Minnesota sports logjam: How to view this weekend's busy schedule

Minnesota sports fans trying to consume Friday night's loaded sports menu might be overwhelmed by all the offerings.

The Timberwolves, Wild, Gophers men's basketball, Gophers men's and women's hockey, and Gophers volleyball all are battling for your attention.

There is no need to question your loyalty to any of these teams, though. We have game-planned a way for you to stay engaged/watch all six teams Friday night.

Here's how:

The Gophers men's hockey team leads off the full schedule at 5:30 p.m., so the early start time will make your first your first sampling an obvious choice. The Gophers and Michigan State can be watched on the Big Ten Network or if you have not found your way to the couch or lounge chair, stream it on BTN2Go or the Fox Sports app.

The first period should be wrapped up when the No. 2- ranked Gophers women's hockey team hits the ice against Boston University. The game won't be televised, but can be streamed online by Campus Insiders at 6 p.m. The Gophers women's hockey twitter account is another great way to stay updated.

After a period of Gophers women's hockey or two of Big Ten hockey, the Timberwolves and Wild will begin fighting for your attention. The Wolves host Detroit and the Wild face off against Edmonton, both at 7 p.m.

Pop back to BTN for the end of the Gophers men's hockey game before upgrading to the Wild on Fox Sports North. By this time, the Wild should be in the second period. If you prefer hockey to basketball, start your 7 p.m. course with the Wild. They have scored four goals in the first period in three games this month.

Be sure to check in on Gophers volleyball in the NCAA tournament after your first dose of the Wolves or Wild. The Gophers and Missouri meet in the Sweet 16 at 7:15 p.m. streamed on ESPN3.

You might start getting full after two-and-a-half hours of sampling, but save room for Gophers men's basketball's 8 p.m. tipoff against Georgia Southern on BTN. The Gophers (8-1) are playing for their ninth win of the season, one more win than they had all last season.

Don't bother rushing back to the Wolves. They have consistently been blown out in the third quarter this season. Check back around 9 p.m. in the fourth quarter to make sure you don't miss the end of a close game.

Devote the 8:30 to 9:30 hour, maybe more, to the Wild. Their last five games have been won or lost by a goal and three were decided in overtime or a shootout.

Sunday's sports menu is just as full, but scheduled in a much more digestible way.

The Vikings kick off the day against Jacksonville at noon on Fox. The Gophers women's basketball team visits South Carolina at 2 p.m. on the SEC Network. Gophers men's basketball hosts Northern Illinois at 4 p.m., which is not on TV, but can be streamed on BTN Plus. The Wild face St. Louis at 5 p.m. on FSN Plus. The Wolves wrap up the busy sports weekend against Golden State at 6 p.m. on FSN.

For the sports fans that can multitask, grab a computer, tablet or smart phone and stream the games on as many screens you can find, take a pictures and email to us.

On the air Friday
College men's hockey: Gophers at Michigan State, 5:30 p.m., BTN, 1500-AM
College women's hockey: Gophers at Boston University, 6 p.m., Campus Insiders.com (stream)
NHL: Edmonton at Wild, 7 p.m., FSN, 100.3-FM
NBA: Detroit at Timberwolves, 7 p.m., FSN Plus, 830-AM
College women's volleyball: Missouri at Gophers, 7:15 p.m., ESPN3 (stream)
(If Gophers win they play Saturday at 9 p.m. on ESPNU)
College men's basketball: Georgia Southern at Gophers, 8 p.m., BTN, 107.1-FM