Tourney time in the Twin Cities: Boys state hockey takes over St. Paul, Big Ten Women’s Basketball in Minneapolis

CATHY WURZER: Just around the corner here in downtown Saint Paul, the Boy's State High School Hockey Tournament is in day two, and it is loud at the X with excited fans from the competing teams. The Target Center in downtown Minneapolis is also rocking with the Big Ten Women's College Basketball Tournament.

We got a lot happening in Minnesota sports this week. Who best to cover it all than Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson? Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score Magazine and the co-host of the Ten Thousand Takes sports talk show. And Eric is the other host of that show and the Vikings reporter for CBS Sports. Guys, how are you?

ERIC NELSON: Good, Cathy. How are you?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Hi, Cathy. I hope you're enjoying this mayhem known as March Madness.

CATHY WURZER: I love it so much. Wally, we're going to start with you because you're at the X right now. And I'm watching the game, and Chanhassen is pretty impressive.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah. They scored three goals in the second period and ran out to a 4-0 lead. They've added another one here in the third. So they lead Rochester Century/John Marshall by a score of 5-0. 10:02 to go here in the third period of play.

So more than likely, Chanhassen, who of course knocked off the top-seeded defending state champion and unbeaten Minnetonka in the section championship last week. It looks like Chanhassen will take the next step and will play in the semifinals. That'll be 6:00 tomorrow night.

The rest of today shaking out in Class AA. Our next game features Centennial and Cretin. And then top-seeded Edina will play tonight at 6:00. They take on Elk River. And then it will be White Bear Lake and Grand Rapids in the finale. And these are all AA, by the way. Yesterday in Class A, the winners were Warroad, Saint Cloud Cathedral, Hermantown, and Mahtomedi. And they will meet tomorrow in the Class A semifinal.

So up running, rocking, and rolling here at the X. Most seats are filled. It is an amazing spectacle when you think about it. Close to 19,000 fans watching high school hockey in this building. And really, it's one of the great high school tournaments in all of the US.

CATHY WURZER: I know. It's just so much fun to watch. I love the enthusiasm. It sounds like somebody else just scored a goal perhaps. [CHUCKLES]

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah. It's now 6-0. By the way, this is the 80th state tournament and, as I'm sure you have noted. The 60th and final time that Lou Nanne will be broadcasting on television. We had him on our TV show this week as well. So it's a momentous occasion down here at the X.

CATHY WURZER: No kidding. Say, Eric, let's talk about Gopher hoops here. Gopher men and women both played last night. And it looks like-- well, one's at the Target Center for the women's tournament, and the other one was at the Barn. Pick which one you want to start with.

ERIC NELSON: Yeah. And I don't think that's ever happened before, Cathy, were the Gopher men and women in basketball both play within the Minneapolis city limits, and the games start at the exact same time, 8:00 Central.

We'll start at the Barn. That's the bad news. Indiana 70, Minnesota 58. Kel'el Ware scored 26 points and yanked down 11 rebounds to pace the Hoosiers, who have not lost to Minnesota since 2019. And this was a bad defeat for the Gophers, who dropped to 18 and 12 on the season, 9 and 10 in the Big Ten.

Minnesota really has to win at Northwestern on Saturday and then get two or three wins next week at the Target Center in the Big Ten Men's Tournament to have a realistic chance of possibly making the NCAA tournament. If that doesn't happen, there's going to be no March madness in Dinkytown.

As for the women, they are the 11th seed in the tournament. And the Gophers got a convincing win last night over 14th seed, Rutgers, 77-69. That was at Target Center. Amaya Battle erupted for a career high 32 points as the Gophers got the victory. Minnesota, of course, missing starters, Mara Braun and Sophie Hart. They're both injured. They won't play in the tournament.

The Gophers are right back at it tonight, another 8:00 PM tip-off. That's an approximate time based on the finish of the Penn State-Wisconsin game, which starts at 5:30. Michigan is the sixth seed. And this will be a challenge for the Gophers. And if you're wondering about Caitlin Clark, the Big Ten's meal ticket, her first game with Iowa will be tomorrow night at 5:30 at Target Center. So get ready for the coup d'état, the Hawkeye invasion. A lot of black and gold will be spotted in the Twin Cities.

CATHY WURZER: The Caitlin Clark experience, fantastic. Say, while we're talking about hoops and the Target Center there, Mr. Langfellow, many long faces earlier today with the news of Karl-Anthony Towns. That's a serious injury.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah. Well, they haven't announced exactly how serious it is. But I mean, a torn left meniscus? It doesn't sound good, if nothing else. But, yeah. I think Timberwolves fans woke up today with the bad news. Doctors are still evaluating how long he'll be out.

You know what, though? From the folks that I've talked to and listened to here over the last couple of hours, it's probably done for the season unless it's really, really minor. And if it's minor, it's still going to be bothering him, regardless. So timing of course not good for Minnesota. Timberwolves are tied for the top spot in the West with Oklahoma City.

And you know, they're going to miss him. Karl-Anthony Towns averaging over 22 points and eight rebounds a game. I mean, they do have Naz Reid, who has been coming off the bench and has been very effective. But Naz Reid has been just that. He's been a guy that's come off the bench. So we'll see if he can fill in.

But without Karl-Anthony Towns, I don't like their chances at all. They're still going to compete, obviously. They have Rudy Gobert. They have Anthony Edwards. And as I said, Naz Reid will fill in. But it seems just another Minnesota stroke of bad luck. And, you know, Karl-Anthony Towns has had a history of injuries that have cost him multiple games lost. And this is going to just be another one in a long line, I'm afraid.

CATHY WURZER: I think you're right. Minnesota sports, we just can't have nice things. I mean.

[LAUGHTER]

It's sad.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Exactly.

CATHY WURZER: My gosh. You want to say anything about this by the way, Eric, before I ask you about the Wild?

ERIC NELSON: Yeah. I'll just expound a bit. It's been a rough week for KAT. Wally laid out the injury very well. And we don't know how long he's out. But it could be devastating news. He also lost his best high school friend recently, who passed away. And so you think about the mental devastation KAT's going through, trying to overcome the loss of a friend, and now possibly missing a good chunk of the remainder of the NBA season. So a lot of thoughts and prayers for KAT right now.

CATHY WURZER: Yeah. How about the Wild? Obviously, their home ice is busy with the boys high school hockey tournament. They take on Arizona, I believe, right?

ERIC NELSON: Yeah. So the prep pucksters have kicked the Wild out into the desert. They'll take on the Arizona Coyotes tonight, in Tempe. The Coyotes have arena issues. They play at Arizona State's home arena. The capacity is 5,000 to 6,000. NHL players are furious that they have to play in this type of a venue. But the Wild don't have any time to worry about where they play. They're in desperation mode. They have to stack up wins. They're nine points out of a playoff spot, with just 20 games left to play in the regular season.

Lou Nanne told us a couple of days ago, on our Ten Thousand Takes sports talk show, he doesn't think the Wild are going to make the postseason. The math does not add up. But Minnesota could get back on track tonight, in the desert. The Coyotes just recently snapped a 14-game losing streak. They're not very good. The Wild have a pulse, and that's about it.

CATHY WURZER: [LAUGHS] Well, OK. It's better than being dead, I guess. So Wally, before we go, so as you're there, and it looks like-- so Chanhassen 6-0 over Rochester Century/John Marshall. What are some of the-- I have about a minute left-- the main storylines you're going to be watching?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: As you say that, Chanhassen adds another goal.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, my gosh.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: 7-0 now.

CATHY WURZER: 7-0.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: And by the way, we're in running time mode, with the 7-0 lead. I think that I already said one of them. And that was, of course, the last broadcast for Lou Nanne. I mean, he has been the soundtrack of the state hockey tournament here for 60 years now, starting back in 1964. But the other one is to see how far this Chanhassen team can go. They're the ones that knocked off the top team in the state, Minnetonka. Minnetonka was unbeaten. And they were the defending state champions. And they were ranked number one. And they knocked them off in the section final.

And obviously, Chanhassen came here meaning business, as they are blowing out Rochester. And so I'D keep an eye on this team. I think that this is the team that folks are going to have to keep an eye on going all the way through. And we may end up with a Chanhassen and Edina final. Who knows? Lots of hockey still yet to be played.

CATHY WURZER: That would be fun. And of course, I have a soft spot for the Grand Rapids team, the Halloween machine. We'll see what they do tonight. And Hermantown, of course, in class A, we'll see how-- they looked great yesterday. Guys, I appreciate it. I hope you have a good week.

ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Cathy.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thanks, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: See you later. Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson, our sports guys.