Minnesota
Five takeaways from Indiana's win against Minnesota
Indiana never trailed on Friday night and rolled past Minnesota, 74-62, at Assembly Hall. The victory improved the Hoosiers to 12-5 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play.
Here are five takeaways from the win against the Golden Gophers:
Indiana’s energy was excellent from the opening tip
The Hoosiers needed to exhibit more energy, fight and cohesiveness following Tuesday’s loss to Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
That’s precisely what happened from the opening tip against Minnesota.
Indiana made things difficult with a solid defensive effort against the Gophers and took care of the ball offensively, which helped fuel a hot start.
The Hoosiers raced to an 11-2 lead and never looked back, leading by as many as 21 points in the second half. Minnesota coach Ben Johnson said postgame that his team played catch-up all evening.
“I thought the scouting report was perfectly fit going into the game, and they followed it right from the start,” Mike Woodson said. “We really defended the ball. We didn’t let their guards really get away from us in terms of getting downhill, so we really focused in on not giving straight-line drives where we had to help as much.”
The defensive pressure on the ball was more intense than usual and seemed to make Minnesota uncomfortable.
Several of Minnesota’s early shots were wild misses and the Gophers never got comfortable from beyond the 3-point line, shooting a dismal 3-for-20.
Mackenzie Mgbako’s best game yet as a Hoosier
Freshman Mackenzie Mgbako showed off his complete offensive package in Friday’s win.
The five-star forward from Gladstone, New Jersey has primarily been a perimeter shooter but used his strength to get to the rim repeatedly against Minnesota.
When Mgbako wasn’t finishing at the rim, he was getting to the line. The 6-foot-8 forward attempted a team-high seven free throws, connecting on five.
He finished with a team-high 19 points in 34 minutes.
More important, however, was Mgbako’s defense. His minutes have often been limited this season due to his defensive shortcomings. He held his own on Friday, which allowed him to stay on the floor for a career-high 34 minutes.
“He’s put the work in,” Woodson said. “He’s continuing to work, along with the rest of our young players. All we can do as coaches is continue to teach and push and try to get as much out of them as we can as we continue this journey.”
Trey Galloway scores efficiently, dishes out seven assists and defends
It was a night to forget for Indiana’s point guards, Gabe Cupps and Xavier Johnson. The duo combined for just two assists and two points in 47 minutes and 0-for-7 shooting from the field.
With both players struggling to score or distribute, Trey Galloway stepped up with one of his best all-around games of the season.
Galloway shot 4-for-5 from the field and made two of his three 3-point attempts.
More important, though, were Galloway’s seven assists. Five of those assists came in the second half as he found multiple teammates – Mgbako, Kel’el Ware and Malik Reneau – for buckets.
Galloway also made his mark defensively as he helped hold starting Minnesota two-guard Mike Mitchell Jr. scoreless in 20 minutes. It was the first time this season the Pepperdine transfer, who has scored in double figures eight times, didn’t register a point.
Indiana shortens the rotation
After 11 players logged minutes at Rutgers, Indiana shortened the rotation against Minnesota.
The Hoosiers played nine players, and only eight logged double-figure minutes, as Kaleb Banks only entered the game briefly after Anthony Walker had a bloody nose late in the first half.
There were also no stretches in the first half with four subs in the game simultaneously. Even with the tighter rotation, Indiana did allow an 11-0 run in the first half that allowed Minnesota to climb within five points.
However, the Hoosiers dictated the game from the opening tip and Minnesota never seriously threatened to take control, particularly in the second half.
While plus-minus numbers aren’t a perfect stat, all of Indiana’s starters logged a +16 or better in the win, while Johnson (-13), Walker (-12), and Gunn (-7) were all in the negative despite each playing at least 13 minutes.
Through six Big Ten games, Indiana has the league’s best defense and third-worst offense
Despite a pair of ugly losses at Nebraska and Rutgers, Indiana’s Big Ten record is solid at 4-2. The schedule gets much more challenging now with No. 1 Purdue coming to town and road trips to Wisconsin and Illinois.
Through six league games, Indiana is winning because of its defense.
The Hoosiers have allowed just .973 points per possession so far against Big Ten opponents, the top mark in the conference. Indiana held Minnesota to .872 points per possession, a season-low for the Gophers.
Offensively, however, the Hoosiers rank just 12th in the league with .992 points per possession.
Several issues are contributing to Indiana’s offensive woes in conference play.
Indiana is turning the ball over on 19.1 percent of its possessions against Big Ten opponents, the third worst in the league. And its free throw shooting ranks last at 60.3 percent.
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
Filed to: Mackenzie Mgbako, Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota
Vikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade
Of the many terrible roster decisions Minnesota sports teams have made over the past 30 years, the worst of the bunch may have been trading Randy Moss to the Raiders for the No. 7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.
Why are we bringing up a trade that happened 21 years ago? Because the New York Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in this week’s NFL Draft. It was the first time a non-quarterback has been traded for a top-10 pick since the infamous Moss trade in 2005.
Minnesota traded Moss for the Raiders’ first-round pick, Harris, and a seventh-round pick on March 2, 2005. The Vikings used the No. 7 pick on wide receiver Troy Williamson, who never panned out in the NFL. He had 24 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, 37 receptions for 457 yards and zero touchdowns in 2006, and just 18 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown in 2007.
Williams led the league with 11 dropped passes in 2006. Minnesota traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after the 2007 season, where he played in 10 games over two seasons and totaled just eight catches for 64 yards. He was cut before the start of the 2010 season, and that was a wrap on the former South Carolina speedster’s NFL career.
Moss didn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers with the Raiders for two seasons, but he set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches in 2007 with the New England Patriots. He caught 47 touchdowns in 48 regular-season games with the Patriots from 2007 to 2009.
Whether it was trading Moss to the Raiders, the Timberwolves sending Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics — or drafting Ricky Rubio AND Johnny Flynn over Steph Curry — or the Twins cutting David Ortiz and watching him become one of the greatest players in MLB history with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota sports teams have a long history of making terrible decisions.
The Bengals, meanwhile, gave up the 10th overall pick for one of the best defensive tackles in the league. They’ll likely get great production from Lawrence, while the Giants are now under pressure to get the 10th pick right. New York also holds the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s first round of the draft.
By the way, the Vikings had two picks in the first round of the 2005 draft. After taking Williamson, they used the No. 18 pick on defensive end Erasmus James. He was just as much of a bust as Williams, playing in 23 games in three years with the Vikings. He had four sacks as a rookie, but injuries wiped out most of his 2006 and 2007 seasons before he was traded to Washington for a conditional seventh-round pick.
James was cut by Washington in December 2009, marking the end of his NFL career.
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Minnesota
Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com
Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.
“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good.
“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”
Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes.
“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”
Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).
“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”
Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.
“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”
Minnesota
ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.
Trump administration ends Minnesota immigration operation
Border Czar Tom Homan announced the end of Minnesota’s immigration operation after fatal shootings heightened tension and community backlash.
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.
On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.
Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.
Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.
“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.
The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.
Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.
Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police.
State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.
The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.
On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
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