Minnesota, United States — I’m not sure what to tell you if you’re looking for sports to watch this week.
If you’re a basketball fan, the Wolves are in a heated series with the Lakers. If you’re a hockey fan, the Wild are in the playoffs, and the Frost are making a playoff push. Even if you’re a baseball fan, you can go to CHS Field to watch the Saints.
With all of this in mind, you might think there are plenty of topics to KARE about in Minnesota sports. Here are eleven of them.
Wolves shock the national media in Game 1
It’s not surprising that all ten of ESPN’s NBA insiders predicted the Lakers to win their series against the Timberwolves. However, they were most likely taken aback when the Timberwolves defeated LeBron James and Luka Doncic on their home court in Game 1.
Chris Finch’s team performed about as well as it could in the series opener. After a slow start, the defence improved and 3-pointers began to drop. The Wolves made 21 shots and won by 22 points. Tuesday’s Game 2 will tell us a lot about how competitive this series will be.
But if the Wolves manage to return to Minneapolis 2-0, expect a raucous Target Centre crowd for Game 3 on Friday.
Wild can’t quite get past Vegas in Game 1
The Wild certainly entered the playoffs with lower expectations, facing a solid Vegas Golden Knights team. While John Hynes’ team did not pull off the Game 1 upset, they kept it close with Vegas before losing 4-2.
They now face Game 2 with a 1-0 deficit and a 10 p.m. CST start time. The battle is definitely uphill. But Games 3 and 4 in St. Paul should be a joyous occasion.
It’s Draft time for the Vikings and the NFL
NFL Draft fans, now is your time to shine. The football world will descend on Green Bay this week for the 2025 NFL Draft. It promises to be an exciting event in one of the smallest markets in professional sports.
The Vikings don’t have many draft picks to worry about. The most intriguing aspect is their first-round pick at No. 24. They could draft there or return and increase their draft picks. We probably won’t know the answer until Thursday night. If the NFL knows how to do one thing, it’s build intrigue.
The Twins…
It’s not a good sign that the calendar still says April, and it’s becoming easy to miss out on Twins baseball. The team enters this week with a 7-15 record and an uninspiring sweep by the Atlanta Braves the previous weekend.
The pitching has improved, but there is little to like about the Twins’ lineup. Just take a look at catcher Christian Vazquez. This week, he has a.100 batting average and three hits this season.
The Loons do just enough to keep their unbeaten streak alive
The Loons are on an eight-match unbeaten streak, but the two most recent non-losses haven’t exactly been anything to write home about. This past weekend, Minnesota United played its second consecutive 0-0 draw. But it isn’t a loss, so there’s that.
On Saturday, the Loons will try to make it nine games in a row without losing against Vancouver.
The Frost make their return
We haven’t been able to say the Frost play this week in a long time, but we can now with confidence. The PWHL took time off so that its players could compete in the IIHF Women’s World Championship. In case you missed it, Team USA took home gold and Minnesota native and Frost star Taylor Heise had a goal and assist in the win.
Now Heise and her teammates are back to work on Sunday as the Frost take on New York. With three games remaining, the Frost are one point out of the playoffs. New York is the only team trailing them in the standings, so a win at the X will be critical.
Gopher baseball on a heater
Ty McDevitt’s first season as head coach of the Minnesota Gopher baseball programme has been hit and miss. However, the Gophers are currently riding high.
They’ve won nine of their last ten. The likelihood of any significant postseason action is still unlikely at this moment, but it’s a moment of positivity for a program that has fallen from grace in recent years. This weekend, the Gophers host USC at Siebert Field.
Good news for Gopher Gymnastics
Mya Hooten concluded her illustrious Gopher career this week with a fifth-place finish on the floor at the NCAA Championships. It was a well-deserved moment for an athlete who has made her mark on the programme.
On Monday, the Gophers got more good news when they announced one of their regulars, Lauren Pearl, would be returning for her fifth collegiate season. That bodes well for a programme aiming for its eighth consecutive top-20 finish.
Gopher Dance Team hits the world stage
The Gopher Dance Team continues to impress the dance world at the collegiate level. But now the squad has a chance at international glory. The team will represent Team USA at the International Dance Championships in Orlando. They debuted their routines to great fanfare at Williams Arena, so expect plenty of excitement when the action begins on Wednesday.
Going for the Olympics at the Mixed World Curling Championship
The Curling world has a big event this weekend with the upcoming Mixed World Curling Championships. Spots in next year’s Winter Olympics are up for grabs, and a pair of Minnesotans will try to secure one of them.
Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, both Duluth natives, will represent Team USA at this event and hope to finish high enough to earn an Olympic berth. The good news is that if they do not qualify in this event, they will most likely have another chance to qualify at a last-chance meet in December. The World Championships start on Saturday in Canada.
A legendary career wraps at Mankato East
Minnesota high school basketball has seen some major coaching departures, with legends like Brian Cosgriff and John Oxton announcing their retirements. Joe Madson, the boys’ basketball head coach at Mankato East, has recently announced his resignation.
Madson has helped the Cougars become a Class 3A powerhouse over the last 24 years, including two consecutive state tournament runner-up finishes. Madson is also the school’s softball coach, another program that has reached the highest of highs in its sports. He is unsure what he will do with that job going forward.