.

Minnesota players who have been injured will have extra time to heal before the Citrus Bowl. An earlier bowl date meant, for example, that wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky would have less chance of recovering from his high ankle sprain. A starter in the Illinois game when he was injured, Wolitarsky would be a welcome returnee for quarterback Mitch Leidner who has played on a bad knee.

Like other bowl teams, the Gophers will receive 15 extra practices. That’s an incentive for a lot of players to improve and impress the coaches.

There’s that incentive word again.

Worth Noting

The Vikings have won consecutive cold weather games the last two Sundays at home. Yesterday the temperature was 32 with a wind chill of 21. A week ago Sunday the temp was 12 and the wind chill at minus seven. Vikings running back Ben Tate said players stiffen up in the cold. “You feel like you’re running in slow motion,” he told Sports Headliners.

The Vikings have one home game remaining, December 28 against the Bears, and then next year more outdoor football before moving into their new enclosed stadium in 2016. When it’s miserably cold at TCF Bank Stadium can a bad team that is losing to the Vikings by a big score give up? Tate thinks so. “In a climate like this, probably pack it in and just want to get the game over. I definitely think that’s an advantage for us playing in the cold weather.”

Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen is in his first season as a starter. The team’s other starting end, Brian Robison, believes Griffen has been playing at an All-Pro level. “I absolutely think so,” Robison told Sports Headliners last week. “The guy’s been playing out of his mind this year. To have 11 sacks (12 after yesterday) at this point in the season is huge. I think he’s done a lot more things than that (too)…so I think the guy is playing on a tremendous level right now.”

The Pro Bowl will be played January 25 in Glendale, Arizona and Griffen could be among the players selected. Pro Bowlers are determined by voting from fans, players and coaches. “I would think it would be a shame if he didn’t make the Pro Bowl for sure,” Robison said.

Former Gopher Simoni Lawrence, now a linebacker for Hamilton in the CFL, started all three playoff games for the Tiger-Cats including their Grey Cup loss to Calgary.

TwinsFest tickets—$20 for adults and $10 ages 14 and younger—go on sale to the general public on Thursday. Twins president Dave St. Peter said in the past all players on the 40-man roster have usually made appearances at TwinsFest, and for 2015 that means fans will likely be able to meet top prospects like Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano. The event, January 23-25, will be at Target Field for a second consecutive year and attendance could total a capacity maximum of 15,000, or about half the size for some TwinsFests at the Metrodome.

St. Peter said new manager Paul Molitor has “made contact” with players and will do more off-season communications at TwinsFest. Molitor’s contacts have been made with players here in town, not out of Minnesota.

Baseball’s winter meetings began yesterday in San Diego and are a catalyst to rumors about free agent signings. St. Peter said the Twins are shopping for pitching but wouldn’t predict how soon the club might have an announcement about acquisitions. “It could play out over 60 to 90 days,” he told Sports Headliners.

The North Dakota basketball team that plays the 6-2 Gophers tonight at Williams Arena has a 3-4 record including a 37 point loss to Utah and 12 point defeat against Northern Iowa. The North Dakota roster has six Minnesotans including sophomore guard Quinton Hooker, the 2013 Minnesota Mr. Basketball from Brooklyn Park, who is averaging 9.6 points—third best on the team—and leads in assists with 17.

Gophers basketball and baseball public address announcer Dick Jonckowski is recovering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma; and his last chemotherapy session is tomorrow.

If the Gophers season is to be a success, junior college transfer Carlos Morris needs to be a leading contributor. Morris was important to Minnesota before the season began, but is even more vital now with fellow small forward Daquein McNeil off the team indefinitely after being arrested for an off-court incident. Morris’ athleticism has been impressive including on Friday night when the Gophers defeated West Carolina, but coach Richard Pitino expects a lot from the 6-5, 175-pound junior.

“You can’t play 32 minutes at the small forward spot and only get two rebounds (Friday),” Pitino said. “He did a lot of good things—16 points, four assists, three steals—but you gotta rebound the ball at that spot.”

Pitino doesn’t plan to be overly patient with Morris who is the team’s second leading scorer at 11.6 points per game. He wants consistent effort and versatile production from Morris. “A lot of times with jucos it takes them a year,” Pitino said. “We don’t have a year with him. Just like we didn’t have a year with DeAndre Mathieu (juco point guard transfer in 2013).

“He’s gotta figure it out right now because he’s our only true small forward in the program. He’s gotta figure out a lot of things quickly which is normally difficult, but he’s got the talent which is good.”

The Gophers will wear black uniforms for their January 6 Big Ten home opener against Ohio State. The “Barn Blackout” game will encourage fans to wear black clothing.

Former Gophers golfer and New York Times bestselling author Harvey Mackay will ring a bell for the Salvation Army from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Byerly’s in St. Louis Park. This will be Mackay’s 12th consecutive year helping with the organization’s holiday fundraising effort. Mackay usually tells WCCO Radio listeners if they make a contribution to his kettle they will receive one of his books for free.

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