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 heating up and who is cooling off.
With that in mind, let's take stock of the current Minnesota sports scene.
Richard Pitino, Gophers basketball coach
A year after Pitino's detractors were calling for his head following a disastrous season, the fourth-year coach is on top of the Big Ten. Pitino was named the conference's Coach of the Year after orchestrating one of the most dramatic year-to-year turnarounds in the country, and has the Gophers on the cusp of their first NCAA tournament berth since 2013. His Gophers are 23-8 after booking a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament, and are currently projected to enter the NCAA tourney as a No. 5 seed. Not bad for a group that won eight games last season.
Tyler Sheehy, Gophers forward
For the fifth time this season, Sheehy is one of the Big Ten's stars of the week. After picking up an assist in Minnesota's 5-3 loss to Michigan on Friday the senior had three points in the follow-up, scoring the game-winner in the second period and icing the game in the third with an empty-net goal. The Gophers now lead Wisconsin by two points heading into the final weekend of the regular season, and can clinch the Big Ten outright with a sweep of Michigan State.
Reggie Lynch, Gophers center
Lynch is just the second player in program history to win the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year award. He led the conference with 106 blocked shots -- 26 more than anyone else -- while averaging nearly 6.5 blocks per 40 minutes.
This kid
Birthday signs and puck requests are nothing new at Minnesota Wild games, and Charlie Coyle is typically one to oblige them, but this young fan added some extra cuteness to the practice Tuesday. After Coyle tossed a puck over the glass the sign was flipped over, revealing a "thank you!" in large, Wild-themed letters. Manners are important, kids.
https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/839296133327278080
Chris Stewart, Wild forward
Stewart just can't catch a break this week. After accidentally punching teammate Zach Parise in the face, Stewart provided the best unintentional highlight of the season in the Wild's 3-1 win over San Jose. He one-timed the puck through the collar of Sharks goalie Martin Jones' jersey in the first period, leading nearly everyone in the building to think the Wild had taken a 2-0 lead. Jones had either the presence of mind or the dumb luck to keep his shoulders just outside of the net on the play, negating what everyone from Stewart to the Sharks' play-by-play man thought was a goal. It's the second time the Wild have fitted the puck into an improbable spot this season, after Charlie Coyle fired a shot through one of the holes in the boards used by photographers earlier this year.
Will Borgen, St. Cloud State defenseman.
Will. Buddy. Don't do that. Borgen was suspended by the NCHC for two games after the sophomore shoved an official late in SCSU's 2-1 loss to Colorado College on Saturday. Depending on how the Huskies fare this weekend, the suspension could be season-ending. SCSU visits North Dakota for a three-game conference playoff series this weekend and needs two wins -- and probably more -- to make the NCAA tournament.
Travis Harrison, Twins prospect
Harrison took a Phil Hughes fastball to the hand that forced him out of a scrimmage Tuesday. He later announced that the hand hadn't sustained any structural damage.
