It’s probably difficult for Minnesota’s women’s basketball team to stop from dreaming about an NCAA tournament berth.

With one regular-season game left, they’re ranked No. 22 in the AP and USA Today polls, and No. 8 in the NET Rankings used to seed the NCAA tournament. So they’re likely to earn their first ticket to the Big Dance since 2019.

Minnesota point guard Amaya Battle drives on Ohio State’s Kennedy Cambridge during the Gophers’ 74-61 victory Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, at Williams Arena. Battle’s five assists moved her into second place on the Gophers’ career assists list. (Claudia Staut/Gophers Athletics)

Yet there is work to be done, still, and coach Dawn Plitzuweit and her staff just had an entire week to prepare the Gophers for what will be a huge week for the program, starting with Sunday’s 1 p.m. tip at Illinois.

The game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.

“Some coaches either love the bye week or don’t love the bye,” Plitzuweit said, “but I think our bodies need some of that.”

And some practice. Riding a nine-game win streak that included a convincing win over then-No. 10 Ohio State, the Gophers ran into a wall last Sunday against No. 15 Michigan State, losing 75-61 in front of a large Williams Arena crowd on Senior Night.

Two things stuck out for Plitzuweit. The Gophers didn’t capitalize on their chances at the rim — outscored 38-30 in the paint — and the country’s best team taking care of the ball, averaging fewer than 10 turnovers a game, finished with 13.

“We’ve got to go back and clean some of those things up,” Plitzuweit said.

The goal, as always, is to score efficiently. That will be important for Minnesota (21-7, 12-5 Big Ten) from here on out. The Illini (19-9, 9-8) aren’t ranked, but a road win in Champaign will help the Gophers’ NET rating and secure the 4 seed, and two byes, in the conference tournament March 4-8 in Indianapolis.

The Spartans delivered a bit of a wake-up call by attacking the Gophers’ strong points and making them react.

“I think there’s a very good chance that we see them again,” post Sophie Hart said. “They’re a very good team. So going back, that’s why it’s fun to play in the Big Ten: Everyone has a different style of play, and that will prepare us for when we get into the Big Dance and the Big Ten tourney.

“So, we’ve got to learn from this game, but I still think we’re focused right now on Illinois. We’ve got one more conference game; I think after that, we’ll really turn our eyes (forward). It’s just (about) learning and growing. It’s kind of nice that they throw it at you now versus tourney time.”

The Gophers just missed out on the NCAAs last year but aren’t without positive tournament experience. Playing almost exclusively on the road, they won the postseason Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament, coming back with a trophy and a program-best 25 wins.

For now, the focus is squarely on what’s next. The rest, sophomore guard Tori McKinney said, “is just noise.”

“We need to focus on each other and our program, and honestly just look at it game by game,” she said. “Michigan State was our focus; now we’ve got Illinois.”

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One of the reasons the pro hockey leagues let their players compete in the Olympics is simple marketing. When the teams in your market come back with a pair of gold medals, the effects are tangible.

Because a lot of people watch the Olympics.

According to NBC Universal’s ratings of the Feb. 19 gold medal game between the United States and Canada — home to all eight of the Professional Women’s Hockey League teams — the game averaged 5.3 million viewers throughout. By the time Megan Keller won it with an overtime goal, that had peaked to 7.7 million.

Once the Games officially wrapped on Feb. 22, the PWHL started to see its highest ticket sales of the season.

“The Olympics have drawn significant interest to the PWHL’s restart,” the league said in a statement, “with February 24 and 25 seeing the two biggest home venue ticket sales days” since the season began on Nov. 22.

The players are feeling it, as well.

“There were a few people that said, ‘I’m looking for a new market to support, give me your best thoughts,’ ” said Taylor Heise, one of six Minnesota Frost players to compete for Team USA. “I sent my love to a few people, for sure. But any fan of the PWHL is a fan of us, and we’ll take that … and just get excited for new fans in our base.”

Heise, Britta Curl-Salemme, Kelly Pannek, Kelly Coyne Schofield, Lee Stecklein and Grace Zumwinkle were all part of the U.S. team that sliced the gauntlet of the world’s best players, outsourcing opponents by a combined score of 37-2.

The championship game was a nail-biter. With the goalie pulled for an extra attacker, Hilary Knight tied it with a goal at 17:56 of the third period. Keller then won it in the 3-on-3 overtime.

“I think we’re only going to be seeing a big spike in people watching games,” Curl-Salemme said. “You get connected personally to players during the Olympics, and teams, just because of how cool it is, and then they get to find them in the PW and find different rivalries and different teams.”

The PWHL, which expanded into Seattle and Vancouver this season, sent 61 players to the Olympics. The league has also made it easy to access their games online, often livestreaming them on their YouTube channel for free.

The Frost, the two-time PWHL champions, return to league play on Sunday against the Victoire in Montreal. Puck drop is set for noon.

The league’s first game of the re-start, between Montreal and the New York Sirens, had only 3,488 fans in attendance and 569 views on YouTube on Thursday. But ticket sales have shown that should be an outlier in what’s to come for the rest of the regular season.

“I think that was a great display of women’s hockey, and it’s great there were 61 players in Italy that are coming back to play in the PWHL,” Pannek said. “And for the fans that were tuning in, they know where they can watch their favorite player and continue to grow the game. And that’s something we’re all really excited about.”

Heise is hoping the gold medal win could help expand hockey in her hometown of Lake City, Minn. She said Wednesday the town is looking to make upgrades to its ice rink, and a Lake City official confirmed the town is applying for funding through a Minnesota DNR grant.

If they can secure the grant, it will open a door for more youth hockey opportunities for Lake City children looking to follow Heise’s Olympic dreams.

“We still don’t have a hockey program down there,” said Heise, who played high school hockey for Red Wing. “But I do think our rink is getting a little renovation, so that is something I am hopeful for.”

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Bruce Helmer and Peg Webb

From time to time, we get a listener question on our Sunday morning show on WCCO that opens the door to a much larger financial planning conversation. This is one of those questions:

“I’m 62. I don’t need Social Security to live on. Should I take the benefit now and invest it for better returns?”

You may have recently heard versions of this argument on social media or financial podcasts. The logic sounds straightforward: the stock market has historically delivered strong long-term returns, so why not claim Social Security early and put that money to work?

The problem is that this comparison often oversimplifies what Social Security actually is and underestimates how much risk and leverage already exist in today’s financial markets.

Social Security is not just another income stream

Social Security is fundamentally different from an investment portfolio. It provides something markets do not offer on their own: government-backed, inflation-adjusted income for life. That income continues regardless of market performance, inflation trends, or how long you live.

Claiming benefits at age 62 permanently reduces that income by about 25% to 30% compared with claiming at full retirement age. That reduction lasts for the rest of your life and can also affect survivor benefits for a spouse.

This is why the decision to claim Social Security is not a short-term trade. It is a permanent planning decision.

The built-in leverage of delaying benefits

One of the most overlooked aspects of Social Security is the financial leverage built into delaying benefits. When you wait to claim, you increase a guaranteed, inflation-adjusted paycheck without borrowing money, without market volatility and without behavioral risk.

For example, delaying benefits until age 70 can result in a monthly benefit roughly 77% higher than starting at age 62. That’s not market leverage, it’s planning leverage. And unlike market leverage, it is designed to stabilize outcomes rather than amplify risk.

Why “I’ll just invest it” isn’t clean math

The argument for claiming early usually assumes that stocks will outperform Social Security over time. While that may be true in some scenarios, it overlooks several important factors.

First is sequence-of-returns risk. It is not enough for markets to deliver strong long-term averages. Returns need to be favorable early and consistent. Poor market performance in the first several years of retirement can permanently damage your purchasing power, especially if you’re compelled to take withdrawals.

Second, investing Social Security benefits converts a guaranteed income stream into a market-dependent outcome. You are voluntarily trading certainty for volatility at a stage of life when recovery time matters more than ever.

Markets already carry leverage

Many investors think of leverage only in terms of margin loans, but modern markets are already leveraged in less obvious ways. Corporate debt levels, private equity structures, derivatives and even concentration within major stock indexes all introduce leverage into stock portfolios.

For retirees, this matters because leverage cuts both ways. When markets decline, leverage can magnify losses. Required withdrawals during downturns can compound the damage, particularly when there is limited time to recover.

This is why income decisions deserve special care. If a portfolio already contains embedded leverage, the income strategy should emphasize stability rather than additional risk.

The behavioral and tax dimensions

This question often reflects more than just return calculations. Many retirees worry about missing out on growth or assume guaranteed income equals underperformance. In reality, Social Security does not replace investing, it supports it.

A stable income stream can reduce the need to sell investments during market downturns and make it easier to stick with a long-term plan when volatility strikes.

Taxes also matter. Delaying Social Security may lower taxable income in early retirement years, creating opportunities for strategies such as Roth conversions. Investing the benefit, by contrast, may introduce additional tax friction, since benefits and investment returns can both be taxable.

Traditional IRA account owners have considerations to make before performing a Roth IRA conversion. These primarily include income tax consequences on the converted amount in the year of conversion, withdrawal limitations from a Roth IRA, and income limitations for future contributions to a Roth IRA. In addition, if you are required to take a required minimum distribution (RMD) in the year you convert, you must do so before converting to a Roth IRA.

When claiming early can make sense

There are situations where claiming Social Security at 62 is appropriate, including shortened life expectancy, limited survivor considerations or immediate cash-flow needs. But these should be planning-driven decisions, not market bets.

Instead of asking, “Can I earn more by investing my Social Security?” a more useful question is: “What role do I want Social Security to play later in my retirement?”

We certainly do not want to give the impression that we are in any way against having a significant proportion of retirement funds in market-based accounts. Far from it. We are considering the narrow question of whether it makes sense to claim Social Security benefits early and invest them in the stock market. For most people, the answer is no. In markets already filled with leverage and volatility, Social Security remains one of the few tools intentionally designed to add stability. That is a feature worth valuing.

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The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Bruce Helmer and Peg Webb are financial advisers at Wealth Enhancement Group and co-hosts of “Your Money” on WCCO 830 AM on Sunday mornings. Email Bruce and Peg at yourmoney@wealthenhancement.com. Advisory services offered through Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC, a registered investment adviser and affiliate of Wealth Enhancement Group.

 

It’s pretty clear after talking to a wide range of people at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week that the Vikings are going to add a quarterback in the near future.

Though they aren’t ready to completely punt on J.J. McCarthy, they want to see if competition brings out the best in the young QB.

“We’ve got to make up for some lost time,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said of McCarthy, who has played only 10 of 34 games in his career because of injuries. “It’s going to be about that competition being a catalyst for making up on some of that lost time.”

Who exactly fits that mold for the Vikings? The market will dictate the options at their disposal.

“We’re not going to try to manufacture anything that’s not there,” acting general manager Rob Brzezinski. “We’re going to do what’s in the best interest in the Vikings in 2026 and beyond.”

That might rule out a big name like, say, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. You can’t trade for somebody that isn’t available. It doesn’t matter how trendy the idea itself has been on social media.

Some of the most notable names that popped up in casual conversation at the NFL Combine included the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins, New Orleans’ Derek Carr, and Indianapolis’ Anthony Richardson, among others.

Here’s a breakdown of those options with free agency looming in a couple of weeks:

Kyler Murray

If the Cardinals are unable to move Murray, they could be forced to release him. That would make him an option for the Vikings.

Why it makes sense: The theoretical ceiling is higher with Murray than with anybody else. He already has been a top 10 quarterback in his career, and if he can reach that level again, the sky could be the limit for the Vikings. He has a unique skillset with his ability to impact the game with his arm and his legs. He probably represents the biggest swing that could be available on the open market.

Why it doesn’t make sense: It can’t be overlooked that Murray recently got benched because of his erratic play. He has existed as a bit of an enigma both on and off the field. He can be marvelous and maddening. Sometimes in the same series. The inconsistency could be enough to make the Vikings look elsewhere given the fact that they seem to be looking for stability more than anything else.

Kirk Cousins

It has been confirmed that the Falcons plan to release Cousins ahead of free agency. The history with the Vikings could make it a good fit, assuming there’s mutual interest.

FILE – Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik, File)

Why it makes sense: There’s no doubt Cousins could do the job. Not only has he starred for the Vikings in the past, he also proved capable of moving the chains for the Falcons down the stretch. He would bring a professionalism to the position along with the ability to rip the ball over the middle of the field. Neither should be taken for granted given how everything has gone for the Vikings as of late.

Why it doesn’t make sense: Let’s just say running it back with Cousins wouldn’t be the most inspiring decision by any means. It would feel like going back in time with hopes of finding something comfortable. That’s rarely a recipe for success. Would an aging 38-year-old really make the Vikings a Super Bowl contender? Not a chance.

Derek Carr

Though the Saints technically still have his rights, Carr would only come out of retirement to play for a Super Bowl contender. His name has already been connected to the Vikings by a number of people.

Derek Carr #4 of the New Orleans Saints in action against the Carolina Panthers at Caesars Superdome on Sept. 08, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Why it makes sense: Maybe all the time off has helped Carr feel like himself again. After opting for retirement largely due to a lingering shoulder injury, he’s now healthy enough to flirt with the idea of returning. He was a prolific passer at the peak of his powers and could help the Vikings, assuming he’s given enough time to throw. There might be enough gas left in the tank to make his move worth it.

Why it doesn’t make sense: There’s no guarantee Carr will be able to regain his old form. He has been away for long enough that it’s possible he might have lost his touch. Is it smart to bet on somebody that hasn’t thrown a pass in the NFL since December 2024? It’s a pretty big gamble for the Vikings to make.

Anthony Richardson

After the Colts decided to bench him, Richardson has been granted permission to seek a trade. It’s no secret the Vikings were interested in him ahead of the 2023 draft. There reportedly is mutual interest.

Quarterback Anthony Richardson #5 of the Indianapolis Colts holds off Isaiah Oliver #23 of the New York Jets as he scrambles during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 17, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Why it makes sense: The intrigue of making Richardson the next reclamation project is understandable. He has all the tools needed to be a dynamic player. He simply has to find a way to apply them consistently. The highs have been high. The lows have been low. If the Vikings could help Richardson find some sort of equilibrium, they could reap the benefits for a very long time. That hypothetical is enough to at least kick the tires.

Why it doesn’t make sense: It doesn’t make sense to commit too many resources to Richardson at this point. Especially when the Vikings already have a project on their hands. It’s hard to justify this being an upgrade considering there isn’t much of a difference between Richardson and McCarthy right now. This type of move would require the Vikings to still invest in another veteran QB.

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