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Category: Media

2025 Hoops Game Failed but Gophers-Tommies Still Teases

Posted on October 14, 2025October 14, 2025 by David Shama

 

Niko Medved, the new Golden Gophers men’s basketball coach, will put his team on the floor for home exhibition games this Thursday and October 25 against North Dakota State and North Dakota respectively.  Back in June Medved quietly offered to have his exhibition schedule include a first ever matchup with St. Thomas at that team’s new home arena.

The Tommies (after leaving Division III) have competed at the Division I level since the fall of 2021 and some basketball fans are intrigued by the idea of the state’s two Division I teams playing each other.  Asked by Sports Headliners on Saturday if he would make a future offer on a game with the Tommies, Medved said: “I don’t know. We’ll see.  I mean hopefully at some point we will be able to do that.”

This is the first season Division I teams can play each other in exhibition games open to the public.  Medved thought it would be “cool” to play the Tommies at their new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena.

The timing wasn’t right for the Tommies, though, who may have been surprised by the proposal.  St. Thomas didn’t want the first ever game in the multi-use arena to be an exhibition and had agreed for more than a year to play Army on November 8.  The UST women’s team will also play against the Cadets in a historic doubleheader.

Not so subtly, talk of matching up the Minneapolis-based Gophers and St. Paul-based Tommies has gone on for years.  Sports Headliners is told Richard Pitino, the Gopher coach from 2013-2021, said he would play the D-III Tommies. Ben Johson, Pitino’s successor and head coach until last March, said no to the potential rivalry game.

At Medved’s introductory news conference in March he was asked about the Tommies. The two schools haven’t played each other in men’s basketball since 1934. He expressed interest in a game then and also noted his friendship with St. Thomas head coach John Tauer.

“I really like John,” Medved said Saturday. “He’s a great guy, a great coach. So, we have a lot of respect for him and what they do.”

From a St. Thomas perspective, where might things be headed for a future meeting between the two schools whose campuses are just a long walk away from each other?

“We’ve said for four years, and we continue to say, we’d love to play the Gophers either in a …game at their place or start a home and home series,” Tauer told Sports Headliners this summer. ”We’d love to play them in a regular season game and our (future) schedule) is wide open.”

Tauer isn’t interested in playing Minnesota in a future exhibition game.  Medved isn’t interested at this time in a series of games.

Niko Medved

Medved didn’t go into a lot of details, but he said there are many factors impacting Big Ten teams like his that go into the scheduling process.  (These can include timing on the calendar, prior commitments with other teams, logistics, and finances.)  It’s also no secret that who you play in non-conference games, and whether you win, can make or break an invite to the NCAA Tournament and March Madness.  Medved acknowledged you schedule to make the tournament.

The Tommies, who won a Division III title under Tauer in 2016, are the preseason favorite in the Summit League poll to win the conference championship.  Last winter the Tommies came within one victory of winning the league’s postseason title.  This is the first season the Tommies will be eligible for the NCAA Tournament.

The Gophers are forecast to finish near the bottom of the 18-team Big Ten.  Medved is rebuilding after Johnson’s last team missed the NCAA Tournament for a fourth consecutive year.

While the novice fan is intrigued by a Gophers-Tommies matchup, there is much more upside for St. Thomas.  A mid-major program, the Tommies could flaunt their resume (including with state recruits) with a win over a team from the Power Four and prestigious Big Ten Conference.

Possible scenarios from a matchup could look like this:

A blow-out Minnesota win? The public conclusion: “What do you expect from a Big Ten team playing at home?”

A narrow Gopher victory? “See the Tommies could have won.  They’re just as good as Minnesota.”

A St. Thomas triumph? “The Gophers can’t even beat a good mid-major program.”

It’s well-known among college basketball programs the Tommies are a risky booking and light years from being labeled a patsy by anyone.  No Big Ten team is scheduling them this season or has any recent history with St. Thomas.  The analytics and intuition tell Big Ten and other schedule makers not to play the Tommies who have talent starting with the head coach who is among the best in the country.

None of this is to say the Gophers are ducking the Tommies.  A game at some point appears likely. Medved believes a matchup is a “great way to get everybody talking about local basketball.”

With a season tickets base expected to be  similar in size to the 5,500-basketball capacity of the St. Thomas arena, the Gophers likely will play host to the first matchup in 14,625 seat Williams Arena.  It’s believed the Tommies, who are challenged to find nonconference road games against prominent foes, would receive about a $100,000 guarantee to play at Williams Arena.  The game could generate 2,500 to 5,000 additional single game ticket sales than normal for a home Minnesota nonleague game.

Gopher players, not having to be concerned about anything but competing against opponents, might welcome facing their neighbors. A small sampling of players last week was favorable about a UST game.

“I would love to play St. Thomas,” said B.J. Omot …”We’ll see who really runs the cities.  So that would be pretty cool to play them.”

Guard Isaac Asuma is intrigued, too.  “I think it’s slowly getting put into motion, so I am ready for it.”

A third native Minnesotan and Gopher, Grayson Grove, is on board. “That’d be really fun.  I know a bunch of the St. Thomas guys.  Good friends with a bunch of them, so I think it would be really fun to play against them.”

Gophers Notes

Medved’s team, which opens the regular season at home November 3 against Gardner- Webb, allowed fans into Williams Arena last Saturday to watch an intrasquad scrimmage. The team looked well drilled on fundamentals and effort was apparent.

Playing in front of fans may have prompted nervousness.  Neither the maroon nor gold team scored until almost five minutes had elapsed.  North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson’s two free throws took the goose eggs off the scoreboard.

Cade Tyson

Tyson played sparingly at Carolina last season after he transferred from Belmont where he averaged 15 points in 61 games.  He told Sports Headliners last Friday his confidence “definitely took a hit” at Carolina where he played eight minutes per game.

Tyson, a 6-foot-7 guard-forward who could be the team’s best three-point shooter and scorer, said he’s “grateful” for lessons learned last year after a 2023-2024 season at Belmont where he was second in the nation in three-point conversion percentage at 46.5.

“I feel really good about my shot right now,” he said.  “Honestly, I feel like I feel better about my shot when I am not thinking about it, too much. …Just let me go.”

Tyson is one of several mid-level transfers who are part of an almost totally new Gophers roster from last season.  Another is Davidson transfer and forward Bobby Durkin who was asked about the low season expectations for Minnesota in the standings.

“I try not to think too much about that,” Durkin said.  “Obviously, I saw it (the Big Ten media poll) and I think we’re not too worried about what that says. I think we have the belief in ourselves that if we can become the best that we’re able to, that we’ll have a great season.”

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Most Pressure to Win in This Town? It’s not the WNBA Lynx

Posted on September 26, 2025September 26, 2025 by David Shama

 

Our town demands little in terms of championships from its pro teams and the Golden Gophers.  Maybe that’s part of why the championship cupboard is so bare.

Minnesota fans aren’t so nasty they would threaten a serious boycott of a team, or boo Santa Claus like the City of Brotherly Love once did.

With a population here raised on “Minnesota nice” and minds filled with sensitivity training, I question whether some state natives would even unanimously hiss and jeer Vladimir Putin!

The Lynx are favorites to win the WNBA title this fall but think again if you believe there’s public pressure on the Lynxers to win it all.  Nope for a couple of reasons.

The Lynx have already produced four WNBA championships, and they keep exceeding expectations.  Then, too, the public interest in the club isn’t as widespread, nor as deeply intense as for several other outfits in town.

The team that should be feeling the most pressure to rise ASAP to an elite level is the Twins.  The struggling franchise that passed on the opportunity to take a step forward two years ago after exciting patrons with its playoff run has both pissed off and launched fans into anger and apathy.

The Twins close the regular season on Sunday as a franchise viewed by the public and media as in disarray.  David Schoenfield, writing for ESPN.com Wednesday, graded the 30 MLB teams on their 2025 seasons.  No one in Twins Territory should be surprised the Pohlad owned franchise was given an F.

Schoenfield wrote: “This is the kind of season that can set an organization back five years, where it kind of feels like the whole organization has given up. Ownership/management punted at the trade deadline, dealing away 10 players. …As always, the Pohlads never disappoint in their willingness to pinch pennies.”

It’s interesting that while the Twins head toward a final record of about 22 games under .500 (after plummeting with a second consecutive late season collapse), the Brewers from neighboring Wisconsin received the best grade of the season from Schoenfield.  Playing in a similar size market, the Brewers will finish with close to 100 wins and easily the best runs differential in MLB.

The Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild and Gophers football have no elite hardware to showcase this century, but they don’t face the scrutiny of the Twins who need a massive turnaround and pursuit of no less than an American league pennant.

Measure fan interest by game attendance, TV viewership, merchandise sales and sponsorship, and no one in this town likely comes close to the Vikings in decibel blowing devotion.  On Sundays, it feels like only the newborn and comatose among us aren’t following the Purple heroes.

The franchise hasn’t been to the Super Bowl since Jimmy Carter was in the White House, but there’s not a win it all demand by the fanbase or “we’re done with you.”  A competitive team, with entertaining players, is enough for the Skol-mad and beer fueled fans to rock all fall.

The Wolves and Wild claim no league titles in their histories which date back 35 and 25 years respectively.  Yeah, Wolves fans would love to see coach Chris Finch hoisting the NBA championship trophy on a parade down Hennepin Avenue.  But the fanbase of this mostly forlorn franchise is mesmerized by the last two springs when the club made the Western Conference Finals.  Pressure to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy?  Nah, not when the fanbase is honeymooning right now in unknown success.

Kirill Kaprizov

The Wild fanbase is passionate and darn loyal, win or lose.  Patrons would love a Stanley Cup but for starters many will welcome a deep playoff run next spring. Past post season success has been too minimal as has goal scoring.  Disappointed fans have a way of returning for the next season and for now are preoccupied with seeing the contract of superstar Kirill Kaprizov extended.  That’s where the franchise’s public pressure is for now.  If Kaprizov departs and the club performs poorly for a season or two, then the pressure will be on like never before in the building we used to call the X.

Gopher football hasn’t shared a Big Ten championship since 1967.  Minnesota couldn’t even win a division title earlier this century when it was grouped into the mediocre Big Ten West.  Win-some, lose-some results in Big Ten games for a long time has driven away fans.  Apathy hangs over this once proud program that during the first 70 years of the last century was a national power.  A berth in the 12-team college football playoffs one day would bring a lot of fans out of the closet for the home state Division 1 football.

Not saying there isn’t pressure to win for this town’s teams, but nobody should be feeling it like the Twins!  Santa Claus, though, probably wouldn’t get booed at Target Field.  Tim Walz or Scott Jensen, maybe.

Worth Noting

Lindy’s Sports College Basketball Magazine is on newsstands and forecasts a 16th place finish for Minnesota in the 18-team Big Ten standings.  Concerns about coach Niko Medved’s first team at Minnesota include how well incoming players from mid-major programs will fare in the Big Ten.

The magazine’s top 10: Houston, Purdue, Florida, Michigan, Duke, Kentucky, St. John’s, Iowa State, Alabama and UConn.

The public is invited to a free men’s basketball Maroon and Gold Open Scrimmage at Williams Arena on Saturday, October 11. Start time will be 2 or 2:30 p.m., four hours before the start of the home football game with Purdue. That game time will be either 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. and decided later.  Following the one-hour scrimmage, players will sign autographs near the Williams Arena court.

Fans can enter the arena through the Maturi Pavilion Daily Entrance, located at 1925 University Ave. Tailgate lots for the Gopher football game are scheduled to open at noon or 12:30 p.m. that day

News came yesterday that 6-8 forward Erick Reader, the sophomore forward from Bloomington and New Life Academy who played minimally in the past for the Gophers, is leaving the program to focus on academics.  He is replaced by 6-3 walk-on guard RJ Spencer from Blaine and Totino-Grace.

Congratulations to hockey icon Lou Nanne who will be inducted Tuesday into the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame at the JX Event Center in Stillwater.  The former Gophers All-American, North Stars player, GM and president, has an impressive broadcast resume.

Nanne’s broadcast experience includes the Stanley Cup, Olympics, NCAA Frozen Four and the Boys’ State High School Hockey Tournament.  He offered game commentary for 60 years of Minnesota high school state tournament games. He makes a KFAN radio appearance one day a week with Dan Barreiro.

Saint John’s senior defensive end Zach Frank and St. Olaf senior linebacker Noah Barret are semifinalists for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy® which is college football’s premier scholar-athlete award.

Comments Welcome

McCarthy’s Missed Season May Pay Dividends for him in 2025

Posted on September 1, 2025September 1, 2025 by David Shama

 

J.J. McCarthy makes his NFL regular season debut next Monday night in a nationally televised game against the Bears in Chicago.  That career, of course, was supposed to have started last year but didn’t because the then 21-year-old Vikings quarterback sustained a season-ending knee injury in preseason.

The deflating season on the sidelines may well prove to have a silver lining to it.

Local football authority Daniel House, known for his football film breakdown and data driven research, thinks so.  House, recognized by football followers for his Vikings Corner and Gophers Guru websites and posts on X @DanielHouseMN, said fans don’t realize “how complex the (Vikings) system is.”

Purple followers, House told Sports Headliners, should be “encouraged” by the process McCarthy has gone through.  “He had time to learn and I think that’s going to be very beneficial for him.”

House believes that despite McCarthy’s inexperience and youth the former No. 1 draft choice could finish the season statistically ranked something like 15-16 among NFL quarterbacks in production.  “I would say, yeah, that’s a good spot for him to be in just based off not just the talent standpoint, but (coach) Kevin O’Connell’s ability to maximize what he (McCarthy) does best.  And then you look at the skill players around him (adding support). …”

McCarthy will benefit from a surrounding group of offensive and defensive players loaded with talent.  Included will be an improved offensive line and running back depth.  That development is expected to have the Vikings running more than at any time in O’Connell’s three previous seasons in Minneapolis.  It’s a strategy designed to take some responsibility and pressure off the quarterback.

Even with a “pound the rock” running game and elite defense, the Vikings will need plenty of outstanding performances from McCarthy.  That starts on the big stage of Monday Night Football and House doesn’t think the scene will be too much for McCarthy.

J.J. McCarthy

“He excels in those big moments,” House said while reminding a listener that McCarthy delivered in the spotlight in pressure filled high school and college games, including 2023 when he quarterbacked Michigan to the national championship.

House said McCarthy has the persona to lead in the locker room and on the field. “The one thing I notice about J.J. is just how his teammates rally around him. He’s got that dynamic presence about him. …

“I know some people that know J.J. well and were around him at Michigan. And…the thing is this guy has an electricity to him from the personality standpoint that every top quarterback has to have. “

Worth Noting

House believes the Vikings could win 10 or 11 games.  He thinks a four-game stretch between October 19 and November 9 where the Vikings play the Eagles, Chargers, Lions and Ravens is “going to define the season.”

Asked about a breakout Vikings player, House identified second-year defensive lineman Jalen Redmond. “He popped at me when I was at practices.  I thought that he looked more refined, quick. Feeling comfort in the system.”

House added that the Vikings’ willingness to trade veteran defensive tackle Harrison Phillips earlier this summer for future draft capital looks like a vote of confidence in Redmond as a starter. “I am on the Jalen Redmond train.  I think he’s going to have a nice year.”

The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman wrote recently about how college football players are spending their Name, Image and Likeness money.  Included were Gopher defensive stars Anthony Smith who bought a Dodge Ram TRX and Koi Perich’s expenditure on a scooter.

Smith said the Dodge makes him happy and he “can’t stop smiling.”  Perich said he loves his scooter and it’s the only thing he rides.

Gopher Jameson Geers, who had a game shifting fumble in last year’s loss at Rutgers and dropped two passes in the 2025 season opener while also making a touchdown catch, is on the John Mackey Award watch list for best tight end in the nation.  Geers, who has two seasons of remaining eligibility, caught four passes for 38 yards in the 23-10 win over Buffalo.

Geers was stopped short on a tush-push from the Buffalo 11-yard line in the first quarter of last Thursday night’s opening game.  P.J. Fleck said the distance for the first down was about 1.5 yards, not one, and the Gophers head coach took the blame for the failed play, explaining it was the wrong call.

Deepest condolences to the family and many friends of former 1960s Gophers football player and assistant coach Mike Reid who passed away August 24 after battling a heart issue.  A Spring Valley, Wisconsin native, Mike made his home in the Twin Cities area, and his warm personality was worthy of “All-American” status. https://obituaries.pellachronicle.com/obituary/michael-reid-1093061208

There is a write-in campaign by friends of the late Jim Carter to have the South St. Paul High School football stadium named after the Gophers’ 1969 football captain and former Packers high school star athlete.

Former Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan will provide color commentary on Saturday’s Big Ten Network telecast of the Minnesota-Northwestern State game at Huntington Bank Stadium. The FCS Demons are located in Natchitoches, Louisiana and the football team snapped a 20-game losing streak last Saturday with a 20-10 win over Alcorn State.

Gopher communications boss Paul Rovnak writing on X about ESPN legend Lee Corso who retired last Saturday at age 90: “Before big games coach Corso would call to learn more about the Gophers. Last time was Dec. 24 to prep for our bowl game vs VT (Virginia Tech). I told him my kids loved him and thanked him (for) what he did for Minnesota. He then asked to talk to my kids so he could wish them Merry Christmas.”

Wild owner Craig Leipold told Sports Headliners he wants his team to develop a “mindset like Florida,” winners of the last two Stanley Cups.  Leipold wants a team that plays together and executes on each play.

The 2026 USA Special Olympics Games will be held in Minnesota next June. CEO Christy Sovereign, along with Special Olympic athletes, will speak at the Capital Club at Mendakota Country Club on September 24.   More information about the club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

Twins’ right-hander Pablo López made his third start on rehab assignment last night for Triple-A St. Paul at Toledo. He pitched 5.2 innings, giving up four hits, no runs and striking out 7. The staff ace was placed on the Injured List June 4 with a right shoulder strain.

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