(2nd in a series.)
Game Notes
Date: March 27, 2025
Venue: Williams Arena, Minneapolis
Result: Minnesota 82, Gonzaga 77 (OT)
Hey, I was as surprised as anybody when I picked up the phone to hear Russ rambling on about his latest crazy scheme. Plus, his salesmanship was in rare form that night, as he repeatedly bludgeoned me with the following phrases:
"Once-in-our-lifetime opportunity"
"A chance to support an overlooked cause"
"Possibly our last chance"
Still somewhat confused after listening for a minute or two, I came to realize he wasn’t trying to sell me a timeshare or obtain buy-in into some nutty pyramid scheme; no, it was even more curious; I was being recruited to attend with him the Minnesota Gophers-Gonzaga NCAA women’s basketball game in the Elite Eight round of something called the WBIT, or basically the Women’s NIT. This would be a first for me.
I always embrace the chance for another visit to Williams Arena, a charmingly dilapidated structure that’s well outside the mainstream idea of what constitutes a modern sports facility. In case of a tornado, "The Barn" is probably the last place I’d want to take shelter, but for watching Big Ten sports, it’s been a long-time friend and each time I visit, I’m well aware that it might be my last. It’s kinda similar to visiting a beloved relative on their 95th birthday—they're not necessarily at their peak any longer... but you just never know if you'll get to see them again.
Attending any game with Russ is sort of like playing an ongoing mental game of "Brooklyn Bingo". In no particular order, you’re pretty much guaranteed to check off the following squares:
Remote parking lot meet-up to share the commute
A mediocre pre-game meal
Russ taking a bathroom break
Russ feeling overly optimistic about some random Gophers team
Russ complaining about Trolleydodgers injuries
Russ initiating a trade dialogue
Russ needing another bathroom break
Russ criticizing soccer
Russ pushing harder on the trade talk
Russ wanting to leave early to beat the traffic
This time, Russ didn't want to leave early, so I didn't get to shout "Bingo!" but it was a surprisingly fun game. There were probably 5,000-6,000 noisy fans (filling much of the lower bowl) so the atmosphere, while not electric, was fairly boisterous, and our view was excellent as we sat about 20 rows back near midcourt. I knew basically nothing about the teams, coaches, or players, and despite that, I found myself rooting pretty hard for the home team down the stretch of what turned out to be an overtime victory over the pesky Lady Zags, catapulting our the Golden Gophers into the Final Four, which they eventually won the next week in Indiana.
If you go back to the top of this entry and look over Russ’ original selling points, I’d venture to say that he delivered on all counts, which comes as no shock, because honestly, he’s an excellent gametime companion. It’s always enjoyable when Russ is around—we’ve been to dozens of games. I’m already looking forward to seeing what he cooks up next. Does Minnesota have a wheelchair midget boxing team?
* Want to join The Commish for a day at the game? Drop me a line and we will speak it into existence!