via www.gophersports.com - Regional Most Ousttanding Player, Tabitha Love celebrates with her teammates as the Gophers clinched a trip to the Final Four.

View full size photo »

CONGRATULATIONS to the Gopher Volleyball team for upsetting Florida State and earning a trip to the Final Four. 

This is Minnesota's third Final Four and first since 2004.  They will face the #2 overall seed, Texas Longhorns next weekend. Texas is 28-1 losing a 5-set match to Iowa State in the middle of their conference season.

Congratulations are also in order for freshman Tabitha Love who was named the Regional's Most Outstanding Player.  Love is a freshman who saw her role and playing time increase as the season went along.  Head Coach, Mike Hebert had this to say about his freshman who had a dominating regional championship.

"She has been gradually improving all season long. When I say gradually, I mean very gradually. It's not just getting the kills, it's the body language. She's losing that tentativeness that she had early on and now if the ball is airborne she is going to take a swing at it. When you get to that level of readiness, you become a player. I think in the last two weekends, she has shown that she wants to play and is going to become a player."

Congrats to these women who had overcome some challenges this season and good luck next weekend in Tampa.

• Barry Alvarez tells ESPN that the Big Ten will amplify it's efforts to find a 12th team for the Big Ten.  Should be interesting to see all of the blogosphere speculation over who that 12th team will be.  Notre Dame would be the perfect partner but for obvious reasons that will never happen.  The question worth asking is...Would a 12th team actually benefit the Big Ten?  As it stands they get 2 teams into a BCS game more often than any other conference.  If you add a conference championship game where your supposed #2 gets itself beat to end the season, will that lead to fewer BCS invitations? 
• MaxPreps gives their Minnesota high school football year in review.
• On to hoops, what once looked so promising now looks like it will drag out.  The hope that Trevor Mbakwe would have his case dropped and he'd soon be returning to court, isn't looking so promising.
• Ralph Sampson III finally has his 2009 breakout game, Hoffarber knocked in a season high 20 and the Gophers rolled over St. Joe's.
• I brought this up last week, how the NCAA expanding the Tournament to 96 teams would really dilute the tourney and make me angry.  Here is a way to look at it suggesting that this is just a natural progression and the right thing to do.  He's totally wrong but worth reading :).  96 teams would be ridiculous.