FOX Sports North Midweek Stock Report for Feb. 24
Every Wednesday, FOX Sports North takes a look at which athletes' stock is trending up and whose is trending down.
In other words, who is making a meteoric rise (see: Banham, Rachel), and who is quickly plummeting.
With that in mind, let's "take stock" of the current sports scene in North.
Rachel Banham, Gophers guard
Going forward this series may just include Banham as an honorary member of the "up" category every week. Banham has been on fire since tying the NCAA's single-game Division I women's scoring record by dropping 60 points on Northwestern on Super Bowl Sunday. The senior scored a whopping 116 points in three games last week, scoring 35 points against Iowa, adding another 29 points against Indiana, and dropping a cool 52 points on Michigan State to break the Big Ten's career scoring record with 2,921 points.
Tyus Jones, Timberwolves guard
The former Duke standout turned in the best performance of his rookie season Monday, scoring nine points and adding two rebounds and an assist in a win over the Celtics. Interim head coach Sam Mitchell credited Jones' spectacular effort in tracking down a loose ball midway through the game with kick-starting his strong performance, and has pledged to give the rookie more minutes as the regular season winds to a close.
Jason Pominville, Wild forward
Don't look now, but the much-maligned (and highly paid) winger is coming on strong following the Wild's recent coaching change. Pominville posted three points in Minnesota's outdoor demolition of the Chicago Blackhawks, and has six points in his last five games after scoring against Edmonton and Calgary.
Gophers women's hockey team
The Gophers are looking good heading into a first-round playoff series with lowly Ohio State, and they hammered the point home by dispatching the No. 3-ranked Badgers over the weekend in a 4-0, 4-3 sweep. Kelly Panek had four points in the series, while Amanda Kessel notched two goals to power Minnesota to a pair of big wins against Wisconsin.
Nemanja Bjelica, Timberwolves forward
After playing in just five of Minnesota's last 10 games Bjelica now finds himself on the shelf with a foot injury for the Wolves' upcoming three-game road trip. The injury has already caused Bjelica to miss time, and given the uncertain timetable surrounding his ailing foot it could further derail the former EuroLeague MVP's already shaky NBA debut.
Minnesota Duluth men's hockey
While there's little shame in a pair of one-goal road losses to No. 4-ranked North Dakota, the Bulldogs missed out on a chance to overtake Nebraska-Omaha in the race for home ice in the NCHC with just two weeks remaining in the regular season, and have now lost three straight. An upcoming road series against No. 3-ranked St. Cloud State will be just as challenging as UMD's trip to Grand Forks, meaning that the Bulldogs will need to take care of business against struggling Miami on the NCHC's final regular-season weekend if they want to avoid a road trip in the first round of the playoffs.
Nikola Pekovic, Timberwolves center
The Wolves big man is now out indefinitely after missing his eighth straight game on Monday night. His absence is due to lingering discomfort as he continues his recovery following Achilles surgery last April. Pekovic has played in just 12 games this season, and has averaged 4.5 points and 1.8 rebounds through 13 minutes per game.
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