New University of Minnesota basketball coach Niko Medved should ignore suggestions he schedule a game with St. Thomas. There is no upside for his program in scheduling the St. Paul school that is only a few miles from Dinkytown.
Asked about the Tommies at his presser earlier this week, Medved was gracious about the suggestion and said it’s a possibility without giving a time commitment. Good response but behind closed doors Niko and his boss Mark Coyle should develop amnesia about St. Thomas.
The Tommies, only four seasons into Division I competition, play in the mid-major Summit League. Members are certainly not marquee names in college hoops with the likes of schools from the Dakotas and those pesky Kangaroos from Kansas City.
The Tommies, though, are already a Summit League power and a terrific mid-level program under coaching guru Johnny Tauer. They would walk through a snowstorm to play the role of “David” at Williams Arena against the Gophers.
Fuhgeddaboudit.
The Gopher basketball brand is so tarnished right now it would be foolish to play “Goliath” by giving the Tommies the opportunity to take down a team from the mighty Big Ten on its home floor. In that match up, Medved and company are in a no-win drama for them.
A blow-out Minnesota win? The public response is, “What do you expect from a Big Ten team playing at home?”
A close Gopher victory? The chorus says, “See the Tommies could have won. They’re just as good as Minnesota.”
A Tommies triumph? Critics crow: “The Gophers can’t even defeat a good mid-major program.”
The Tommies played road games last season at Oklahoma State and Arizona State, two teams from the Big 12 Conference. The scrappy Tommies lost both games by a combined 24 points.
Ask the marketers at those Power Four schools if the games against the Tommies did anything to boost their brand and credibility with fans, donors and potential recruits.
Avoiding the Tommies shouldn’t prompt a “game of chicken” mentality from fans who follow either program. It’s just savvy business for the Gophers to take awhile to build up their product and continue their tradition of cushy non-conference scheduling against the likes of “Hopscotch State” and “Gulf of America University.”
There is speculation that the prestigious Big East, drawn to the TV size of the Twin Cities market, may one day ask the Tommies to join that powerhouse league. That would surely be the time to schedule the Minneapolis versus St. Paul matchup—our version of Marquette against Wisconsin.
In the meantime, the Gophers need to be aware the Tommies are their competition even if the two teams don’t play on the court against one another. As the two Division I programs in the state, there is a budding rivalry for high school recruits, media attention and fans.
BTW both programs have lots of potential to build fan followings and home attendances. The Tommies, 24-10 overall last season, attracted only 20,117 total fans for 14 home games at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies averaged 1,437 fans per game, playing to 65 percent of capacity, per stats.ncaa.org. St. Thomas will play in the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena next fall with a basketball capacity of about 5,500.
The Gophers, whose public season ticket sales have dipped under 5,000, continued their trend of poor attendance in 2025. Minnesota averaged 8,923 fans, playing to 61 percent capacity in 14,625 seat Williams Arena.
Worth Noting
Is there anyone on the planet who doesn’t agree the No. 1 thing that will determine the Twins fate for 2025 is collective health. The Twins announced the following Injured List on Thursday, opening day.
Position players Brooks Lee (10-days, retroactive to March 24; lumbar strain) and Royce Lewis (10-days, retroactive to March 24; left hamstring strain), and right-handed pitchers Brock Stewart (15-days, retroactive to March 24; left hamstring strain) and Michael Tonkin (15-days, retroactive to March 24; right shoulder strain).
How much has the Twins Opening Day roster changed in four years? There are four players on the 2025 roster who were Twins in 2021: pitchers Jorge Alcala and Randy Dobnak, catcher Ryan Jeffers and outfielder Byron Buxton.
The Pohlad family is believed to be seeking at least $1.7 billion to sell the Twins who in Forbes annual evaluation of MLB franchises posted a few days ago values the club at $1.5 billion, a three percent increase over last year. Carl Pohlad purchased the team for a reported $44 million in 1984.
The average MLB club is now worth an average of $2.6 billion, per Forbes who ranked the Twins No. 23 among the 30 franchises in value. The Yankees are No. 1 at $8.1 billion valuation, while the Marlins are last at $1.05 billion.
While the Twins are up for sale, Sports Headliners has no reason to believe longtime Timberwolves-Lynx owner Glen Taylor, or Wild owner Craig Leipold, have interest in buying the local baseball franchise.
Word is the Wolves Tim Connelly, president of basketball operations, is not expected to exercise his contract opt out after this season and will stay with the franchise.
Cheryl Reeve, head coach and president of basketball operations for the Lynx, speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers April 8 at Norway House in Minneapolis. Winner of four WNBA titles with the Lynx, Reeve has been a headliner three previous times at Dunkers.
Storyteller extraordinaire Jay Pivec is the latest guest on “Behind the Game” which can be viewed on YouTube and is co-hosted by Patrick Klinger and Dave Boden. A Minneapolis native, Pivec is a basketball lifer whose coaching stops over the decades include in his home state and beyond where he forged relationships and memories that entertain in his new book. The Book of Piv, available through Amazon, is his memoir from 40 years of coaching and is billed: “All stories as true as they need to be.” https://youtu.be/6jzxnB10Src
The Football Film Federation is promoting a two-day coaches technology convention at the Mall of America on April 26 and 27. The event is for those from high schools and colleges interested in film knowledge and excellence. Top vendors and key speakers will be present.
Two schools will receive the Bob Marcus Film Excellence Award which is named after the successful former Gopher and Viking video expert. More including information is available at footballfilmconference@gmail.com.
5 comments
Matthews, of course, won’t be the opening day pitcher. He will exceed expectations by making the five-man regular rotation of starters. Staff ace Pablo López likely receives opening day honors, with a relief corps that could be among baseball’s best backing up the 15-game winner in 2024.
