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Because losing in football to a school you hate stinks, we should all choose to embrace the good things the Gophers are doing. Consider it a positive news inoculation against the pervasive and frustrating malaise that seems to have infected the wider Minnesota Football world as of late.
That means you should spend more time watching the very good Volleyball team do very good things in the NCAA Tournament. And it means you should be watching the men’s basketball team play tonight against Our Most Hated ACC/B1G Rival Florida State tonight. After all, the game pits the #35 Seminoles against the #39(ish) Gophers.
No really, look at this fancy chart someone else made for me.
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky (40) | 6-0 | 1,590 |
| 2 | Villanova (20) | 6-0 | 1,567 |
| 3 | North Carolina (4) | 7-0 | 1,497 |
| 4 | Kansas | 5-1 | 1,414 |
| 5 | Duke | 6-1 | 1,365 |
| 6 | Virginia | 6-0 | 1,286 |
| 7 | Xavier | 6-0 | 1,181 |
| 8 | Gonzaga | 6-0 | 1,112 |
| 9 | Baylor (1) | 6-0 | 1,068 |
| 10 | Creighton | 6-0 | 965 |
| 11 | UCLA | 7-0 | 955 |
| 12 | Saint Mary's | 5-0 | 866 |
| 13 | Indiana | 4-1 | 857 |
| 14 | Louisville | 5-1 | 808 |
| 15 | Purdue | 5-1 | 687 |
| 16 | Arizona | 5-1 | 655 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 5-2 | 555 |
| 18 | Butler | 6-0 | 506 |
| 19 | Iowa State | 5-1 | 389 |
| 20 | South Carolina | 6-0 | 379 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | 5-1 | 354 |
| 22 | Syracuse | 4-1 | 229 |
| 23 | Oregon | 4-2 | 189 |
| 24 | Florida | 6-1 | 154 |
| 25 | West Virginia | 4-1 | 132 |
| Others receiving votes: Maryland 126, Notre Dame 85, Cincinnati 49, Michigan State 28, Ohio State 22, Michigan 13, Temple 8, USC 7, Houston 6, Florida State 5, VCU 5, California 3, Tennessee State 2, Virginia Tech 1, Arkansas State 1, San Diego State 1, Colorado 1, Minnesota 1, Rutgers 1 | |||
Please ignore the proximity to Rutgers. I’m sure their single vote was a mistake while Minnesota’s single vote was carefully considered and full of wisdom.
Seriously though, the Gophers have been fun to watch (at times) this season and there is a non-zero chance you’ll have fun watching. And if I’m right and it is fun, there’s a good chance that come next week Minnesota will earn themselves a few more votes in the AP poll.