Article: Losing streaks have way of making teams do weird things; The Gophers ended their 20-game losing streak to Illinois -- perhaps simply because, like some teams, they just got tired it.(SPORTS)(JIM SOUHAN)

Byline: JIM SOUHAN; STAFF WRITER

Entering their game on Thursday night at Williams Arena, the Gophers had lost 20 consecutive men's basketball games to Illinois.

There was a simple explanation for this: Illinois has been better.

When you consider, though, that a bunch of college kids beat the Russians in hockey in the Olympics, that Villanova beat Georgetown, that Lyle Lovett dated Julia Roberts, you have to wonder why the Gophers couldn't have managed just one upset since they beat Illinois in the past millenium.

Some things in sports make little sense. Yes, hiring Dan Monson to coach your team can dampen your chances of winning, but ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!