TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley chose his words poorly when he went off on Glen Taylor Tuesday night after earlier in the day the Timberwolves owner had suggested Kevin Garnett “tanked” some late season games last year while still playing here. “Glen Taylor’s got a lot of money but he doesn’t know anything about basketball,” Barkley said. Barkley then made a crude remark about where Taylor could kiss him and he still wouldn’t know who Taylor is.
Kirk Snyder, traded to the Wolves in late February, has now matched his total starts here, nine, with what he had in Houston. His minutes per game have almost tripled, from nine to 26.9 as the Wolves try to learn whether the 6-6, 24-year-old forward can be part of their future. He’s averaging 7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds for the Wolves.
ESPN2 will televise the Gopher women’s opening NCAA basketball game Sunday night against Texas from Bridgeport, Conn. Game time is 8:30 p.m. central daylight.
Four MIAC men and five women have been named to the 2008 D3hoops.com All-West Region teams as selected by sports information directors at various Division III schools. Macalester senior forward Tom Conboy was a first team selection. Bethel junior guard Tim Madson and Concordia senior forward Luke Linz were second team selections. Carleton junior forward Zach Johnson was a third team pick.
Gustavus Adolphus senior guard Jess Vadnais and Bethel junior center Annegret Nautsch were both first team All-Region women’s selections. Concordia senior forward/ center Melanie Hageman and St. Thomas senior forward Carrie Embree were selected to the All-Region second team. Macalester sophomore forward Trina PaStarr was a third team pick.
San Jose, which clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Wild on Wednesday night, was Sports Illustrated’s preseason Stanley Cup favorite. The Sharks, who didn’t lose a game this season to the Wild, are in second place in the Western Conference with 97 points.
The Wild are at Vancouver tonight, the first of eight remaining games against Northwest Division teams. Minnesota, leading the division, needs one more win to tie the franchise record for most road victories in a season, 19.
Brent Burns, 23, had an assist Wednesday night and added to his club record for most points in a season by a defenseman, 41. Burns has eight two-point games this season, plus a career-high three points – all assists – in a January game against Dallas. Minnesota is 10-1-3 this season when Burns, now in his third season with the Wild, scores a goal and 7-0-2 when he has two or more points.
Marian Gaborik, team captain for March, scored two goals in the Wild’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Sharks. He now has 38 goals, matching his single season career best 38 set in 2005-06.
Gopher women’s hockey coach Brad Frost has been named a finalist for national coach of the year, announced earlier this week by the American Hockey Coaches Association. The award will be presented at the AHCA Coach of the Year Banquet on Saturday, April 26, in Naples, Fla. Frost was the WCHA coach of the year after his team finished second in the league during his first season.