The Wake

Around this time last year, the Gophers’ women’s basketball team began their historic run to the Final Four. Lead by the U’s former gold-child, Lindsey Whalen, the group of students made basketball exciting again.

Names like Humphries and Rickert were replaced with names like Whalen and McCarville. The team moved from the Sports Pavilion down the hall to the larger Williams Arena. The Gopher women were bringing in more fans than the struggling men.

Flash forward to this year and the Gophers are poised for another NCAA tournament run. However, one key element from last year’s formula is missing: Lindsey Whalen. Do the Gophers have the ability to repeat last year’s magic without the spark plug that could carry the team on her shoulders and light up the world with her smile?

Quite frankly, they don’t. No matter how many points and rebounds the Shaq-like Janel McCarville can grab in the paint, the absence of Whalen from this year’s squad takes away the one-two punch that left teams like Duke staggered.

McCarville played arguably her best basketball during that stretch. However, one has to wonder how effective she will be when defenses don’t have Whalen to worry about.

Don’t get me wrong. This team is talented, and I’m sure McCarville will put up some great numbers. But the package isn’t as complete as last year. So I figure I’ll serve up some advice to help the team push its way into another Final Four.

Keep McCarville out of foul trouble. As long as she is in the game, she can dominate the paint. If fouls force her to sit on the bench for extended periods of time, watch the Gophers sink in quicksand.

Shoot the rock, Schonrock! Since defenses will be keying on McCarville down low, it is essential that Schonrock gets hot from behind the arc. If she can keep defenses honest, then there’s all the more room for McCarville to do her damage.

Cheat. Pay off the refs. Obtain the ring of power (imagine the basketball force one could wield with the ring). Or simply punch the other players in the gut when no one is watching. Just make sure there’s no academic cheating involved. Ask Clem Haskins how that worked out for his Final Four team.

This issue’s MVGs: Men’s Swimming and Diving team. I know, I know. It’s supposed to be Most Valuable Gopher, not Gophers, but if ever a group of individuals deserved this award, it’s these rapscallions. Trailing by five points in the final event of the Big Ten championships, the 400 free relay team came from behind to take first in the event and win the team championship by three points, the closest mark in modern history. The Gophers’ men have now won the Big Ten championship two years in a row. Congrats!