• The Wolves have one more chance to avoid their second separate double-digit losing streak since the start of December. They bring a nine-game skid into Monday's home game with Sacramento. After that, it's four days off before a Saturday game against the Clippers in Los Angeles — where it's hard to fathom matters on the court given Sunday's tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
• If it feels like I write "big game for the Gophers men's basketball team" in this space every week, it's because it's true. The Big Ten is relentless with quality depth, and the Gophers are in a spot where pretty much every game matters. This week's test: At Illinois, another chance to grab a quality road victory.
• The Gophers women's hockey team is looking to regroup after getting swept at Wisconsin over the weekend. The task doesn't get much easier with another matchup with a top-10 opponent — this time against Minnesota-Duluth on Friday and Saturday at Ridder Arena.
• After a long layoff for the All-Star break, the Wild is finally back in action Saturday against Boston. Hockey Reference gives the Wild close to a 30% chance of reaching the playoffs as of now, so this is yet another local team for which every game matters.
• Maybe you're just watching for the commercials or the spectacle. Maybe you have a genuine interest in Kansas City vs. San Francisco in the Super Bowl. Let this be a final enticement to watch the big game Sunday: After that, there are 221 days until another meaningful NFL game (read: the first game of the 2020 regular season).
