Top 10 Minnesota Timberwolves moments of the decade

Honorable Mention:

KAT game-winning shot at Portland (2016)

Mo Williams scores 52 at Indiana (2015)

Gorgui Dieng game-winning shot; Brewer scores 51 at Houston (2014)

Ricky Rubio beats OKC (2016)

Wolves beat defending champ Heat in Miami (2014)

10. Wolves pull upset at Golden State (2016)

Golden State was in the midst of the greatest regular season in NBA history, as it would finish 73-9. The Timberwolves were 25-52, and looking for something positive as they finished the season. Not only was Golden State 69-8, but was a remarkable 37-1 at Oracle Arena, and its only loss was two home games before against Boston. But in this one, despite trailing by 17 in the second half, the young Timberwolves fought back and forced overtime, where they outscored the Warriors 18-11 and came away with the monster upset 124-117.

The game started as you might expect, as the Warriors jumped out to a 25-10 first quarter lead, and people thought it was over and the favorite would come out and blowout the lowly Timberwolves. Minnesota did cut into the deficit with a 9-3 run to end the first to make it 28-19 at the end of the first. In the second, the Wolves cut it to three, but the Warriors extended the advantage back to nine at the half.

As I mentioned earlier, Golden State had a 17-point second half lead. That would happen with six minutes remaining in the third. But the Wolves would score 24 points in the final six minutes, outscoring Golden State 24-15 to cut it back to eight. The Wolves would come out firing in the fourth, as they scored on five of their first six possessions in the final period to cut it to 90-89. It would be close through the end of regulation, with neither team having a lead of more than five. With time winding down and Minnesota down two, Wiggins showed why he was once the first overall pick, spinning his way to the basket for the layup to tie it up with 20 seconds remaining. Minnesota played great defense and Andre Iguodala did not get a shot off in time, so the game went to overtime.

The extra session was dominated by the young upstarts from Minnesota, as Andrew Wiggins scored the first four points of the overtime and never looked back. Overall, he scored nine of the team’s 18 points in overtime, and Minnesota was able to cease control and knock off the heavily-favored Warriors for the biggest upset in Wolves franchise history, and perhaps of the NBA in years. Shabazz Muhammad iced the game with 20 seconds left with a pair of free throws to give him a career-high 35 points on the night. It was a great night, and there was hope for the Timberwolves as the finished another dismal season.

9. Ricky Rubio ignites fan base during rookie season (2011-12)

In the 2009 draft, Minnesota had the sixth overall pick, and desperately needed a point guard. Washington, which owned the fifth pick in the draft, felt like it was in win-now mode, and the Timberwolves traded guard Randy Foye and guard/forward Mike Miller to the Wizards for the No. 5 overall pick. The Wolves had a nice building block in Kevin Love, whom they received in a draft day trade the year before. Ricky Rubio was one of the flashiest point guards to come into the NBA in years and was compared by some to Pete Maravich. The top four picks in the draft were Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden and Tyreke Evans. And there he was, Rubio was there for the taking at No. 5. Minnesota drafted him and the 18-year-old was slated to be the point guard of the future. Of course, the Wolves made one of the biggest blunders in NBA history with their next pick, selecting Jonny Flynn over Stephen Curry, but I won’t get into that.

Ricky Rubio already was playing in Spain, and the Wolves had a limit for how much they could spend on his buyout from his team, so he played for Regal FC Barcelona in Spain for two years, before reaching an agreement on June 1, 2011, to play for the Timberwolves. The fans treated him like a rock star when he arrived. The Spaniard would show the appreciation was warranted with his glimpses of brilliance during the season. It was the lockout season, so the year started the day after Christmas when the Wolves took on the eventual Western Conference champ Oklahoma City Thunder at the Target Center.

In his first game, he electrified the crowd in his 26 minutes off the bench, registering six points, five rebounds and six assists in a 104-100 loss. He recorded his first double-double in a 103-101 loss to the eventual champ, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat. Ricky shot 4-of-7 from the field, scoring 12 points and dishing out 12 assists, not to mention he was +9 on the night. It seemed like every game Minnesota played in, the starters would dig the team a hole, and when Rubio came in, the second team closed the gap. Even in those two home losses, the energy of the squad is not something seen in the Twin Cities since the Garnett, Cassell and Sprewell years.

With the Wolves off to a 3-7 start, head coach Rick Adelman inserted Rubio into the starting lineup, and it immediately paid dividens. Minnesota won at New Orleans, which started a stretch where the Wolves won 10 out of 15 to push them over the .500 mark and into the thick of the playoff race. Following a four-game losing streak, Minnesota won eight of 11 and were into the No. 8 place in the Western Conference. The fans were ready for a playoff basketball team. But, at 21-19, it all came crashing down.

Late in the game, with the Wolves in front 102-101 against the Los Angeles Lakers, Rubio tried to draw a charge at the 3-point line from Kobe Bryant. But the knees collided, and Rubio went down. Not only did the Wolves end up dropping that game to the Lakers, but they found out later that Rubio suffered a torn ACL and LCL and would miss the remainder of the season. It was like someone let the air out of the balloon. Following the loss to LA, Minnesota won just five of 20 games down the stretch, including dropping 13 of the final 14 games of the season. It was ust another “what if” in the Wolves history. Maybe 2012 was the year they’d get in the playoffs for the first time since 2004 if Ricky hadn’t gotten hurt. Rubio had given us a thrill for Wolves fans and it looked like the team was on the right track.

8. Ryan Saunders wins in his debut (2018)

In the 2018-19 season, the Timberwolves were coming off their first playoff appearance since 2004. However, the team was in dissaray. Star Jimmy Butler demanded a trade, and in November, the demand was met, as he was dealt to Philadelphia. After the trade of Butler and the whole fiasco that went with it, the Wolves wanted to just wipe the slate clean and re-start again with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. In early January 2019, after a win over the Lakers, Tom Thibodeau, the head coach and president of basketball operations, was let go. Ryan Saunders, the son of the former Wolves coach, the late, great Flip Saunders, took over on an interim basis. His first game was a big one against the Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC, with the Wolves just two games below the .500 mark.

The game itself was a tight one, as Minnesota led by six at the end of the first, but the Thunder came back to tie it at halftime. OKC played well to start the quarter, and took the lead by six with four minutes remaining in the third and Wolves starting point guard Jeff Teague was ejected. However, Minnesota responded with a 10-2 run to without its floor general to wrestle the lead back, and would take a 96-93 advantage into the final quarter.....and what a wild one that would be.

Minnesota scored the first four points of the quarter to put Saunders’ bunch ahead by seven. The Timberwolves would take a nine-point lead with seven and a half minutes remaining after a triple from Anthony Tolliver. But the Thunder would climb back immediately on an 8-0 run. The lead would never grow more than four the remainder of the game, and even that was briefly. OKC took the lead on a 3-pointer from Russell Westbrook with three and a half minutes remaining, and it would be back-and-forth the next few minutes, trading baskets.

The young Timberwolves thought they had sealed the game with a big triple by rookie Josh Okogie in the right corner, which put them up 119-115 with 28 seconds remaining. However, OKC would not go away. After a missed 3 by Paul George, Westbrook skied for the rebound and was fouled by Taj Gibson. He would make both free throws to cut it to 119-117. Then Tyus Jones tried to escape a double team, but he traveled, giving the Thunder one final chance.

The Thunder would have multiple chances, as Westbrook missed a 3-pointer from the left corner over the outstretched arm of Karl-Anthony Towns. But Steven Adams grabbed the offensive rebound. He went back to Westbrook, and his final attempt was short, and the airball was grabbed and quickly flipped up by George. No good! Minnesota improved to 20-21, and the team just felt joy, which had not happened under Thibodeau that season, except for when Rose dropped 50. Andrew Wiggins scored 40 and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Wolves to the big victory.

7. Kevin Love drops a 30/30 game on New York (2010)

Back then, there was nothing Timberwolves fans could get excited about. Minnesota was 2-7 and along with Kevin Love, here were their other starters in the game: Sebastian Telfair, Wesley Johnson, Michael Beasley and Darko Milicic. The highlights were few and far between in those days, but Love was able to give the fans a thrill on November 12, 2010, as he became the first NBA player to record at least 30 points and 30 rebounds in a game since Moses Malone did it in 1982 against Seattle. In the game, he also helped the Wolves battle back from a 21-point deficit to win.

New York jumped all over Minnesota in the first half, and Love got off to a slow start. In the first quarter, he had zero points and two rebounds. The big man would finish with six points on 2-of-8 shooting.

The lead would balloon to 21 on a Landry Fields 3-pointer with nine minutes to play in the third. But then K-Love came alive. He scored 11 points and grabbed 15 of the 23 rebounds for the Wolves in the quarter to cut the deficit to seven. He caught fire with his shooting in the fourth. Following a free throw by Corey Brewer and bucket by Michael Beasley, Love scored four straight points to tie it up at 87. It was a 9-0 run to start the fourth, and the Wolves had an 89-87 lead. Love would score seven of nine points for Minnesota during a stretch in which the Wolves took control and stretched the lead from one to seven.

He grabbed his 30th rebound with four and a half minutes remaining, so all that remained was him scoring his 30th point. With less than a minute and a half left, Love received a pass from Michael Beasley at the top of the key, and he lined up the triple and knocked it down to record 31 points. The Wolves ended up defeating the Knicks 112-103 after falling behind by as many as 21 in the second half. With Love’s monster game, people forget about the terrific performance by Beasley, who scored 35 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists and recorded three steals. In a lost season (even if the game was in the first couple weeks), it was great to see something that made Wolves fans excited.

6. The former MVP dresses up as his former self for Halloween (2018)

It was one weird few seasons for Derrick Rose. In 2010-11, Rose led the Chicago Bulls to an NBA-best 62-20 record and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The following year, he led the Bulls to a 50-16 record in the strike-shortened season. But in the first game of the playoffs, he jumped and passed it, but he was clearly in pain. An MRI revealed a torn ACL and missed the entire 2012-13 season. After that injury, he never was pre-injury self again. In a November 2013 game, he tore his meniscus and he missed a chunk of time. He returned late in the year and led the team to the No. 8 seed, but lost in six.

After a 2016 trade to New York, he once again tore his meniscus and missed the rest of the season. He would sign with the Cavs to join his buddy LeBron, but that was a bust and he was shipped to Utah, where he was waived shortly after the deal. Finally, after all those injuries, he would find a home in the Land of 10,000 Lakes with his former coach Tom Thibodeau.. He was picked up and played well, including in the playoff loss to Houston. Rose impressed the Wolves enough to sign him to a one-year deal. With the Rose signing, Minnesota had at one time or another four of the top five picks in that draft.

Minnesota made a bold move to keep Rose, and it paid off for the Wolves, as Rose was a valuable member off the bench, and could have won Sixth Man of the Year had he not missed the final three weeks of the season. The former MVP had plenty of highlights with the Wolves, but nothing could touch what happened on Halloween night against the Utah Jazz.

People should have seen good D-Rose coming that night when he made three of his first four shots en route to a 13-point and three-assist first quarter, helping the Timberwolves jump out to a 32-25 lead after one. He cooled down in the second, scoring just three points, but the Wolves still had a 65-56 advantage.

But Rose took over in the second half. Whenever Minnesota needed a basket, it was No. 25 who provided it. He was unconscious in the third quarter, scoring 19 on 9-of-11 shooting. He started the quarter fast with four in the first minute of the quarter to push the lead to 11. Utah briefly took an 87-86 lead, but a floater by Rose over the outstretched arms of Rudy Gobert re-gained the lead for the Wolves. Rose and Towns combined for 30 of the 36 points in the third, but the lead was still trimmed to five. Rose scored eight straight for the Wolves at one point in the third. But the game was still in doubt, and for Rose, just like Semisonic, it was closing time.

It was a tight final period, as the lead would never grow beyond six points on either side. And it was just a five and six-point lead for brief periods. Most of the quarter was within one possession. The former MVP was silent for the first four and a half minutes of the period, but came alive after that. Down 110-104, Rose crossed over Dante Exum and hit a tough layup. That started a personal 6-0 run by Derrick, which tied the game at 110. The layup to tie it put him at 41, and the last time he scored 40 in a game was seven years prior. His career-best was 42. He would blow past that total.

He would break his previous best on a triple from the corner to tie it at 119. It was his time to shine. Down one late? Rose calmly drove the lane and waited for Gobert to fly by to lay it up and in and give the Wolves the lead back. And then with the game tied at 123 with less than a minute to play, he demanded the ball and drove and hit a one-handed push shot over Exum to give the Timberwolves the lead they would never relinquish. However, his best play of the night was not even a made basket. With the former MVP at 50 points and Minnesota nursing a 3-point lead, his team needed a stop. Rose was up to the task.

5. This one’s for Flip (2015)

Flip Saunders is the best coach in Minnesota Timberwolves history. He led them to the playoffs eight consecutive seasons, including a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2004. Following three seasons with Detroit (leading the Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals all three seasons) and a little more than two with Washington, he returned to Minnesota to attempt to save a franchise that had not made the playoffs since he left. In August 2015, he announced he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Weeks before the season, owner Glen Taylor announced Flip would not coach the team that season. On October 25, just three days before the Timberwolves opened the season, Flip passed away.

Minnesota’s first game was in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Like the Wolves, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers wore pre-game shootaround shirts honoring Flip. Minnesota had not had much success against the Lake Show in the last number of years, but the Wolves had first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns in his first game. It was a primetime matchup on ESPN, as KAT was taking on the No. 2 pick in the draft, D’Angelo Russell.

The Wolves started out well, leading 17-10, but the Lakers caught fire to end the quarter, ending it on a 21-5 run to take a 31-22 lead. Louis Williams had nine during that run. The Timberwolves were trailing double digits virtually the whole second quarter, by as many as 16, but Minnesota fought to cut it to nine at the break. In the second half, LA kept its distance and was on the verge of blowing it open, but once again, the young Timberwolves came back. They needed to make one last push to make the Flip game one to remember.

Minnesota’s young squad was determined to not let Flip down, as it sprinted out of the gate in the final period, outscoring LA 23-7 the first nearly 10 minutes of the fourth. But LA would come back, and went on a 9-1 run to trim it to 112-111 on a Lou Williams 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining. And then Kevin Martin missed a jumper, leaving the door open for LA to win it at the buzzer.

Flip would not let that happen.

Williams received the inbounds pass and received a screen before blowing past Towns to get a good look at the basket for a floater. It hit the back of the rim. No good! It was more than a 1-0 start to the season. It was more than a game. It was for Flip.

The rookie big man said it best afterward when he said “I think we had a sixth man on the floor."

4. KAT’s in the Cradle (2018)

Minnesota had not been to the playoffs since 2004, and the 2017-18 was its best shot after the offseason trade for Jimmy Butler. However, Jimmy got hurt shortly after the All-Star break and missed a good chunk of time. In the month of March, the Wolves were fading fast. The once-promising playoff hopes were slipping away. In the month, Minnesota was 4-7, including a home defeat at the hands of the lowly Memphis Grizzlies. Up next for the Timberwolves was a game against another poor team, the Atlanta Hawks. Earlier in the season, the Wolves fell at Atlanta with Butler healthy. Now, the team had to play them with Butler sidelined. Someone needed to have a superhuman night, and that guy would be Towns.

Kevin Love broke Kevin Garnett’s franchise record with 51 points in a double overtime loss to Oklahoma City in 2012. Corey Brewer, of all people, matched Love’s 51 with 51 of his own in a win against Houston in 2014. Then, almost as crazy, Mo Williams broke that record when he poured in 52 at Indiana in 2015. Insane. The Timberwolves would probably prefer if their scoring record happen in a loss or by guys who are considered role players.

Atlanta played well to start and jumped out to a 10-4 lead and led much of the first quarter, but the Wolves ended the quarter on a 7-1 run to take a two-point lead at the end of the first 12. KAT scored 26 in the first half and the Wolves took a 65-57 lead into the break. Most Wolves fans thought that was just another good half for the big man, but we didn’t realize he had 26. If he kept playing like that, he had a chance to break the franchise record for points.

I was at the game, and my thought process went from “I hope the Wolves win” to “I want to see KAT score 40 because I have never seen a player score 40 in a game before” because I knew Minnesota would win. Towns gradually filled up the stat sheet more in the third. A 3-pointer with less than three minutes left in the third gave the Wolves a 93-79 advantage, but a 39-point night. At this point, I knew the 40-point game was coming for Karl-Anthony. So....how about 50? He quickly nailed a triple early in the fourth, and then sank a free throw, but would go silent for nearly six minutes. Then magic happened.

After a triple by Atlanta’s Mike Muscala, Minnesota’s lead had been cut to six. Time for the Towns takeover. Towns’ shot, followed by three free throws after being fouled attempting a 3, he all of a sudden had 48 and the Wolves lead was up to 11. KAT made his way to the 50-point mark with a layup while getting fouled. That tied him for second on the franchise single-game scoring record, only one behind Mo Williams’ 52. The fans who were eagerly anticipating Towns breaking the scoring record didn’t have to wait much longer. However, KAT toyed with fans when given the ball at the 3-point line on the following possession. He was open, but when the Hawks went toward him to defend the shot, he quickly passed it to the left corner to Jeff Teague, who splashed a triple from the left pocket to insert the dagger. But Towns wouldn’t pass it to a teammate on the next possession.

Towns received a pass from Tyus Jones, and was determined to shoot. He pumped a few times before letting a 3-pointer fly from the left corner.....and there was never a doubt, as he drilled it to break the record. He added a pair of free throws for good measure to make his total 56. It was great to have a big time player grab this record, and in a win as well. Not only did he pour in 56, he grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out four assists. It was a great night for the Timberwolves and it helped lead them back to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.

3. The Big Ticket returns (2015)

There is zero doubt the best and most loved player in Minnesota Timberwolves franchise history is Kevin Garnett. In his time with Minnesota from 1995-2007, he led the Wolves to eight consecutive playoff appearances, including a Western Conference Finals berth in 2004. He also averaged more than 20 points per game in nine of his seasons, and won an MVP award in that 2003-04 season. But with Minnesota paying KG a good portion of money and the team going nowhere fast, the organization dealt him to Boston for blossoming big man Al Jefferson and a number of role players. In his time with the Celtics, he helped lead them to the NBA Finals twice, and winning it once. He was traded to Brooklyn, along with Paul Pierce, and the Nets had one decent year, but then fell off a cliff.

In the 2014 offseason, Kevin Love wanted out, and the Wolves sent him to Cleveland to pair with LeBron James. In return, the Wolves received No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins, Thaddeus Young and 2013 No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett. Well, midway through the season, the Timberwolves wanted veteran leadership to help the team. Minnesota traded one of the pieces acquired for Love, Thaddeus Young, to Brooklyn for KG. The ‘Big Ticket’ was coming back home to Minneapolis.

The Wolves were terrible, as they went into battle against Washington at a pathetic 12-43. But the house was full. KG was back. They had a sweet intro for his return to the place where it all started. The game, however, did not start well for the home team. Washington jumped out to an 18-3 lead. The Wolves didn’t make their first basket until five and a half minutes remained in the quarter, and didn’t make their second until three and a half minutes remained. Ultimately, Minnesota ended the first quarter on an 8-2 run to cut it to nine at the end of the first. Eleven points in the first quarter is terrible, but only down nine was a win.

Minnesota fought back in the second, and No. 21 scored his first point on a free throw with a little more than four minutes remained in the half to cut it to 37-33. After missing his first two shots of the game, Garnett scored his first field goal since returning to the Wolves with a jumper with three and a half remaining in the first half to cut it to 35-33. The score would be tied at the half after KG blocked a Drew Gooden shot at the half buzzer.

The second half would be all Timberwolves. Garnett started the half with a pair of assists, one to Wiggins for a dunk, and the other to Kevin Martin for a triple. Those baskets helped the Wolves take their first lead of the game. And then Rubio found Garnett for a layup for his second and final basket of the night to put Minnesota in front 58-53. The Wolves dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Wizards by 14. They ended up winning 97-77. It was a great offensive performance the final three quarters, considering they only scored 11 in quarter No. 1.

The organization knew they weren’t getting the MVP level KG they had prior to trading him, but seeing him back with the Wolves was an incredible sight. For the game, he scored five points on 2-of-7 shooting, but grabbed eight boards, had one steal, two blocks and dished out two crucial assists. Even in the midst of a disastrous season, this was just one of those nights for the Timberwolves. Who would want to let down the Big Ticket?

2. Kevin Love called game (2012)

After not making the playoffs since 2004, it seemed like this Wolves team was the one that was going to break the streak. This team was exciting to watch, even though they started out 6-8. Even the losses were thrillers. They played right with the two NBA Finals participants, Oklahoma City and Miami, and they beat the Spurs. Following the Lockout, which lasted until late December, the Wolves were able to sign 2009 fifth overall pick Ricky Rubio after drafting Derrick Williams from Arizona in June. The team was an NBA League Pass darling.

Minnesota took its young, exciting, team to Los Angeles for a matchup with the new-and-improved Clippers, led by Blake Griffin. Offseason trade acquisition Chris Paul was injured and did not play. The game was televised nationally on ESPN. It looked like LA was going to run away and hide, as it led by nine after one and 11 at the half. It was just 23-20 Clippers before LA ended the first on an 8-2 run and went on a stretch where they outscored the Timberwolves 31-18 to make it 53-38.

The young Timberwolves cut their deficit to just two at 62-60 in the third on a dunk by Darko Milicic. Yes, that Darko Milicic. Every time LA got a bit of breathing room, Minnesota came back. A layup by Randy Foye for the Clippers gave them a 12-point lead with nine and a half minutes remaining. A 7-0 run got the Wolves right back into it, which set the stage for a thrilling finish.

With Minnesota down by three with less than a half minute to play, the Wolves went to an unlikely scoring option to tie the game up. Rubio, who is known much more for his passing ability, hit the biggest shot of the game to that point. Luke Ridnour drove in the lane and kicked out to Williams, who made the extra pass to Rubio in the corner. The rookie from Spain had missed his first 10 shot attempts of the game, but came up clutch with a massive 3-pointer to tie it up with 20 seconds remaining. Rubio also played great defense with the game on the line, forcing Chauncey Billups into a tough shot, which was missed. Kevin Love rebounded the ball with two seconds left. Minnesota called timeout, which set up Mr. Love for the winner.

In the NBA, you can advance the ball after a timeout, so Minnesota was inbounding the ball on the LA side of the court. A beautiful play design by head coach Rick Adelman, who had Williams curl off a screen first and head toward the basket, and Love was left all alone for a deep triple, which he splashed it from the top of the key. Pandemonium in Los Angeles! It was a great play call and Minnesota had the crowd stunned. Unfortunately, the Wolves weren’t able to make the playoffs that season, but it was a lot of fun watching that team the first 40 games of the season.

1. Playoffs, at last (2018)

It had been 14 years the Minnesota Timberwolves had not made the playoffs. Both the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves had 46 wins and were fighting for that last playoff spot in the brutal Western Conference. Needless to say, it was the biggest game in years for Timberwolves, and it would take place on the last day of the regular season and at the Target Center. The teams had met just six days prior in Denver with the Nuggets coming away with a 100-96 win. Denver was coming in on a six-game winning streak, while the Wolves had won two in a row since the loss to the Nuggets.

Minnesota went into halftime with an eight-point lead, but Denver came back to cut it to one on multiple occasions in the third quarter. The Wolves took a five-point lead into the fourth. Minnesota had a lead as high as eight in the final quarter, but could never shake Denver. Jamaal Murray scored the Nuggets final eight points to help push the game into overtime. With the game tied at the end of regulation, free agent signing Taj Gibson blocked a potential game-winning shot attempt from Nikola Jokic to keep it tied. For a team that had not made the playoffs in 14 seasons, what is five more minutes?

Jimmy Butler, who was acquired in an offseason trade from Chicago, would not let the Wolves lose. Butler scored seven of the team’s 11 points in overtime to will the team to the playoffs. Fellow offseason acquisition, Jeff Teague, nailed a huge jumper to give the Wolves a 107-106 lead with a little more than a minute remaining. With the Wolves in front 108-106, Will Barton missed a jumper with 24 seconds left, and Minnesota rebounded it, and Andrew Wiggins went to the free throw line. The much-maligned recent No. 1 overall pick calmly buried them both to give them a two-possession lead, and another stop sealed the trip to Houston for the playoffs. Butler scored a team-high 31 and Towns dropped in 26 on 12-of-19 shooting. Minnesota fell 4-1 in the playoffs to Houston, but for a team so starved for a trip to the postseason, this was cool to see.

Top 10 Minnesota Twins moments of the decade

Honorable Mention:

Twins open Target Field with win over Red Sox

Kennys Vargas walk-off homer against league-leading Cardinals

Twins come back from 6-0 deficit to beat Orioles (2017)

Minnesota defeats Boston in 17 innings (2019)

Eddie Rosario hits three homers against Cleveland, including walk-off (2018)

10. Devin’s Day (2019)

When Devin Smeltzer was just 9, he was diagnosed with cancer. Doctors found a grapefruit-sized cancerous tumor against his bladder. He had surgery, and went through chemotherapy, and the cancer went into remission in 2012. Smeltzer was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before the 2018 trade deadline, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins in a deal that sent Brian Dozier to LA. In double-A in 2018, he went 5-5 with a 4.52 ERA. He started at double-A Pensacola in 2019 and was unhittable. He was 3-1 with a 0.60 ERA in five starts. Smeltzer was then promoted to triple-A Rochester, and was flawless again. When Michael Pineda went on to the injured list, Minnesota needed a fill-in pitcher and Smeltzer got the call. It was at home, against the Milwaukee Brewers, led by reigning National League MVP Christian Yelich. The 23-year-old was brilliant, working out of trouble a few times to throw six shutout innings. Minnesota was also held scoreless, so he picked up a no-decision, but he did hold down a high-powered offense until the Twins offense could get going, which it did, and the Twins won 5-3.

Many did not think this day would come for Smeltzer, but after fighting to defeat cancer, making the majors did not seem as tough. The Brewers, with a record of 31-24, were a piece of cake considering what he’s gone through. That was evidenced by his three up, three down first inning, mowing through the Milwaukee hitters, striking two out. The three batters are not too bad either: Lorenzo Cain, Yelich and Ryan Braun. With the score still 0-0, Milwaukee catcher Yasmani Grandal hit a triple off the wall to lead off the second. But Smeltzer was fearless, striking out Mike Moustakas, getting Jesus Aguilar to ground out and Hernan Perez to fly out to work around the triple, keeping it scoreless.

Smeltzer worked around a one-out single in the third, getting Cain and Yelich out to end the inning, and then a leadoff double in the fourth. He was doing this while the Twins offense was doing nothing against Milwaukee’s Zach Davies. Smeltzer finished off a terrific first start with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings, striking out Cain and Yelich to finish his outing. Just an incredible performance.

He would not get a decision, but he put the team in position to win against the ace of the Brewers. Finally, the Twins offense woke up. Two doubles and a two-run homer from Eddie Rosario put Minnesota in front 5-0. The Twins went on to win 5-3, and much of that has to do with the terrific start by Smeltzer. No dream is too big, and he proved it that night.

9. Hader-ade (2019)

After a June 2 victory against Tampa Bay, Minnesota was sitting 11.5 games up on Cleveland for the lead in the AL Central. That lead had evaporated on Aug. 11 after the Indians came into Target Field and took three of four. Cleveland took the lead in the division the following day, defeating Boston on a walk-off homer by Carlos Santana, while the Twins were off. Minnesota went into Miller Park a half game behind the Tribe, the first time out of first place since April 18. With Minnesota trailing in the top of the eighth, it was free agent acquisition Marwin Gonzalez who put the Twins back on top in the division for good. Gonzo swung at a first pitch fastball from one of the fiercest relievers in baseball, Josh Hader, and drilled it over the left-center field wall for a three-run homer to give Minnesota a 7-5 win. Coupled with Cleveland’s loss to Boston, the Twins moved back into first place and would stay there for the remainder of the season.

Milwaukee came in fighting for a playoff spot, while Minnesota needed to win to keep pace with the red-hot Indians. Martin Perez gave the Twins an excellent outing, allowing just an unearned run in six innings and he handed the ball over to the bullpen with his team in front 4-1. A Mitch Garver two-run bomb got things started and the visitors looked like they would win game one in Milwaukee.

Then Ryne Harper happened. Harper had a good spring training, which earned him a spot on the team, but he was scuffling in the second half of the year. Harper allowed a single to Keston Huira and a double to Christian Yelich, and all of a sudden, it was 4-2 with nobody out and the tying runner on base. Then, a catcher’s interference allowed Ryan Braun to reach, and Yasmani Grandal batted with two on and nobody out. Well, Grandal hit a shot over the right field wall and Milwaukee took the lead. Needless to stay, Harper was taken out. One batter too late, though. Tyler Duffey came in and got the team out of the inning without more damage, so the Brewers had the 5-4 lead into the eighth.

Normally, the Brewers have a stout bullpen, especially Hader. He has two-inning saves occasionally, so him coming in in would not be a surprise. However, the Brewers brought in Drew Pomeranz to begin the eighth. He allowed a double to Eddie Rosario and walked Miguel Sano to bring the go-ahead runner to the plate. He induced a fly ball from Luis Arraez before giving way to Matt Albers, who struck out the only man he faced. Then, Hader was brought in to face Marwin. The Brewers reliever is known for his great fastball, so he threw a low one on the first pitch to Gonzalez. The Twins utility man swung and did not miss it, send a laser to left-center over the wall for a three-run homer. It was Marwin’s biggest hit since a double off Corey Kluber on opening day to help the Twins defeat Cleveland.

The two trade deadline acquisitions closed the door on the Brew Crew, as Sam Dyson threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth and Sergio Romo did not allow a hit in the bottom of the ninth and the Twins came away with the 7-5 win. With Minnesota’s win, the Twins moved into first and would remain there for the remainder of the season.

8. Brian’s Song (2017)

Minnesota was closing in on its first playoff appearance in seven years. The magic number was two, as the Twins faced the best team in the American League, the Cleveland Indians. It looked like Los Angeles, which was chasing after Minnesota for the second Wild Card, would gain a game as the Angels clobbered the White Sox 9-3 and the Twins were down late. That was until Brian Dozier got ahold of one. With two on and one out in the eighth with the Indians leading by two, Dozier hit an opposite field homer off Brian Shaw to move the Twins in front. The lead was held onto and Minnesota moved the magic number to just one.

It was a matchup on suspect starters, as Minnesota’s Bartolo Colon battled against Cleveland’s Josh Tomlin. Minnesota got to Tomlin first, as it took a lead on a Jorge Polanco RBI groundout and Eddie Rosario solo shot. But Cleveland answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs of its own on an Edwin Encarnacion two-run single.

It was still 2-2 in the third when Rosario continued his great day at the plate, plating two on a double. But once again, Cleveland answered with two in the bottom of the inning, as back-to-back singles by Encarnacion and Jay Bruce tied it back up. Cleveland scored single runs in the sixth and seventh to put the Tribe in front 6-4, which set the stage for Dozier’s dramatics.

The inning did not start promising, as Buxton struck out swinging. But back-to-back singles by Jason Castro and Robbie Grossman put runners on the corners with one out. Then Brian Dozier came up, and Brian did not want the Twins to lose. Dozier hit a 96 mph fastball to the opposite field and it hit the top of the wall and bounced over for a homer. That three-run tater gave the Twins a 7-6 lead. A Buxton single scored another in the ninth, and Trevor Hildenberger and Matt Belisle went six up, six down to slam the door on the Indians, and the Twins were one win or an Angels loss away from clinching. Minnesota would only have to wait until the following day to make the playoffs, as the Twins lost, but so did the Angels, on a walk-off to Chicago.

7. No. 600 for the man with an ox in the batter’s box (2011)

In 2010, Minnesota won the AL Central and hosted a playoff series. However, in 2011, nothing was going right. The team had one of the worst records in the league. The only thing that kept fans coming to games was slugger Jim Thome’s pursuit of 600 homers. On August 15, that became a reality when Thome hit not one, but two homers in a 9-6 victory at Detroit. Minnesota was 52-67, while Detroit was 64-56 and fighting for a playoff spot. Thome hit No. 599 in the sixth and in an inning later, Thome put the game away with a three-run shot to left field. It was a terrific night in what was a dismal season for the Twins.

Minnesota jumped on Rick Porcello in the third. After former Twin Delmon Young hit a homer in the bottom of the first, the Twins scored three runs on three hits, with the help of two Tigers errors. Victor Martinez tied the game with a homer off Francisco Liriano. In the sixth, Thome hit No. 599 off Porcello to left-center to give the Twins a 5-3 advantage. The Twins scored another on a triple by Ben Revere and it was 6-3. Detroit responded with two in the bottom half of the sixth, and the Minnesota lead was down to one. The Twins put it away with another bomb by Thome.

With runners on the corners after a pair of walks and a stolen base, Thome stepped to the plate with two outs in the seventh facing Daniel Schlereth. Daniel is the son of NFL analyst Mark Schlereth. Thome was thrown an offspeed pitch on 2-1 and Thome hammered it to left over the fence and into the bullpen. All the Twins players exited the dugout to congratulate him after he crossed home plate, as well as his family greeted him. Detroit fans, aware of the big moment and milestone, all applauded him, even though it essentially gave the Twins the victory.

Minnesota won it 9-6 to improve its record to a woeful 14 games below .500, but everyone remembers this night when Thome hit No. 600. Less than two weeks later, he was traded to his first home, the Cleveland Indians, since the Twins were in fire sale mode.

6. Twins turn the tide in the AL Central (2010)

Minnesota came into a mid-July series just after the All-Star break at 3.5 games in back of Chicago for the division lead. It was a four-game series, so a split would not help the Twins, and they absolutely could not lose the series. Chicago came out to Target Field and won the first game 8-7. Minnesota needed to win the next three. The Twins won the next two 7-4 and 3-2 to cut it to a 2.5-game Chicago lead. The next one was huge. It was either a lead of 3.5 or 1.5 for the White Sox. Chicago took a 6-3 lead into the ninth, so it looked like the Twins would not make up any ground in the series. But then, the Twins scored four runs without anybody getting out in a crazy ninth inning, and Minnesota walked away only down 1.5 and had worlds of confidence moving forward. After losing the first one to Chicago in the four-game series, Minnesota won seven of the final nine and ran away with the division.

The Twins started the game well, as Delmon Young hit a homer to left to give them a 2-0 lead. It was 3-1 entering the fifth, but the Sox scored one in the fifth and four more in the sixth to take control of the game, and their hope was the division as well. Chicago began the sixth with three straight hits, with the last being a double by Carlos Quentin, to take their first lead of the game at 4-3. They added two more on back-to-back singles later in the inning by Ramon Castro and Gordon Beckham and it was 6-3. That would remain the score until the bottom of the ninth.

Back-to-back walks opened the ninth, and if you ask any pitcher, they’ll tell you leadoff walks are killers. But then Jason Kubel singled to score Orlando Hudson, and the Twins had it within two, and the tying run was on base. Then, Michael Cuddyer hit a line drive single to right-center to score Joe Mauer, and the lead was cut to a single run. That knocked out Bobby Jenks and he was replaced by Sergio Santos. After another walk loaded the bases with no one out, Young hit a shallow fly ball to right-center, and the Twins were content with a tie game. But Chicago center fielder Alex Rios tried throwing it to.....a cutoff man, I guess? Well, he airmailed everyone and bounced past the third base line and near the dugout, and Cuddyer jogged home and the Twins had the series win with the 7-6 win. After that season-changing series win, the Twins won 21 of their next 27 to move into first place in the AL Central, and they’d never look back, ultimately winning the division by six games.

5. Garv Sauce (2019)

The Twins had regrouped and taken a 6.5-game lead over Cleveland in early September after falling out of place in August, setting up two final series between the two. The Indians took the first game of the critical three-game set to cut it 5.5. The Tribe needed the sweep. Cleveland had a tougher schedule remaining and needed to take at least five of six of the remaining games between the two. With the game tied at two in the seventh, Mitch Garver unloaded on a three-run homer to right field to give the Twins a 5-2 lead. It was his second of the day. They would hold on for a 5-3 victory, keeping distance between them and the Tribe in the division race.

Garver hit his first homer in the opening inning to give the Twins an early 1-0 advantage. It stayed that way until the sixth when Cleveland capitalized on two walks with an extra base hit and a wild pitch to take the lead 2-1. That lead lasted just one inning.

With Adam Cimber pitching, Willians Astudillo singled, and scored on a Jonathan Schoop triple and the game was tied. Schoop wasn’t known for coming through in big spots, but that was one of his biggest hits of the season. Oliver Perez relieved Cimber and promptly walked Max Kepler on five pitches. Terry Francona then called on Nick Goody to get out of the two on, nobody out jam with minimal damage. His first batter was Garver, who belted a 1-1 pitch just over the overhang in right field to put the Twins back on top, this time for good.

Cleveland strung together a couple of hits in the eighth off Sergio Romo to cut it to 5-3, but Romo just allowed the one run and Taylor Rogers slammed the door in the ninth and the Twins had their 6.5 game lead back.

4. In the words of LL Cool J, don’t call it a comeback (2015)

It was a surprising season for the Twins, who had been in the cellar of the league since 2011. The Under new manager Paul Molitor, Minnesota was 46-40 and in the thick of the playoff chase at the All-Star break. The Twins had trouble beating the Tigers, dropping eight of the first 10 against the Motor City Kitties during the 2015 season. And haMinnesota was on the verge of falling to 2-9, as it trailed 6-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning before magic happened. Minnesota had seven of eight batters reach to start the inning, and the game was capped off by a Brian Dozier walk-off shot. Dozier wasn’t even elected to the All-Star game, but put the finishing touches on this improbable rally in the bottom of the ninth. It also took the hex off the Twins against the Tigers, and Minnesota won the final two games of the series as well to finish off taking three of four against Detroit and head into the break at 49-40.

Detroit knocked around Ervin Santana, smacking three homers, including a three-run shot, to get its six runs. Justin Verlander, on the other hand, sailed along through seven, not allowing a run, before a Brian Dozier single broke up the shutout and it was 6-1 after eight innings. That would set the stage for the wildest ninth inning in Target Field history. Detroit hit a double and single and it had runners on second and third with nobody out. Trevor May responded by getting Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez and Alex Avila to pop up to escape the inning still trailing 6-1.

Then came the bottom of the ninth.

Joe Mauer led off the inning with what seemed like a meaningless single, but it was followed by a Miguel Sano ground-rule double, so runners were on second and third with nobody out. Rondon struck out Trevor Plouffe, and there were two on, one out. Unfortunately for Detroit, that was the only out recorded in the half-inning. An RBI single by Eddie Rosario knocked Rondon out of the game. That would put runners on the corners with the score now at 6-2. A Joakim Soria walk to Aaron Hicks loaded the bases, and that was followed by hitting Kurt Suzuki to force in a run, and the tying run was on base. Danny Santana, of all people, lined a single to center to bring home a pair and cut it to 6-5, to bring up Dozier.

Runners were on first and second with still one out for the Twins second baseman. The tying runner was on second, and winning run on first. Dozier proved he was screwed of an All-Star appearance (he was added later on due to injury) by pouncing on the first pitch from Soria. The Tigers closer threw a hanging breaking ball, which was destroyed by Dozier and deposited into the upper deck and the Twins celebrated the improbable win at home plate after an 8-6 win.

As Twins play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer said, it was “the most electrifying moment at Target Field in years.”

3. Sano-doubter daggers Cleveland (2019)

The Twins entered the last series against the Indians in front by 3.5 games, but Minnesota had the easier schedule the remainder of the season, so Cleveland needed to sweep to keep pace with Minnesota and make it a race to the finish. Jake Odorizzi was scheduled to start the opening game of the series, but after a few innings, the game was called. Because of that, Odorizzi couldn’t start again in the series. Already needing to play nine innings of bullpen on the second game because of a suspension to Michael Pineda, they were forced to play a double header and both games were to be bullpen games for the Twins. They needed to go 18 innings using relievers……in the biggest series of the year. Minnesota not only threw nine innings of bullpen game one of the day, but six pitchers combined to shut out the Tribe.

One win was nice, but the Twins had a chance to really put the Indians in the rearview mirror if it could win one of the next two in Cleveland. In game one, the Twins went all out, pitching most of their shutdown relievers. Lewis Thorpe started against Tyler Clippard and Thorpe allowed five runs in 3.2 innings, digging the team into a 5-2 hole. Nelson Cruz hit a homer in the sixth to cut it to 5-4. While the Twins were crawling back, the pitching staff was putting up zero after zero. Cody Stashak, Brusdar Graterol and Trevor May combined to allow no runs on just one hit in 5.1 innings.

The game remained 5-4 heading to the eighth, but that inning became the biggest inning for the Twins of the season. Not in runs, but in significance. Jonathan Schoop began the inning with a single and Kepler grounded out, but advanced on a throwing error. With a runner on second with one out, Jorge Polanco doubled to left to switch places with Kepler and, more importantly, tie the score. Oliver Perez proceeded to walk Nelson Cruz and Eddie Rosario to load the bases for Sano.

The big man was 0-3 on the night with a pair of strikeouts, but he could light up a scoreboard at any moment, and the Indians found out the hard way. Just like a few weeks prior when Mitch Garver took him deep, Nick Goody was brought in to pitch in a big spot. The power hitter did not waste long to break open the game. Goody’s first pitch was a breaking ball that could not have been thrown in a worse location. The result was predictable, as Miguel destroyed the baseball into the left field bleachers to break the game open 9-5 and end the AL Central race once and for all.

May threw two perfect innings to close the door on a double header sweep. That put Minnesota in front by 5.5 games with 13 games remaining for the Indians. Not only did it damage the division hopes for the Tribe, but also the Wild Card as well. Cleveland actually won seven of eight after the double header sweep, but could only gain 1.5 games on the Twins. The Indians closed out the season by dropping five straight and Minnesota won the division by eight games. Cleveland’s slump at the end of the season knocked them out of the playoffs entirely.

2. Back-to-back walk-off homers (2017)

It was a magical season for the Minnesota Twins. In 2016, the Twins were an awful 59-103, which was the worst record in the majors. That record was nine games behind the second worst team. But Minnesota had a turnaround season for the ages in 2017, going 85-77, and earning a Wild Card berth. With the bounce back season, they become the first team in Major League Baseball history to reach the postseason after losing 100 games the previous season. In mid-September, the Twins were clinging to a two-game lead for the second Wild Card spot and the Twins needed some late game heroics to maintain the lead. That would come on back-to-back nights, when they received walk-off homers from Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton against San Diego and Toronto, respectively.

The games were very similar. On the first night, the Twins played the San Diego Padres. Minnesota took the lead on a wild pitch in the second, but there wouldn’t be another run scored until the eighth. Minnesota starter Ervin Santana was brilliant, throwing six shutout innings, but would not figure in the decision. That would be because Austin Hedges took Trevor Hildenberger deep in the top of the eighth to tie up the game. Alan Busenitz and Matt Belisle escaped jams in both the eighth and the ninth to keep the game even at 1. Brad Hand blew threw the Twins lineup in the eighth and ninth, and they went to the 10th tied. Belisle had a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 10th, and Rosario made sure there was no 11th. With one on and two out, Rosario worked the count in his favor against Phil Maton. On the 2-0 pitch, Maton tried to go inside with a fastball, but Eddie turned on it and blasted it deep to right. The only question was if it was going to stay fair. It did, and the Twins won 3-1 to keep a bit of distance between themselves and the Angels in the Wild Card race. But Minnesota wasn’t done with the walk-off homers. The next night, it was Buxton’s turn.

Like the previous night, Minnesota had a one-run lead late in the game. After a Toronto run in the top of the fifth, Jorge Polanco hit a two-run single to take give the Twins the advantage. That lead would hold up until the ninth. Belisle got the first two batters, including the dangerous Josh Donaldson, on just seven pitches. But then Justin Smoak, with the Blue Jays down to their final out, hammered a homer to right to even the game. Dillon Gee worked around a one-out double in the 10th, and Minnesota came to the plate in their half of the inning. Luis Santos induced a pop-up from Polanco and he struck out Eduardo Escobar, bringing Buxton to the plate with two outs.  A few weeks before, he hit three homers in a game at Toronto. This game, he didn’t to hit three, as one did the trick. Santos’ off speed pitch was a hanger and Buxton did not miss it, and launched a no-doubter into the upper deck to keep their distance with the Angels. It was only the second time in Twins history that they have had walk-off homers on consecutive days, and the first time since August 6-7 of 1970 when George Mitterwald and Jim Holt did it to the Angels and A’s, respectively. The two walk-offs helped keep distance between themselves and Los Angeles, and Minnesota would wind up playing in the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

1. Jim Thome. (2010)

Minnesota was 68-50, and finally had overtaken Chicago, which led the AL Central for much of the year. The Twins were three games up on the White Sox entering a crucial three-game set in Minneapolis. Minnesota would take 2-of-3 from Chicago, and essentially put the Sox away in the division. It all started with a series-opening win courtesy of free agent acquisition Jim Thome, who hit the first walk-off homer in Target Field history with a two-run shot off Matt Thornton.

The Twins started out hot, as the second batter of the game, Orlando Hudson, homered to give Minnesota the early lead. A two-run triple by Jason Kubel and RBI single by Thome pushed the lead to 4-0 after one. But home runs by Mark Kotsay and Twins killer Paul Konerko cut the lead to one. They would later tie up the game on a double by A.J. Pierzynski.

Delmon Young homered in the fifth to put the Twins in front 5-4, and they thought the lead would hold up, as it was still 5-4 heading into the ninth inning. But trade deadline pickup Matt Capps served up a home run to Alexei Ramirez leading off the ninth, and they headed to extra innings knotted up. Capps was able to get Konerko to end the ninth on a bases loaded double play.

It looked like the lead was being cut to two games when Ramirez (again) hits an RBI single to center and the Sox led 6-5 going to the bottom of the 10th. Thornton was on for his second inning of work after just allowing a harmless two-out single in the ninth. Young led off with a single to give him three hits on the night, and Thome came up with a man on first and nobody out. As a Twins fan, my thinking was that it would either end really good (home run) or really bad (strikeout, double play). There would be no in between. This one ended really well for the home team. After a strike by Thornton on the first pitch of the at-bat, Thornton threw a 93 mph fastball down the middle of the plate. As Pepper Brooks said in Dodgeball, “That’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see how it plays out for them.” Yeah, Thome swung hard, and the ball went far, as he deposited it deep near the American flag at Target Field. That hit was a no doubter by Thome. The win was Minnesota’s 26th in its last 33, and it went 23-10 in its next 33 to sew up the division. Chicago lost 18 of its next 32, and the division race was over.

Top 10 Wild moments of the decade

10. Playoffs, here we come (2013)

It was a fairly disappointing year for the Wild, as fans hoped it would contend for the cup after signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in the offseason, but would have to win the final game in the regular season to make the playoffs as the final seed. Minnesota was fighting with Columbus, coached by former Wild head man Todd Richards, for the final spot. The two teams entered the final night tied with 53 points, and the Wild had the tiebreaker incase the teams tied. Columbus defeated Nashville 3-1, which meant Minnesota needed to knock off Colorado on the road to earn the playoff berth. The Wild did just that, also winning 3-1 to earn a berth in the playoffs against top-seeded Chicago.

Colorado was one of the worst teams in the NHL during the season, but Minnesota still could not overlook the Avalanche. The Wild started fast, as Parise scored with a little more than 13 minutes left in the opening period. The goal was assisted by Charlie Coyle and Mikko Koivu, and Minnesota was on top 1-0. But with less than two minutes remaining in the first, Colorado responded. Ryan O'Reilly scored his sixth of the season for the Avalanche to tie the game at one heading into the first intermission.

But fortunately for Minnesota, goalie Niklas Backstrom shut the door on Colorado the remainder of the night. Just past the halfway point of the game, Devin Setoguchi gave the Wild the lead back, and the road team would never relinquish it the rest of the way. Setoguchi scored off assists from former Wisconsin standout Tom Gilbert and Matt Cullen. The lead remained 2-1 at the end of two periods.

Colorado had chances in the third, but Backstrom thwarted the attempts, stopping 29 of the 30 shots he faced. Pierre-Marc Bouchard sealed the deal with an empty netter with four seconds to go, and Minnesota was off to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. It also started a string of six consecutive playoff appearances. Minnesota fell in five games to Chicago in round one, but it was nice to see playoff hockey again in the ‘State of Hockey.’

9. John Curry is a brick wall.....that can feel pain and cries a lot (2014)

John Curry had not played in the NHL in four years since he played with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In April of 2014, Curry started against St. Louis for his first game since January 2010 and just his fifth game overall. The journeyman 30-year-old goalie responded with stopping a career-high 43 shots against one of the best teams in the league, the St. Louis Blues, as he helped the Wild defeat St. Louis 4-2.

It was the second to last game of the season and Minnesota was ticketed for the playoffs as the first wild card. The Blues were 52-20-7 and played like it offensively in this game, but Curry dominated the game. Nino Niederreiter got the party started with a goal off assists from Jonathon Blum and Matt Cooke. That was the only goal of the first period.

Four goals were scored in the second, two by each team. St. Louis scored the first and third goals, tying the game each time. Kevin Shattenkirk scored the first goal of the period for the Blues on the power play, tying the game at one. But less than a minute and a half later, Kyle Brodziak responded short handed. Later, it was Jaden Schwartz who scored short handed, tying the game at two. But once again, less than a minute and a half later, Matt Moulson scored to regain the advantage for Minnesota. Brodziak scored his second of the game less than a minute into the third to put the Wild in front 4-2, which would hold up the remainder of the game.

Curry earned the first star of the game, stopping 43 of the 45 shots he faced. He was peppered by the Blues, as St. Louis shots on goal, 45-15, but the Wild made the most of its shots, scoring four times. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Blues. Curry played two games for the Wild the following season and allowed five goals in the two games, and never played another game in the NHL. But for one night, with his family and friends in the stands, he was the best goalie in the league.

8. Road warriors (2015)

Minnesota was left for dead midway through the 2014-15 season, as it was 18-19-5 and out of a playoff spot. After the acquisition of Devan Dubnyk, everything turned around, and that includes winning on the road. Following a loss to the Vancouver Canucks 3-2, Minnesota was 28-21-7. After that game, the Wild tied an NHL record by winning 12 straight road games before the streak ended on the final game of the regular season at St. Louis. The streak tied the Detroit Red Wings from 2005-06. After the last game of the streak, Minnesota was 46-27-8 and ticketed for the playoffs.

The streak began with an overtime win against a real good Calgary team. Less than two minutes into the extra session, Mikko Koivu scored to give the Wild the 3-2 win. The squad won two days later at Edmonton and the Wild was in business. In addition to the win at Calgary, Minnesota also won at Nashville three times, Washington, St. Louis, the NY Islanders and Chicago. All were playoff teams. That is eight games against playoff teams on the road, so it wasn’t like the team was playing poor competition. Of those 12, two were won in overtime and one was won via a shootout

The winning streak was snapped in a 4-2 loss to St. Louis in the last game of the regular season. However, the two teams met in the playoffs, and Minnesota won the series 4-to-2, winning two of the three games played in St. Louis.

7. Smokin’ the Doobie (2015)

Minnesota was a struggling hockey time, and much of that was due to the poor play of the guys in net, namely Niklas Backstrom. He was 5-7 and had a goals against average of greater than three. Not good. On January 15, the Wild made one of its best trades in franchise history, sending a third round pick to Arizona in exchange for Devan Dubnyk. The Wild was 18-19-5 and losers of its last six, so the Wild made the trade to bring Dubnyk to St. Paul, and he was thrust in immediately as the starter, and the new goalie led them on a run that eventually led them back to the playoffs, including pulling an upset of St. Louis in the first round.

During Minnesota’s six-game losing streak, the Wild allowed a total of 29 goals. Allowing an average of nearly five goals per night will beat you basically every night. In two of those games, the Wild allowed seven, including the last one, a 7-2 beating at Pittsburgh. After the trade, the team picked it up. Dubnyk was immediately named the starter upon receiving him, which is how desperate the team was. In the first game following the trade, Dubnyk stopped all 18 shots faced en route to an easy 7-0 Minnesota victory to stop the losing streak. Buffalo was not a good team, but still, it was a huge step forward, especially after what the previous starting goalies had done. Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper faced the same Sabres team in November, and the duo combined to let in three.

His second game was against Arizona, his former team, and Dubnyk stopped 25 of 26 shots en route to a 3-1 win. From January 27 through March 28, Dubnyk won 24 of 30 to put Minnesota into the playoffs after a poor beginning of the season. After being acquired, he started every game for the Wild in net, and was an impressive 27-9 with an even more impressive 1.78 goals against average. In the playoffs, he led the Wild to an upset of the heavily-favored St. Louis Blues. He had a 2.3 goals against average against St. Louis, but that was inflated due to allowing 10 combined goals in games two and four. In the games Minnesota won, he was brilliant, posting one shutout and only allowing four goals in the four Wild wins. Since then, he has been a mainstay in net for Minnesota.

6. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over (2010)

Chicago was really good. I mean, REALLY good. The Blackhawks came in at 31-10-3 and eventually went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2010. Minnesota was treading water at 21-20-3 and the teams met at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Chicago had dominated the first two meetings at the United Center. The Blackhawks dominated this meeting too....for the first two periods. After two, the Blackhawks led 5-1 and were primed to improve to 32-10-3. However, Minnesota scored four times in the final 14 minutes to tie the score, with Guillaume Latendresse knocking home the tying goal with 1:33 left in regulation. In a shootout Minnesota would win, as Owen Nolan scored the winning goal in the eighth round.

Chicago wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as Patrick Sharp scored just 1:22 into the game to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead. Latendresse scored to tie it up four minutes later, but from there on, it was all Blackhawks the rest of the period. Not three and a half minutes apart, Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg scored to put the Blackhawks on top 3-1, and it would remain that way at the end of the first. In the second, Troy Brouwer scored on the power play and Marian Hossa scored shorthanded, and it was 5-1 after two, and most thought the game was over. Except for the Wild, that is. Following that fifth Chicago goal, Niklas Backstrom was replaced by Josh Harding.

Minnesota started the comeback with Andrew Ebbett circling behind the Blackhawks goal before sliding a perfect pass in front of the net to Kim Johnsson, who fired it home to cut it to 5-2. The second goal came off a rebound by Mikko Koivu and it was 5-3 with still 12:31 remaining. Cal Clutterbuck fired a one-timer past Cristobal Huet on the power play less than a minute and a half later, and all of a sudden, it was just a one-goal game with still 11:11 remaining. It stayed that way until the final two minutes of the game.

There was a fight for the puck, and Nolan and Eric Belanger were fighting for the puck with a few Blackhawks, and Nolan was able to gain control of the puck and center a pass to Latendresse, who fired a one-timer past Huet to tie the game! The rest of regulation and overtime came and went without a goal being scored, so they went to a shootout. Koivu scored on his first attempt in the shootout, but Patrick Kane responded in round two. After that no one scored until round eight. In that round, Nolan fired one top shelf over Huet’s left shoulder and the Wild had the advantage in the shootout. Harding needed to stop John Madden (no, not THAT John Madden) in order to preserve the win. He did just that! Madden tried to go backhand and Harding stoned him. It was a “meh” year, but this one is a game to remember.

5. Successful debuts for Parise, Suter (2013)

The biggest free agent acquisitions in Wild history took place on July 4, 2012, when Zach Parise and Ryan Suter both teamed up to go to the Minnesota Wild. It took a little bit longer than the Wild hoped to get them in the regular season because of the lockout and teams started playing in late January. Colorado scored the first goal of the game, but Minnesota scored the next three en route to a 4-2 win, much to the delight of the Xcel Energy Center crowd.

As mentioned above, the Avalanche jumped out to an early 1-0 advantage just over two minutes into the game, as John Mitchell scored on assists from Steve Downie and Milan Hejduk. From that point on, Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom was lights out. The score remained 1-0 heading into the second period. That was when Minnesota turned it up and took control of the game. Not four minutes into the second period, former Wisconsin Badgers standout Dany Heatley fired one past Semyon Varlamov and it was a brand new contest. It was the first of two goals for the former Badger. On the goal, one of the assists was by Parise, his first one as a member of the Wild. Not even a minute later, Minnesota had its first lead of the season on a goal by 20-year-old rookie Mikael Granlund. The assists were given to Jared Spurgeon and Devin Setoguchi. Heatley added another for good measure midway through the period, and just like his first goal, Parise had one of the assists. The score remained 3-1 at the conclusion of the second period.

Colorado scored one more to keep it close on a goal from Cody McLeod with just under 15 minutes remaining and it was 3-2. But Backstrom slammed the door shut the rest of the night, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard put the capper on an Opening Night victory against Colorado with a goal to make the final 4-2. Parise had two assists and Suter helped hold the Avalanche to two goals. I’d say it was a successful debut for the prized free agent signings.

4. MS no match for Josh Harding (2013)

This was the second game following the lockout, and after a win on opening night against Colorado, Minnesota took on Dallas at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild won 1-0 on the first goal of his Minnesota career by Zach Parise, but the big story would be goalie Josh Harding. During the lockout, on November 28, 2012, it was reported that Harding had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In his first game back following the diagnosis, he shut out the Stars in the victory, helping the Wild start the season 2-0.

Both teams played the night before, and came out a bit sluggish, but the Wild put the first (and only) tally of the game on a one-timer by Parise. The major free agent acquisition passed to Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who fed it right back to Zach and he fired it on net and past Cristopher Nilstorp to give the Wild the lead. On any given night, that would be the lead story. However, this was Harding’s night.

Josh stopped 24 Dallas shots on the game, including some crucial ones. He made a nice glove save of Alex Goligoski late in the first period, and then with the game winding down, he shut down Ray Whitney when he had a wide open look with a little more than a minute left in the game. The Wild did not generate much offense all night, but Harding made the one goal stand up. It was a terrific moment for Harding, shutting out a team after being diagnosed with MS a few months prior.

The game was one of only three starts for Harding on the season, and it was his only win in the 2013 season. Harding came back to post an impressive 18-7-3 record in 2013-14. Following the season, he was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. It is named after the former Minnesota North Stars player, who is the only player to ever die from injuries suffered during an NHL game.

3. Zucker Punched (2013)

In the first season with Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, it was a bumpy ride. Minnesota clinched the final seed in the Western Conference playoffs on the final day of the season. The Wild were paired with the Stanley Cup favorite, the Chicago Blackhawks. In game one, Minnesota scored first, but Chicago answered, and then won in overtime. The Blackhawks won game two handily, 5-2, and the series headed to St. Paul for game three.

In game three, Chicago was able to score first in the opening period when Patrick Kane made a nice pass to Johnny Oduya, who blasted one past Josh Harding, and the Blackhawks had a 1-0 lead. That lead would be short-lived, though, as Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored to even it up. It was a great play by Bouchard and Cal Clutterbuck, as Bouchard brought the puck up and dropped it to Clutterbuck, who rifled a shot that was saved, but the rebound went back to Cal. While on his back, he passed it to Bouchard, who fired a backhand top shelf to beat Corey Crawford and the score was knotted at 1. It stayed that way until the third period.

The Wild dealt the first blow in the third period, taking the lead three minutes into the third. Charlie Coyle fought for the puck behind the Blackhawks net. Coyle won the battle and made a sweet dish to Parise in front of the net, who also went backhand to the top shelf and the Wild had a 2-1 lead. It remained 2-1 until the final few minutes, when Chicago tied it back up. Kane had the puck at the blue line and passed it a wide open Duncan Keith, who blasted one past Harding top shelf over the right shoulder to tie the game. It went to overtime, like many Wild playoff classics. It was do-or-die for Minnesota.

Chicago had the first chance in the extra session when Oduya rifled one in, but it went off of Harding’s stick a half minute in. However, the next chance went to the Wild, and it cashed in. Bouchard had the puck on the boards in the back of the Chicago net, and he passed it to Matt Cullen. He fought two Chicago defenders to try to break free, and fell down. While falling, he managed to pass it to Jason Zucker, who buried it from an impossible angle! After hitting the crossbar on a shot in overtime in game one, he did not miss this one. Zucker fired it top shelf over the left shoulder of Crawford, and it surprised him, I think. Crawford was down on his knees, and was not able to get back to his feet. Minnesota lost the next two to lose the series, but the incredible overtime goal by Zucker will not soon be forgotten.

2. St. Louis feeling the Blues (2015)

Up to that point, Minnesota had won three series in the playoffs, but not one of them was clinched at the Xcel Energy Center. That changed in 2015 when the underdog Wild was the first Wild Card and were able to knock off the St. Louis Blues in six games. Minnesota stole game one in St. Louis, and the teams alternated wins through the first five games. The Wild had a chance to take a 3-1 lead back to St. Louis for game five, but the Wild was pounded 6-1 in St. Paul. The Blues scored first in game five in St. Louis, but the Wild scored four straight to win 4-1, and give the home fans a chance to witness the first series won there. Minnesota did not disappoint.

In the series, not one game was decided by a single goal, and this one was no different. Minnesota came out pumped up and thrived off the electricity in the building. Zach Parise fed off the energy and scored the first goal of the game shorthanded with just under 13 minutes to go in the first period. It would stay that way until the second. That would be when Justin Fontaine scored to give the Wild a two-goal advantage. However, the Blues gained confidence heading into the second intermission, as T.J. Oshie scored with four seconds remaining in the second. It could have changed the whole complexion of the game. Things could have gone south for the Wild, but the team rebounded and played well in the third period.

The positive energy for the Blues lasted about a minute into the third, as Parise scored his second goal of the night, pounding home a rebound 1:01 into the third period, and the Wild had that two-goal lead back. It seemingly took the wind out of the sails of St. Louis. The Blues had a few chances, but Devan Dubnyk was up to the task to keep the Wild in front by two. Minnesota closed the door on St. Louis when Nino Niederreiter shot into an empty net from the opposite blue line. Game. Set. Match. The Wild celebrated the 4-1 upset, and clinched its first series at home.

1. El Nino sends the Avs packing (2014)

Minnesota came in with 98 points, good enough for the second Wild Card. Colorado won the Central Division with 112 points, after finishing with the fewest points in the entire Western Conference the year before (second worst in the NHL). Not many people thought the Wild had a chance, especially after the Avalanche won the first two games at home. In a terrific series, only two games were decided by more than one goal and four of the seven went into overtime. The seventh and deciding game also went into overtime, and Nino Niederreiter scored five minutes into overtime to give the Wild the 5-4 win in the game and the 4-3 series win.

It was a great game seven with the teams trading goals throughout. Eleven years prior, the Wild pulled off a huge upset in the seventh game in the first round against Colorado, essentially ending that dynasty. This year, the Wild wasn’t ending any dynasty, but the Avalanche were the No. 2 seed in the West. It did not take long for the home team to light the lamp, as Nick Holden scored a power play goal and the Avalanche drew first blood. There would be two more goals in the first period. Mikko Koivu tied it up for the Wild, but Jamie McGinn answered for Colorado, and the Avs took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Minnesota’s Dany Heatley (former Badger) scored the only goal of the second, and it was 2-2 heading to the third period.

Paul Stastny scored to give Colorado a 3-2 lead three minutes into the third, but Minnesota would not go away. Niederreiter tied it up at 3, and the teams traded goals in the final nine minutes. Jared Spurgeon scored for the Wild to tie the game with less than three minutes left. Whenever the Wild needed a play, someone made it. The game would go into overtime, just like the seventh game in 2003.

With about five minutes gone by in the overtime, the Wild had another overtime hero against the Avalanche. Niederreiter advanced the puck on a 2-on-1 scoring chance with Kyle Brodziak. Nino thought about passing it to Brodziak, but fired one on net that hit the left post and went in past Semyon Varlamov! The Wild love the upsets in the playoffs, and unfortunately for Colorado, the Avalanche have been the victim twice.

NBA Mock Draft

With the Wolves movin' on up, just like the Jeffersons, I thought I'd make a last-minute mock. Here goes nothin'...

1. New Orleans Pelicans: Ethan Ha.....just kidding...Zion Williamson, PF, Duke
2. Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant, PG, Murray State
3. New York Knicks: R.J. Barrett, SG, Duke
4. Atlanta Hawks: DeAndre Hunter, SF, Virginia
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jarrett Culver, SG, Texas Tech
6. Minnesota Timberwolves: Darius Garland, PG, Vanderbilt
7. Chicago Bulls: Coby White, PG, North Carolina
8. New Orleans Pelicans: Cam Reddish, SG/SF, Duke
9. Washington Wizards: Sekou Doumbouya, SF/PF, France
10. Atlanta Hawks: Jaxson Hayes, PF/C, Texas
11. Phoenix: Brandon Clarke, PF, Gonzaga
12. Charlotte Hornets: Rui Hachimura, SF/PF, Gonzaga
13. Miami Heat: Kevin Porter, SG/SF, USC
14. Boston Celtics: He Who Shall Remain Nameless, SG, Kentucky
15. Detroit Pistons: Nassir Little, SF, North Carolina
16. Orlando Magic: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, Virginia Tech
17. New Orleans Pelicans: Romeo Langford, SG, Indiana
18. Indiana Pacers: P.J. Washington, PF, Kentucky
19. San Antonio Spurs: Ty Jerome, PG, Virginia
20. Boston Celtics: Goga Bitadze, C, Republic of Georgia
21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Keldon Johnson, SG/SF, Kentucky
22. Boston Celtics: Carsen Edwards, PG, Purdue
23. Memphis Grizzlies: Bol Bol, C, Oregon
24. Philadelphia 76ers: Mfiondu Kabengele, PF/C, Florida State
25. Portland Trail Blazers: Matisse Thybulle, SG/SF, Washington
26. Cleveland Cavaliers: Bruno Fernando, C, Maryland
27. Brooklyn Nets: Naz Reid, C, LSU
28. Golden State Warriors: Cameron Johnson, SF, North Carolina
29. San Antonio Spurs: Luka Samanic, PF, Croatia
30. Detroit Pistons: Jontay Porter, PF/C, Missouri

Top 20 Current Coaches Who Have Not Made the Final Four

There is a big shake-up from last year’s list, as Virginia’s Tony Bennett (No. 2), Auburn’s Bruce Pearl (No. 6) and Texas Tech’s Chris Beard (No. 16) all made the Final Four from the first time. Here is my up-to-date list.

Honorable Mention:

Steve Alford, Nevada (509-269, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, four Sweet 16s)
Tim Cluess, Iona (198-108, six NCAA Tournament appearances)
Bobby Hurley, Arizona State (115-78, three NCAA Tournament appearances)
Dan Hurley, Connecticut (167-122, two NCAA Tournament appearances)
Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa (266-168, four NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16)
Nate Oats, Alabama (96-43, three NCAA Tournament appearances)
Dave Rose, BYU (347-133, eight NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16)

20. Brad Underwood, Illinois (135-66, four NCAA Tournament appearances)

The Illini started out awful this season, but showed signs of turning it around with wins against Maryland, Michigan State and at Ohio State, as well as a blowout of Minnesota. However, his team lost five of six to finish the season, and was blown out by Iowa in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. After an incredible run at Stephen F. Austin in which he led the Lumberjacks to an 89-14 record and an incredible 53-1 conference record, he led the Oklahoma State Cowboys to the tournament in 2017. He has had a rocky start to his Illinois coaching career, going just 26-39 with an 11-27 conference record. The state of Illinois is loaded with high-level prospects, so maybe Underwood can turn the program around since the Illini have not made the tournament since 2013.

19. Larry Krystkowiak, Utah (197-131, four NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16)

Utah finished third in Pac 12 this year, but failed to make the tournament for the third consecutive season. This season snapped a streak of five consecutive seasons of 20+ wins. It is the third straight 11-7 Pac 12 season for him, but a poor conference and just a 17-14 record doomed his team. He has only made the NCAA Tournament twice in eight seasons at Utah, so time might be ticking and he could be let go if he fails to make it again in 2020. He came over to Utah after being an assistant for the New Jersey Nets. In his previous college head coaching job, at Montana, he took the Grizzlies to the tournament both years, including an upset of No. 5 Nevada in the opening round in 2006.

18. Leonard Hamilton, Florida State (554-426, 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, three Sweet 16s, one Elite 8)

Like a fine wine, Hamilton has improved with age. His head coaching career began in 1986 with Oklahoma State, and he lasted four seasons with a 47 percent winning percentage. He went to Miami for 10 years, turning around the program, and making the NCAA Tournament his final three seasons with the Hurricanes. Hamilton went to Florida State after a season with the Washington Wizards, and failed to make the NCAA Tournament in any of his first six seasons. He would make the tournament four straight years after that before missing it again in four consecutive seasons. But in the last three years, he has made it past the first round all three times, and made the Sweet 16 this year after making it to the Elite 8 in 2018. Florida State is in good hands with Hamilton moving forward.

17. Greg Gard, Wisconsin (80-47, three NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet 16s)

After taking over for the legendary Bo Ryan, Greg Gard turned around the Badgers season in 2015-16  after a 9-9 start and led Wisconsin to the Sweet 16 after Bronson Koenig’s buzzer beater. Following another Sweet 16 appearance when Wisconsin knocked off No. 1 overall seed Villanova, Gard’s bunch was thrashed with injuries and missed the tournament for the first time this millennium in 2018. They rebounded with a fourth place finish in the Big Ten, but were bounced in the first round by Oregon. This is officially Gard’s team now with Ethan Happ now out of eligibility. It should be interesting to see how the Badgers offense runs next season.

16. Scott Drew, Baylor (338-220, eight NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet 16s, two Elite 8s)

It seems like many times in big games, Drew gets outcoached....but then you look up and see he has made it past the first weekend four times in eight tournament appearances. However, he has made the tournament just eight times in 16 seasons. I will say that Baylor was in rough, rough shape after the Patrick Dennehy scandal. He does deserve credit for turning the program around, and making the Bears regulars in the NCAA Tournament after making only one appearance in the Big Dance since 1950. Once his teams do get in the tournament, though, they either go far or get bounced by a lower-seeded team early. Drew has been a really solid coach for the Bears, and maybe at some point, he could get lucky and make a run to the Final Four. They fell in the second round against Gonzaga this season.

15. Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska (115-56, four NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16)

Following a little more than three years with the Chicago Bulls of the NBA, Hoiberg is back in college where he had success at Iowa State, making the tournament four times in five seasons. However, he only made it past the first weekend once, and included in that was an embarrassing 60-59 loss to No. 14 UAB. He takes over a Nebraska team that has only one NCAA Tournament appearance this millennium and has not won an NCAA Tournament game in its history. Nebraska was a disappointing 19-17 overall and 6-14 in conference play after being predicted to finish second by some publications. Nebraska will be a completely different team, as possibly its top eight scorers will be gone. Isaiah Roby is going to the NBA Draft combine, but he could still come back. Hoiberg will have his work cut out for him.

14. Steve Prohm, Iowa State (187-82, four NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16)

After averaging more than 25 wins per season in his first six seasons as a coach, he has not made it past the first round in either of the past two, not making it in 2018 and being upset by Ohio State in 2019. His 2017-18 Iowa State team went just 13-18 and 4-14 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones were predicted to finish sixth in the tough Big 12, and that is exactly where they finished in the regular season. After a Sweet 16 run in his first year, his teams have failed to make it to the second weekend in the past three. It will be interesting to see if his seat gets a little warm if Iowa State fails to make the NCAA Tournament or gets bounced early.

13. Randy Bennett, St. Mary’s (414-174, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16)

Bennett has been an outstanding coach, having led his Gaels to 20+ wins in each of the last 12 seasons. However, he has only gone to the tournament in six of those seasons due to him being in the same conference as Mark Few and Gonzaga. St. Mary’s might not have made the NCAAs this past year if it weren’t for a 60-47 upset of Gonzaga in the WCC Title game. However, for the fifth time in his seven NCAA Tournament appearances, his team was bounced in the opening round. At some point he’ll need to advance further. Despite leading the Gaels to a 30-win season in 2017-18, they missed the tournament and were bounced in the NIT Quarterfinals. Bennett took over a woeful St. Mary’s program and has turned it into a powerful program. I wonder if Bennett will ever take an offer from a major conference job.

12. Mark Turgeon, Maryland (430-251, nine NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet 16s)

Turgeon made one of the biggest jumps on this list, as he led the Terrapins to a fifth place finish in the Big Ten and a trip to the second round before losing on a last-second shot against LSU. Bruno Fernando will be tough to replace, as he is going to the NBA Draft, but that team was incredibly young. With a solid recruiting class coming in, the Terps could be one of the favorites in the conference next season. Before being hired at Maryland, Turgeon turned around Wichita State and led the Shockers to four consecutive postseason appearances. He then led the Texas A&M Aggies to NCAA Tournament appearances in all four of his seasons in College Station. He will need to prove more in the NCAA Tournament, though, as he has only led one team past the first weekend since he took the jump to a major conference school (11 years).

11. Archie Miller, Indiana (174-94, four NCAA Tournament appearances, one Elite 8)

At Dayton, he went 139-63, but has been unable to carry over his success to Bloomington so far. Better success was expected with Indiana in year No. 2, but his record in conference was actually worse than in the first year. It was an odd season for the Hoosiers, as they swept Michigan State, beat Wisconsin, destroyed Marquette and beat Louisville. However, they also lost to Northwestern and Rutgers. Because of all the good wins, Indiana was on the tournament bubble until the end, but its fate was sealed when the Hoosiers lost to Ohio State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. As a No. 1 seed, his team made a run in the NIT before losing to Wichita State in the region’s quarterfinals. At a school like Indiana, missing the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight season (third under Miller) would be unacceptable and he would be feeling the heat.

10. Eric Musselman, Arkansas (110-34, three NCAA Tournament appearances, one Elite 8)

Musselman started off a bit late in college basketball, starting as a head coach in 2015 after spending the previous 18 seasons either as a college assistant coach or in the NBA. In his first season, he rebuilt Nevada after a 9-22 season. He led the Wolfpack to a 15-win increase in 2015-16 and a CBI championship. In his next three seasons, he led them to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a berth in the Sweet 16 in 2018, but his Wolfpack were bounced in the first round by No. 10 Florida this past season. Following the defeat, he left Reno to take his talents to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to coach the Razorbacks. Arkansas has made the tournament two of the last three and three of the last five seasons, but has not made an appearance in the second weekend since 1996.


9. Mike White, Florida (190-93, three NCAA Tournament appearances, one Elite 8)

White led the Gators to their third straight NCAA Tournament berth, following a season in which they played in the NIT. Florida finished with a 20-16 record and knocked off No. 7 Nevada in the first round before falling to No. 2 Michigan. In his final three years with Louisiana Tech, he led the Bulldogs to 83 wins and a conference title all three years. However, he could not get his team over the hump and into the Big Dance and had to settle for the NIT all three seasons. In 2017, his Gators led South Carolina at halftime in the Elite 8, but could not hold the lead.

8. Jamie Dixon, TCU (396-164, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet 16s, one Elite 8)

After posting a 73 percent winning percentage with the Pitt Panthers, he moved on to his alma mater, TCU. Pitt was getting frustrated since Dixon had not made it past the first weekend since 2009. Prior to Dixon’s arrival in Fort Worth, the Horned Frogs were a doormat. In Trent Johnson’s four years with the program, TCU only had one winning season and was a combined 8-64 in conference play and never finished higher than ninth in the conference. Dixon quickly helped turn the program around, going 24-15 in his first year at the helm and led the Horned Frogs to the NIT championship. He used that as a springboard to 2017-18 in which TCU won 21 games and earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1998. Dixon had them in the NIT once again in 2019. Prior to Dixon, TCU had not made either the NCAA Tournament or NIT since 2005, and not made the Big Dance this millennium. He has them on the right track.

7. Mick Cronin, UCLA (365-171, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16)

Cronin did nothing but win with Cincinnati. After back-to-back 30+-win seasons, the Bearcats won 28. However, all that regular season has not yielded results in the Big Dance. Under Cronin, the Bearcats averaged nearly 27 wins per season the past six seasons, but could never make it to the second weekend. He turned the Bearcats program around, but ultimately fans expect more than consistently losing in the first weekend. He was hired by UCLA, so expectations will be sky high. The Bruins haven’t made a trip to the round of 64 since Lonzo Ball was the point guard. That is unacceptable for a school like UCLA.

6. Chris Holtmann, Ohio State (159-109, five NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16)

Holtmann’s record is a little deceiving, as he turned around a Gardner-Webb program that had not had a winning record since 2005-06. In his first two seasons with the Runnin’ Bulldogs, they went 23-41 and did not finish higher than ninth in the Big South. However, in his third season, he led them to a 21-13 record and a berth in the CIT. He was hired to take over for a Butler legend in Brad Stevens and was 70-31 in three seasons and reached the Sweet 16 in 2017. Despite being predicted in the back half of the conference in the first two years with OSU, Holtmann led the Buckeyes to the NCAA Tournament both years, nearly winning the conference championship in 2018. Keita Bates-Diop left for the NBA, but the Buckeyes still made the tournament in 2019, going 20-15, and earning an 11 seed, upsetting Iowa State 62-59 in the first round.

5. Buzz Williams, Texas A&M (253-155, eight NCAA Tournament appearances, three Sweet 16s, one Elite 8)

Williams took Virginia Tech to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1966-67 (!!!). That was before the modern format existed. That was ridiculously impressive. The Hokies were 9-22 before he came, and Williams turned the program around. Before this run, he had two close tournament losses to Wisconsin and Alabama. He averaged more than 23 wins per season with Marquette and made the Sweet 16 twice and an Elite 8. Now, Williams is off to Texas A&M, where the Aggies have never made it past the Sweet 16 in the modern tournament era. They have made the Sweet 16 twice since 2016, but could never make it past there. Williams has a golden chance to be able to turn A&M around and make the Final Four.

4. Mike Brey, Notre Dame (516-273, 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16, two Elite 8s)

Mike Brey is losing equity on this list. He is still a damn good coach, but he has not made the tournament in either of the past two seasons and was bounced in the first weekend the season before that. Brey has had a solid tenure as the coach for Notre Dame, making the tournament 12 of his 19 years with the Fighting Irish, including back-to-back trips to the Elite 8 in 2015 and 2016. It is a little concerning for him that other than those back-to-back Elite 8 appearances, the Fighting Irish haven’t made it past the first weekend since 2003. The 60-year-old Brey may be running out of time to capture his elusive first trip the Final Four.

3. Matt Painter, Purdue (346-164, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, four Sweet 16s, one Elite 8)

Painter finally broke through and made it to the Elite 8 with an epic Sweet 16 win against Tennessee. Then, they lost in another epic game, against Virginia, so he remains on this list and Tony Bennett broke through to the Final Four. Purdue was not supposed to make noise this year, but Carsen Edwards carried a young team to a Big Ten championship and nearly a trip to Minneapolis for the Final Four. His predecessor Gene Keady was the same way, being bounced in the Sweet 16 three times and the Elite 8 twice. Edwards recently declared for the NBA Draft, so it will be interesting if he can work the same magic next season. It will be interesting to see if Painter (and Purdue) will finally be able to get over the hump, as the Boilermakers haven’t made the Final Four since 1980.

2. Chris Mack, Louisville (235-111, nine NCAA Tournament appearances, three Sweet 16s, one Elite 8)

Mack was the lead man for Xavier for nine seasons before heading to Louisville and leading the Cardinals back to the NCAA Tournament, where it lost to Minnesota. He has will have the facilities and resources to help get the Cardinals back to the Final Four. The 49-year-old Mack led the Musketeers to the second weekend of the Big Dance four times during his nine-year career at his alma mater. But in his best year, in 2018 when his team went 29-6 and earned a No. 1 seed, they couldn’t make it past the opening weekend. Go figure. He won more than 20 games in every season but one and has had at least 24 wins five seasons. Nothing against Xavier, but it is just a matter of time before Mack reaches the Final Four with Louisville, and heading to the Cardinals was great for his career.

1. Sean Miller, Arizona (384-136, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, three Sweet 16s, four Elite 8s)

Miller missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since his first year at Arizona. Quite the drop-off after 25+ wins in seven of the eight previous seasons. With Tony Bennett making this year’s championship, Miller is the clear-cut choice for No. 1. Arizona had a golden opportunity last season, as the Wildcats rolled through the Pac 12 Tournament, winning all three games by double digits. They had perhaps the best player in college basketball in Deandre Ayton, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2018. The fourth-seeded Wildcats then fell on their face, getting crushed by the Buffalo Bulls by 21. That could have been the team to break the drought for Miller, especially with the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 seeds all losing before the Sweet 16. It does not help that two of the best teams Miller has had ran into Frank Kaminsky in the Elite 8. His teams had won the conference four of the last five seasons prior to this year’s season, and has hit at least 30 wins in three of those years. At some point, though, Miller will break through, you’d think. It is a mystery how he has yet to reach the Final Four. I know I have been saying this for awhile, but it is just a matter of time for him.

Packers offseason preview

Following two consecutive losing seasons, the Green Bay Packers have a big offseason upcoming. Gone is long-time head coach Mike McCarthy, who was replaced by Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur. Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy is now officially on the clock, as he has fired the coach and GM the last two seasons. Green Bay has a number of holes, no question, but the team isn’t that far away. If it weren’t for a Ty Montgomery kickoff return fumble or an Aaron Jones fumble deep in New England territory, Green Bay may have won on the road against both Super Bowl participants. That would be proceeded by gut-punching one possession road losses to Seattle and Minnesota. Out of the first six road games, the Packers won none of them, but very easily could have won each of them outside of the loss to Washington in week three. If Mason Crosby didn’t miss five kicks at Detroit, Green Bay wins. I don’t put too much stock in the losses at Chicago, vs. Arizona and vs. Detroit. That Packers team was a shell of its former self after losing four consecutive tough road games that essentially knocked them out of the playoffs. So, my point is, Green Bay is not far off. One strong offseason and the Packers once again could make a strong push at the Lombardi Trophy. It helps having around $41 million in cap room, two first round picks and six selections in the first four rounds.

Free agency

Going into free agency, I would say the top five needs are pass rusher, safety, tight end, wide receiver and right tackle. That is if we let Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews go. I believe Green Bay’s top priority this offseason should be to bring back cornerback Bashaud Breeland. Even without a full offseason after dealing with injury, he jumped in and was solid for the Packers. The 27-year-old had two picks last season, including one for a touchdown against Atlanta. Breeland, Jaire Alexander and Kevin King could be a really nice cornerback trio for the Green and Gold. I would not be against bringing back defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson either, even after he suffered a season-ending injury in Washington this season.

I believe it would be wise to not only draft a pass rusher and a tight end, but sign one as well. Of course that means Jimmy Graham would have to get cut, which seems possible, if not probable. In free agency, former Packers tight end Jared Cook should be the top target. He already has some chemistry with Aaron Rodgers after playing with him for a season. Cook would be a great target, especially following his Pro Bowl season with the dumpster fire known as the Oakland Raiders. I am sure he would love to play with 12 again, and I believe he wanted to come back before Green Bay signed Martellus Bennett. If they can sign him with the money saved by cutting Graham, Brian Gutekunst needs to jump at that opportunity.

I know he is public enemy No. 1 in Green Bay after breaking Mr. Rodgers’ collarbone in 2017, but Anthony Barr should be a top target this offseason. Like Nick Perry with Green Bay, who I think is more of a 4-3 defensive end, I believe Barr was playing out of position with Minnesota and is better suited as a 3-4 edge rusher. That is a major reason why he only has 13.5 sacks in his five seasons so far. With Minnesota only having around $10 million in cap space entering 2019, it is highly unlikely Barr is back in Minneapolis. One more to look at if he hits free agency is Dee Ford. One big reason for that is the Packers just hired his position coach with the Chiefs, Mike Smith. Another position is safety. Earl Thomas seems to want to go back to Texas and play for the Cowboys. Adrian Amos likely will be back in Chicago. Landon Collins would be a great addition. He is a terrific, young, play making safety. Green Bay needs better tackling out of the secondary and Collins would help that immensely. Lamarcus Joyner and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (very doubtful) are out there as well.

Draft

For the first time this millennium, the Packers will enter the draft with multiple first round picks. Like I mentioned above, I would love for the Packers to take a tight end and pass rusher early. Fortunately, this draft is stacked at pass rusher and there are three really good tight ends in the class. It would make sense to take a tight end in the first. Trading down from 12 to around 20 and picking up an extra second is not out of the equation either, and draft players like Louisana Tech’s Jaylon Ferguson or Mississippi State’s Montez Sweat at pass rusher and one of the Iowa tight ends T.J. Hockenson or Noah Fant or Alabama’s Irv Smith, Jr. And then have a pair of seconds. But as we sit, Green Bay has picks 12 and 30 in the first round and six picks in the first four rounds due to the trade last year during the NFL Draft to acquire New Orleans’ first this year and a fourth from Washington for Clinton-Dix.

Right tackle should be addressed, as should guard. I am not one of those people pounding on the table for a guard on the first two days, but it can be upgraded. They have been able to find gems at guard in the fourth round before, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that happen again. Right tackle, on the other hand, should be addressed in the first two days. Last year, I was convinced Bryan Bulaga would be cut after this year. Now, I am not so sure. He had a really nice year, so I think it would be wise to keep him for another year. However, he is a free agent after the 2019 season, and one of the Packers philosophies is to look down the road at who might be gone in a year. Preparing someone to replace Bulaga a year down the road would be a wise decision.

Wide receiver is a position that either could be signed or drafted. I have a hard time believing 18 will be back. He will be 29 by the time the season rolls around, so he has some good years left in him, but I have a hard time seeing him back here. In free agency, Cole Beasley has indicated he would not mind coming to Green Bay. DeSean Jackson is also a possibility, especially after saying he doesn’t want to go back to Tampa Bay. Green Bay needs a slot guy to replace 18, and those two would fit the bill. A couple guys in the draft I like are Hollywood Brown from Oklahoma and Parris Campbell from Ohio State. Robinson is more of a big-play threat, but Campbell is a reliable slot receiver, and could be hard in the second round. If they were to trade down from 12 and gather an extra second, Campbell would be a great get.

As always, I love to talk Packers, so if you want to debate or have a question, you can ask me on Twitter at @jzenk42 or simply respond here. Go Pack Go!