Although Rashad McCants is the Wolves’ second leading scorer at 13.8 points per game, his minutes are down from earlier in the season and so is his scoring average.  Lately he’s reportedly had some problems with his right knee but still observers wonder about his inconsistent numbers and decision making.  The third year shooting guard had a season and career high of 33 points earlier this season against Sacramento and a low of five on 1-15 shooting at Denver.  He ranks 35th in the NBA in field goals per 48 minutes but sixth in the league in turnovers per 48 minutes.  While he provides the Wolves much needed outside shooting, he is averaging 5.6 fouls a game per 48 minutes.

Harvey Mackay, the local New York Times best selling author, is working on a new book that will be published within five to six months.  Mackay was a civic leader in the building of the Metrodome.

Rivals.com has the Gophers football recruiting class ranked No. 22 in the country.  Ohio State, eighth, Michigan, 12^th, and Illinois, 16^th, are the only Big Ten Conference schools currently ranked ahead of Minnesota.

By mid-January viewers of the Gopher Web site, www.gophersports.com, can experience a “virtual” tour of the new TCF Bank Stadium, according to Phil Esten, associate athletics director.  Esten said all the concrete giving the stadium exterior its structure will be in place by late next summer.  The stadium opens in 2009.

The Gophers (6-1) play South Dakota State (3-5) tonight (Wednesday), starting at 8 p.m. in Williams Arena.  The Gophers are 10-0 in the series.  SDSU is led by sophomore forward Kai Williams, who is averaging 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds in 33 minutes per game.  After tonight the Gophers have only one other non-conference game at home, December 22 against Santa Clara, before the Big Ten Conference season begins.

Ken Lien, chairman of the Mr. Basketball Committee, said prep football superstar Michael Floyd of Cretin-Derham Hall is “one of the top” basketball players in the state.  The Mr./Miss Basketball awards banquet will be held on Sunday, April 27 at the Marriott Minneapolis West Hotel in St. Louis Park.

United States Tennis Association Northern Section president Jay Pfaender and executive director Mike Goldammer attended the recent Davis Cup matches in Portland, Oregon.  USTA Northern would like to help promote Davis Cup matches here.

Gophers’ freshman forward Mike Hoeffel has been named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Week after scoring two goals last Saturday in Minnesota’s 4-3 win over North Dakota.  He came into the game with one goal in his first 17 career starts.

Macalester senior forward Tom Conboy and St. Thomas freshman guard Tyler Nicolai have been selected by the MIAC as co-athletes of the week for men’s basketball. Macalester sophomore center Ann Baltzer has been selected for women’s basketball while the men’s and women’s hockey choices were Bethel sophomore goaltender Aaron Damjanovich and St. Catherine sophomore forward Aryn Ball.

Five-game ticket packages are on sale for the 2008 Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five, March 20-22 at Xcel Energy Center.  Prices range from $60 to $145 and can be purchased at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, Ticketmaster locations, charge by phone at (651) 989-5151 or online at www.ticketmaster.com <https://www.ticketmaster.com>. To charge by phone using Ticketmaster TDD/TTY, call: 800-359-2525. Single-game tickets for the tournament will go on sale Monday, March 10.  Group tickets (12+) are available by calling 651-312-3486.

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With the Minnesota Vikings having won four consecutive games and profiling themselves as a legitimate contender for an NFC wildcard spot, head coach Brad Childress was asked this afternoon about potential complacency among his players.  The Vikings, 7-6, defeated San Francisco yesterday and remaining games are with teams that have compiled mediocre records, Chicago, 5-8, Washington, 6-7, and Denver, 6-7.  Making prospects even more attractive is that two of the final three regular season games are at home.

Childress said he approached the potential issue of the team being too relaxed or taking things for granted before the 49ers game last week.  San Francisco, 3-10, has been one of the NFL’s weaklings but Childress warned about a “trap game.”  The facts were that the 49ers were capable of winning and the Vikings “didn’t want to get sucker punched by delusion.”

The Vikings didn’t and Childress will continue his approach each week. “The facts are we need to take care of business with the team that’s up,” Childress said. “As long as we deal with the next team we’ll be fine.  If we’re casual about the next team…casualness leads to casualties.”

Here and nationally there’s newfound admiration for the Vikings.  Childress was asked about the impact of the praise and how it may influence players.  He knows they hear what’s said and written.

“I am not saying that these are little boys in a bubble, that they’re living in a vacuum,” he said.  “They’re not. … I also realize (they receive) all that patting on the butt, (that) they’re the best thing since sliced bread. …When they come in here (Winter Park) they get a dose of who we are, what we have to do.  It is by the same token, good for them to be confident, and have a swagger. …”

Childress observed that in the locker room after the game there was leadership from players advocating that the team not become over confident.  The message was to use the early part of the week to renew and come back ready to prepare for the Bears game Monday night.

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Playing against a more impish than impressive calendar of opponents so far, the Gopher basketball team has been adding admirers under new coach Tubby Smith.  The Gophers, 6-1 after Saturday night’s 94-71 win over Colorado State, have played team basketball and done so with an intensity perhaps not seen in Williams Arena since the last century.

Last season the Gophers were 9-22 and lost their last nine games. Under Smith the Gophers have won three games by more than 30 points, including two of their last three.  Statement making was the Gophers 68-58 win over Iowa State in Ames.  The one loss was against another major college basketball school, Florida State, 75-61 in Tallahassee.

Former Gopher coach Jim Dutcher, now a TV color commentator, told Sports Headliners last week that the next step of progression is for Minnesota to learn to “play against good competition.”  The non-conference schedule, though, doesn’t set up effectively to meet that task.  In the rear view mirror are teams like UC-Riverside and North Dakota State, and the remaining non-conference games include South Dakota State, Santa Clara, Nicholls State and Kennesaw State.

The “reality” game, Dutcher said, will be on December 30 in Las Vegas against UNLV.  The Rebels, 7-2, are considered a contending team in the Mountain West Conference. UNLV will also be the Gophers last game before opening the Big Ten Conference schedule on January 5 in East Lansing against Michigan State, a national power and favorite to win the league title.

Dutcher said he’s watched all the conference teams and categorizes them in three groups.  Michigan State and Indiana are at the top.  Then a group comprised of Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Minnesota and Purdue.  The bottom teams are Michigan, Penn State, Iowa and Northwestern.

The improved prospects for the Gophers, who with the same players last year finished ninth in the Big Ten, is a tribute to Smith and his coaching staff.  Smith came to Minnesota with a reputation for being an outstanding teacher and game coach.  He has the players believing in his ways and executing them.

“I think he is as advertised,” Dutcher said.  “He’s got the players believing it.  He’s getting the maximum output from everyone on the roster.”

Dutcher said it doesn’t matter who the player is, someone who makes a defensive mistake will soon be on the bench.  There is “no favored treatment” Dutcher said and that kind of mentality encourages players to dive for loose balls, scramble for rebounds and pass unselfishly.

Smith has from the beginning shown faith in a group of players who previously didn’t inspire a lot of confidence.  Testimony to that is what Dutcher said was an “immediate” commitment to using 10 players for major minutes in games.  That can include having two freshmen guards “when the game is on the line.”

The contributions of freshmen guards Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber have surprised Dutcher and others.  Nolen has shown leadership and much needed quickness at point guard.  He leads the team in assists with 28 and steals, 18. Hoffarber has played with poise, too, while offering some needed and consistent long range shooting. He had a coming of age party Saturday night in the team’s win over Colorado State, scoring 21 points, making six of 11 three point shots.  The former Hopkins star is the Gophers’ fourth leading scorer at 10.4 points per game.

Shooting guard Lawrence Westbrook and wing Damian Johnson, both sophomores, have been resurrected under Smith.  Dutcher said he wasn’t even sure either, or both, would last in the program but instead they, too, have been inspired contributors.  Westbrook has improved his shooting and driving to the basket while Johnson has been an exceptional defender, including on the Gophers full court press, and a valuable rebounder.  Both players are tied for fifth in team scoring at 7.4 points per game.  Johnson leads the Gophers in blocks with 11.

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