It irks Gophers fans to look at Wisconsin’s lineup and see three Minnesotans starting but that’s reality when the two teams open the Big Ten season in Madison tomorrow night.  The Gophers are expected to start three or four players who played high school basketball in Minnesota.

The “Minnesota East” versus “Minnesota West” matchup just adds drama to a game that really doesn’t need more emotion.  The 11-1 Gophers, a top 25 team, hope for a fast start in the Big Ten Conference race but so, too, does 10-2 Wisconsin, a team that’s close to earning a national ranking and like Minnesota regarded as an NCAA tournament club come March.

And, of course, no matter when Minnesota and Wisconsin play in basketball, football or hockey, emotions soar in the Border Battle.  But having all those Minnesota natives on the floor makes tomorrow night’s game more intriguing than usual.

The Badgers are expected to start Jon Leuer (Orono), Jordan Taylor (Bloomington) and Mike Bruesewitz (St. Paul).  Leuer, a mobile sharp shooting 6-9 forward, is a future NBA draft choice and could end his senior season as the Big Ten’s MVP.  The muscular 6-1 Taylor is among the conference’s best point guards at both ends of the floor.  Bruesewitz, 6-6, is a blue collar forward whose scrappiness stands out on a team that knows only one way to write the word hustle, in capital letters.

Minnesota Mr. Basketball chair Ken Lien saw all three Badgers when they were high school players.  “I would sure like to see them in the maroon and gold,” he said.  “They went there for a reason because Wisconsin showed high interest in them because they fit into the system that (coach) Bo (Ryan) runs over there. …If the coaching situation had been different at the University some of those kids might have stayed home.”

When Leuer was in high school the Gophers coach was Dan Monson.  He was fired during Leuer’s senior season.  His father, Mike, told Sports Headliners that Jon certainly had interest in Minnesota.

“I think if you go back four years ago it was a little bit tumultuous at Minnesota and there was a lot of uncertainty,” his dad said.  “I think Jon wanted to go to a place where he felt it was stable, a good environment and winning tradition.   He had a lot of good choices.  …Minnesota was high on the radar on the list but when it was all said and done Wisconsin was his best fit and that’s what he decided on.”

Taylor, a junior at Wisconsin, had committed to the Badgers before Gophers coach Tubby Smith arrived here.  Bruesewitz, a sophomore, was a high school senior at Henry Sibley the same year Royce White played at Hopkins and Rodney Williams was at Cooper.  Three similar forwards and the Gophers preferred White and Williams.

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Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi answering a question on how well new football coach Jerry Kill, who last fall coached Northern Illinois to an upset win over the Gophers, will recruit: “He recruited well enough to beat us.”

Tracy Claeys, the Gophers new defensive coordinator, will be the speaker at the C.O.R.E.S luncheon on Thursday, January 13.  If Kill is in town, he will also speak. C.O.R.E.S members can make reservations by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. C.O.R.E.S is an acronym for coaches, officials, educators, reporters and sports fans.

Brainerd football coach Ron Stolski, who is also executive director of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association, emailed this about Kill: “It is a great hire.”

The association’s annual spring clinic will be March 31-April 2. www.mnfootballclinic.com

Former Gophers national championship football coach Murray Warmath’s 98^th birthday was yesterday.

Akron athletic director Tom Wistrcill, a former Gophers associate athletic director, was in town before Christmas to watch his Zips lose to Minnesota in a game that Akron received about $80,000 to play at Williams Arena.  Wistrcill said there are no immediate plans to schedule another game between the two schools.  Akron’s coach is Keith Dambrot who was LeBron James’ high school coach.

Akron is James’ home town and despite his defection from Cleveland to Miami, Wistrcill said James remains popular in Akron.  James’ relationship with Dambrot enabled the Zips to have a sponsorship with Nike.  James still works out during the summer at the Zips’ basketball court.

Former Gophers basketball star Clyde Turner runs his annual holiday basketball camp for youngsters starting today and continuing through Thursday at Farview Park in Minneapolis.

After the Vikings-Giants Monday night game in Detroit two weeks ago, interim coach Leslie Frazier attended a downtown 7 a.m. breakfast with community leaders who gathered to hear a year-end review about the Gophers and local pro teams.  Frazier didn’t arrive back in Minneapolis until about 3 a.m. that morning.

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre and wife Deanna flew to Milwaukee earlier this month to visit a five-year-old boy dying from cancer.  The youngster has been writing the number 4 backward and Favre has honored him by wearing a towel with a backward 4.

The University of Minnesota Duluth football program is the only one in Division II history to have two 15-0 seasons.  The Bulldogs won Division II national titles this year and 2008 with 15-0 records led by coach Bob Nielson.  If administrators at the local branch of the U are wise, they will consider Nielson, who has experience as an athletic director, as Maturi’s eventual successor in the Gophers athletic department.

No need to look twice but that was Ivy League Yale ranked No. 1 in college hockey last week.  Yale was No. 1 in the USAToday/USA Hockey Magazine men’s poll while the Gophers were unranked.

Instructive words from Wayne Gretzky directed at hockey crazed parents in last week’s The Fischler Report: expose your children to other sports.  “Especially the ages of 10 through 13,” Gretzky said in the report.  “You need a break from hockey.  It refreshes you.”

Ticket King notified potential buyers via email that tickets for $25 each were available for last week’s Wild-Calgary game at Xcel Energy Center.

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With news this week about a collapsing roof and team, Sports Headliners is still in the mood to celebrate 50 seasons of Vikings football.  In September Sports Headliners produced 25 trivia questions to test your Purple knowledge, now we offer 25 more to total 50.

See how you do without consulting a friend or reference source.  Here’s how the grading goes:

Ring of Honor: That’s where you belong by answering 22 or more questions correctly.

Stellar performance: Answering 16 to 21 questions right is impressive.

Keep your horns: 12 to 15 correct answers means you’re still considered a Vikings fan.

Find the nearest research library: 6 to 11 right answers is a clear directive for more homework.

Become a Packers fan: Only 0 to 5 correct answers? Ouch!

Now it’s on with the questions in this section and the next.  Answers (no peeking ahead) in the third section.  Good luck.

1. Who is the only Vikings quarterback in memory to injure both himself and his running back on the same play?

2. What college or university had sent the Vikings the most players as they entered their 50th season in 2010?

3. What Vikings player was named to the most Pro Bowl teams?

4. Who was the quarterback that led the Vikings to their first Super Bowl?

5. Who was the Vikings player infamously known for this: “I play when I want to play.”

6. This Viking was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1986.  Who was he?

7. This former Vikings tight end used his name to enter the local sports bar and restaurant business.  Who is he?

8. In addition to the Metrodome, the Vikings have either played regular season or exhibition games in two other stadiums in Minneapolis.  What are those stadiums?

9. Prior to being named interim head coach of the Vikings, Leslie Frazier had last been a head coach of what college?

10. What year did Adrian Peterson lead the NFL in rushing?

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