Today begins the fall signing period for college basketball teams and these are heady times for Big Ten schools. Michigan is expected to sign a top two or three player in Mitch McGary. The Wolverines and Indiana may have 2012 recruiting classes that are close to the best in the nation. Iowa might end up with a top 25 class. Based on 2011 recruiting classes, or projected classes for 2012, the following Big Ten schools either were or could be (again) top 25 ranked: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Ohio State.
As reported here on Monday, it looks like the Gophers will sign forward Charles Buggs from Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia and Wally Ellenson of Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
How about this for freak scheduling? The No. 1 ranked Gophers hockey team is in Madison for games on Friday and Saturday against Wisconsin, while the Badgers football team plays Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday, and then Monday night a national TV audience will watch the Vikings try to upset the undefeated Packers in Green Bay.
Jerry Kill, Gophers coach, talking about a Wisconsin team that except for two last minute plays would be undefeated: “We’re going to have to play our guts out.”
Vikings lineman Jared Allen, a top candidate to be the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the favorite for league MVP, will have a national stage to bolster resumes.
The Vikings, 2-6, don’t command a lot of national respect but they may make Monday night’s game close against the 8-0 Packers. The Vikings have not only found a quarterback in Christian Ponder, but are coming off a bye week that allows players to rest bodies and minds. Because the game is Monday night, the Vikings didn’t practice yesterday and won’t today either.
Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson is being promoted by the school for the Heisman Trophy. He was made available to media, including Minnesota reporters, on Monday via teleconference. That’s uncommon practice for a Big Ten player.
Local author Ross Bernstein has a new book, Raising Lombardi: What It Takes to Claim Football’s Ultimate Prize. He interviewed more than 75 current and former NFL players and coaches who were champions.
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference begins play in 2013 and is expected to announce the name of its commissioner in about 60 days. The league will be based in Colorado Springs and members will be Colorado College, Denver, Miami (Ohio), Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State, UMD and Western Michigan. The 2013 start coincides with the beginning of the six team Big Ten comprised of Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.
Don’t expect the Twins to sell a reduced number of season tickets for next year despite the team’s awful 2011 record. Target Field remains a valued entertainment destination and the franchise has long maintained a list of potential season ticket buyers.
The volleyball Gophers, including the co-Big Ten Player of the Week Ashley Wittman host Michigan State tonight in a match televised by the Big Ten Network.