This might be the worst Monday of the year. We all knew we weren't going to be participating in the NCAA Tournament but also being shut out of the NIT is incredible. Our free fall from a top 20 team to being outside of the top 100 is embarrassing.
But that isn't the biggest story of the weekend. Gopher hockey has NEVER lost a WCHA playoff series at home...until this year. Alaska-Anchorage came to Mariucci and handled the Gophers in two games. Nobody saw this one coming after the Gophers have been playing rather well lately.
- It isn't exactly a consolation prize but we did add someone who will hopefully be able to score for us next year. JUCO, combo guard Julian Welch has accepted a scholarship to play for the Gophers next year. He isn't exactly a point but he is a scorer, we needed both but I'll take one. Interestingly all three incoming newcomers might be our starting backcourt next year. OK, not likely all three, but two of them is a very real possibility.
- Kyle Rau won a state championship this weekend and then Kyle Rau won Minnesota's Mr. Hockey award. He'll look good in maroon and gold next year.
- Ralph Sampson is writing a novel.
- Phil Miller catches up with Dave Lee who will not be the play-by-play voice of Gopher football next year.
- This game was back on Friday but it might be the ugliest game in the history of the Big Ten. Seriously even the Gophers could score 36 points (maybe even in a half), too bad they don't have any games left to prove it.
Great Gopher career. 1,000 point scorer, top 20 all-time Gopher scorer and all-time leader in threes.
Best of luck as you fill out your brackets. I'll be giving you some very sound advice later this afternoon.