Gopher athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners there is “long range” interest in scheduling a nonconference basketball game against a national power in the Metrodome, or possibly at Target Center or Xcel Energy Center.  Such a game could make sense if coach Tubby Smith’s Gophers become a top 20 program and national TV is interested in telecasting.

Maturi said that playing the game off campus, instead of in Williams Arena, creates more of a neutral court site and is more appealing to an opponent.  The Metrodome can easily be configured for 40,000 basketball seats, or more, offering a huge revenue generating event for the Gophers.

“I think Tubby would go for those kinds of things,” Maturi said.  “There’s no question.  If you look at Tubby’s competition at Kentucky (when he coached there), it was always one of the toughest schedules in the country.

“He played everybody…so Tubby’s not afraid of these teams.  Nor am I as an athletic director. …”

The Gophers are playing a Charmin-soft nonconference schedule this year.  Part of the reason is to give a young team time to develop.  Another reason is major conference basketball schools usually prefer to load up both their records and revenues by playing mostly at home for nonconference games.

Maturi said it’s a challenge for the Gophers and other schools to schedule opponents.  Typically basketball schedules aren’t set for the next season until spring or summer.

The Gophers, who so far this season have played St. Cloud State, Northern State, Concordia-St. Paul, Bowling Green and Northern State at home, and Colorado State on the road, have Eastern Washington at Williams Arena on Wednesday night.  The best home opponent on the nonconference schedule is Virginia, a game on December 2 that is part of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

The Gophers play national power Louisville in a neutral site nonconference game on December 20 at the Arizona Cardinals’ football stadium in Glendale.  The game is part of a doubleheader called the Stadium Shootout with the other game between Arizona State and Brigham Young.  The games will be televised on Fox Sports Net.

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A major announcement regarding football scheduling, possibly involving a couple of future opponents will be made soon by the Gophers, according to Maturi.

Maturi said his department is looking at cost estimates for a new practice facility for Gopher basketball.  Such a facility may also accommodate other sports like wrestling and possibly be attached to Williams Arena on the University Ave. side of the building.  New basketball practice facilities are popular now among big time college basketball programs. Maturi said the project will have to wait until fund raising is completed for the new TCF Bank Stadium.

Maturi is “hopeful” ground can be broken in 2010 for the new baseball stadium.  The facility will be located almost on the same site as Siebert Field and capacity will be in the 3,000 to 5,000 capacity, Maturi said.  Cost stages could begin with $5 million and extend to $15 million.  Starting with the basics of the field, dugouts, press box and stands will allow a more comfortable progression of financing.  Maturi said, “We don’t need to have all the amenities on the front end. …”

That was former Hopkins star Dan Vandervieren who played for Colorado State against the Gophers on Saturday night in Fort Collins.  Vandervieren, a sophomore center who started his college career at Purdue, scored 15 points and had eight rebounds in a 72-71 loss to the Gophers.

The Wolves’ management was hoping for a better performance than the team showed in a 95-78 loss to the NBA champion Celtics on Friday night.  Playing before a rare near capacity crowd, the Wolves made a positive marketing statement in the first half when they led 39-36, but in the third quarter the Celtics out scored them 35-10.  On local TV, team color man Jim Petersen said early in the fourth quarter: “I wouldn’t mind seeing Brock Lesnar in a Wolves uniform at this point.”  The former Gopher wrestler and now mixed martial arts champion attended the game.

The Wolves, 3-9, played their best game of the season last night in an impressive 106-80 win at Detroit against the Pistons.

It was cold and blustery on Saturday night when the Gophers played their final game indoors at the Metrodome.  It will be outdoor football next year and from researching historical weather records Minnesota coach Tim Brewster said the average game day temperature for Gopher games is 64 degrees.

Jason LaFrenz, assistant athletics director for marketing and ticket sales, said the Gophers have a waiting list of 800 interested in buying season tickets in the sold out TCF Bank Stadium.

Coach Brad Childress told KFAN’s Greg Coleman after yesterday’s Vikings win against Jacksonville that he will rely on both Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor in the remaining five games.  He referred to them as a “two headed monster.”  Peterson, who didn’t start the game because of missing a team meeting, ran 17 times for 80 yards and a touchdown.  Taylor rushed nine times for 25 yards and one touchdown, plus caught two passes for 12 yards.

Cris Carter, the former Vikings and Ohio State receiver, was on the sidelines with Buckeye players in Saturday’s OSU win against Michigan.  Carter’s son Duron, a receiver from Florida, will attend Ohio State next year.

Good guy Don Swanson sponsored the 60^th annual Minneapolis High School Football Coaches Association party last week.  The event was attended by 45 past and present city coaches, plus coaches from Hamline, Augsburg, St. Thomas and Gustavus.  A championship plaque was presented to Peter Haugen who coached Washburn to the city title.  Southwest’s Sean McMenomy was given the best coaching job award.   Another award went to Laurie Balzer who was recognized for his volunteer coaching at South.  Swanson, a leader for many years among high school coaches, was head coach at Henry for 28 years.

Tejas Restaurant in Edina, with involvement from KARE 11 and Taste of the NFL, will host a benefit brunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday with proceeds benefiting Second Harvest Heartland.  Former Vikings are expected to attend, meeting guests and signing autographs. Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased by calling Tejas at 952-926-0800.  More information is available at www.tejasrestaurant.com or www.tasteofthenfl.com.

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Here’s a rare prediction from Sports Headliners: the Gophers will beat Iowa tomorrow night.  Attribute the prediction as coming from the gut or the heart, certainly not the head, but there’s a feeling the Gophers, about a touchdown under dog, will win their final game in the Metrodome and end a three game losing streak.

Iowa is the better team.  The Hawkeyes have won four of their last five games including an upset of then No. 3 ranked Penn State.  Iowa’s defense, as usual, is one of the Big Ten Conference’s best under the leadership of defensive coordinator Norm Parker who coached for the Gophers in the 1970s.  Offensively, Iowa is mostly about Shonn Greene, the marvelous runner who leads the nation in rushing yards.

The Gopher defense, the strength of the team, held Wisconsin’s exceptional running attack to 117 yards last week in a 35-32 loss to the Badgers.  A similar performance will be needed against Greene with the Gophers hoping to hold the 5-11, 235-pound junior to runs of less than 12 yards.  Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi is an okay performer. His passing production is limited by a non-explosive group of receivers.

Slow down Greene and then have a 24 point night from the Gopher offense.  That could put the Gophers in position to race across the field to claim Floyd of Rosedale at game’s end.

The Gophers’ unproductive November offense perked up last week in Madison, scoring four touchdowns.  A surprise performance by freshmen wide receivers Brandon Green and Brodrick Smith, both of whom scored touchdowns, helped in Eric Decker’s absence.

“You have to feel good about that, their contributions, and you knew they were coming because they’re very talented football players,” said Gopher coach Tim Brewster.  “And then you add back to it a guy like Eric Decker. …I anticipate the passing game to do a nice job (tomorrow night).  We’ve really got some weapons in the passing game, particularly at wide receiver.”

Decker still leads the conference in pass receptions with 74 and has recovered enough from a right ankle sprain to play on Saturday even if he isn’t 100 percent.  Decker and Adam Weber have one of those special quarterback-receiver connections where they seem to have a feel for making a successful play together.  Roommates off the field, Weber said this week that Decker is his “best friend.”

The Gophers, though, won’t have much margin for goof-ups if they are to defeat Iowa for only the second time since 2000.  The offense and special teams will be on the spot to avoid fumbles, interceptions and other mistakes.

The Gophers find themselves having lost three straight conference games and thereby eliminated the goal of playing in a New Year’s Day Bowl game.  That could be an emotional drag for this Saturday if the opponent wasn’t Iowa.  The rivalry is expected to put energy back in the Gophers.

Their guts and heads are probably telling them they will beat Iowa.  We’ll see.

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