This week in Minnesota sports: 11 things to KARE about

MINNESOTA, USA — The weather seems like it’s turning to spring, but Minnesota’s winter sports teams are taking the spotlight this week as the NBA and NHL playoffs begin.

Fans of both the Wolves and Wild have their eyes locked on those two sports but there is plenty more to talk about. Here are 11 things in Minnesota sports to KARE about this week.

It’s on between the Wolves and Lakers

After a chaotic final few weeks in the regular season in the Western Conference, the playoff matchups are set and the Wolves FINALLY know their opponent to start their potential playoff run. Chris Finch’s squad will meet up against the Los Angeles Lakers in a best-of-seven first-round series.

This series may not be the one Wolves fans wanted, but there is no lack of intrigue with superstars such as LeBron James, Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic. Including the fact the Lakers originally called Minneapolis home - all of this should make for a great series. Game 1 is set for Saturday in Los Angeles.

The Wild enter the final week looking for postseason bid

The Wild aren’t far behind the Wolves when it comes to the postseason. The Wild’s regular season wraps Tuesday against the Ducks while the league’s schedule concludes Tuesday.

The playoff scenario can be quite simple: Win or lose in overtime Tuesday and the Wild are in. If they don’t do that, Wild fans should be ready to get on a bumpy ride and root like crazy against the Calgary Flames. Besides just getting them into the postseason, two points for the Wild would help them get the top wild card spot and a first-round trip to Las Vegas.

Buium is becoming Wild

Wild fans have been waiting for a while now to see Zeev Buium don a Wild sweater. Well, it appears that the time has finally come. Following Buium’s collegiate season with Denver ending this past week, he signed an entry-level deal with the Wild and is now on the ice with the big-league squad.

Buium could potentially make his debut on Tuesday in the regular season finale. He will also be an option moving forward in the postseason. 

Slow start continues for Twins

The Twins didn’t exactly inspire confidence in the hometown crowd this past week when they returned home to take on the division rival Tigers. They lost two out of three with some horrible mistakes and lackluster pitching that left the manager mentioning a potential shock to the team’s system.

The Twins are facing two big problems at the moment: fan frustration and apathy for the sport as a whole. Unless something changes quickly, those problems aren’t going away any time soon.

Paige Bueckers makes history in the WNBA Draft

For the first time in WNBA history, a Minnesota native was selected with the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Dallas Wings made the nearly obvious choice in selecting Hopkins alum Paige Bueckers with the top pick in this week’s WNBA Draft. Despite the inevitable nature of this pick, fans across the state showed their admiration for one of their own being at the top of the women’s basketball world.

Now, Bueckers faces an uphill battle. The Wings have been a down-trodden organization for a while and her first game as a pro is against her hometown squad that will be hungry after a disappointing end to last season.

Lynx have a ho-hum draft

The Lynx, meanwhile, traded away their first-round pick knowing they return most of their squad that came so close to winning the WNBA championship a season ago. They did end up drafting two players in the second round and one in the third. These later-round picks are always more of a crapshoot when determining if they’ll make the opening day roster. 

Cheryl Reeve did acquire a shooter for her squad in Karlie Samuelson from Washington. Samuelson is a solid 3-point shooter who can help the team’s 3-point attack.

Minnesotans represent at Women’s Hockey World Championship

Haven’t heard anything about the Minnesota Frost recently? That’s because the PWHL is on break for its players to participate in the IIHF Women’s World Championship this month. Team USA is off to a perfect start and Minnesotans have a big part in it. That includes Roseville native and Gopher alum Lee Stecklein who scored a goal in the team’s win over Canada in the preliminary round.

The leader of Team USA at the 2026 World Junior Championship is coming

In case you forgot or didn’t know, the IIHF Men’s World Junior Hockey Championship is headed to our state this December/January. Xcel Energy Center and 3M Arena at Mariucci are hosting the action with some of the world’s top young hockey players taking center stage. And the defending champion, Team USA, will announce its leader on Tuesday.

USA Hockey is set to host a press conference Tuesday evening announcing the team’s head coach for the 2026 tournament that begins Dec. 26, 2025. There is a lot of pressure for whoever takes that job as they go for another title on home soil.

Transfer portal heating up for St. Thomas, Gophers men’s basketball

We are in the midst of the craziness that is men’s college basketball transfer portal season and the Gophers and Tommies are loading up.

Niko Medved and the Gophers have retooled the roster with plenty of transfers including two of their most recent additions - Chanse Willis Jr. and Langston Reynolds. Both come from smaller programs looking to make a splash in the Big 10.

As for Johnny Tauer and the Tommies, they are creating homecomings of sorts. Their biggest addition appears to be former Miami forward and Totino-Grace graduate Isaiah Johnson-Arigu who announced his transfer this past weekend. Both programs look like they’re making moves to be big successes this next season.

Mya Hooten going for greatness at nationals

It’s finally the time for Gopher gymnastics great Mya Hooten to hit the floor one last time wearing the Maroon and Gold. Come Thursday, she’ll be going for an individual national title in the floor routine at the NCAA National Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. It’s her fourth appearance in five seasons in Dinkytown. She’s been a treat to watch representing the Gophers, and this appears to be her swan song.

A Gopher baseball bright spot 

It’s been a rough few years for Gopher baseball, but they found a reason for optimism this past weekend when they swept Ohio State. The squad sits one game below .500 and has had its struggles this season but has games this week against North Dakota State and South Dakota State along with a weekend series against Rutgers.