America was swept off its skates with the Four Nations event — especially the pair of USA-Canada showdowns that finished with an epic overtime final on Thursday night. While it was a spectacular showcase for the sport, how much will the hysteria spread? Will most Americans who don't watch hockey go back into their "call me the Olympics are back" mode?

John Gaskins is one of those Americans and gives his perspective.

Then, an intriguing half-hour sit-down with University of Sioux Falls women's basketball coach Travis Traphagen, who just won his 300th game and has been at the helm for 17 years, almost his entire career. How has he sustained success in such a deep conference like the Northern Sun?

"Trap" jumps into the unique challenges coaches these days face, especially the transfer portal. And he explains why he thinks he has one of the best Div. II jobs in the nation.

Just when it appeared to be a three-horse race for the Summit League men's regular season crowd, fourth-place North Dakota State ended third-place South Dakota State's 16-game home winning streak, and fifth-place South Dakota pulled out a thrilling win over first-place St. Thomas — the second league leader to come to Vermillion and lose in the last month.

Now, we have a five-horse race. John Gaskins explains why Eric Peterson's coaching has a lot to do with USD's surge over the last month, and why neither the Bison nor Coyotes — flawed, as they have been at times — could easily win the Summit League tournament and punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

Then, it's hockey talk time! Augustana coach Garrett Raboin sits down with John at Sunny's Pizzeria for a glimpse into his building of an instant winner, and the building in which the Vikings play their games, Midco Arena. Augie is a Top 20 squad in just its second year of existence.  But mostly, learn about Raboin's hockey journey from the not-so-hockey-hotbed of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, to the USHL's Lincoln Stars, to walking on and becoming a captain at St. Cloud State, to time as a pro in Finland and Norway, to his 10 years as an assistant under former Sioux Falls Stampede coach Bob Motzko at SCSU and hockey powerhouse Minnesota. 

What should we make of the latest Jackrabbit victories in the State-U basketball series after a pair of riveting games? 

On this week's "Nobody's Listening Anyway" with John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer break down the SDSU men's trouble against USD's full-court press, Jacks coach Eric Henderson's teaching touch, the Coyotes' impressive climb back from the abyss via the up-tempo identity Eric Peterson established, and if the SDSU women's 60-game league win streak is more a product of Aaron Johnston's genius or a lack of worthy competition (hint: both).

Then, a fun potpourri of topics — Pat Mahomes vs. John Rocker, the USA-Canada fistacuffs, SNL's 50th Anniversary show, and Netflix making its move to take over NFL Sundays. 

Tuesday marks the first day of the 15-day window in which the Minnesota Vikings could franchise tag a free agent, and all NFL eyes are on Eagan to see if they'll keep Sam Darnold. 

How much will it take to tag Darnold, and is that worth it, considering the other free agents they may want to keep or move in on, and considering 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy and midseason pickup Daniel Jones are waiting in the wings?

John Gaskins has his answers and translates the latest public statement from Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell. Also, a preference and prediction from former Viking and current Vikings radio commentator Ben Leber thinks they should do — an opinion offered two months ago, before Darnold's debacle in Detroit and the playoffs.

Then, John and Sioux Falls Live reporter Trent Singer talk all things South Dakota high school hoops — the boys and girls state title contending teams and players to watch down the stretch. Trent also dives into the Augustana hockey team's late-season surge, prospects for playoffs, and where the program sits in the pecking order of Div. I hockey.

Both USD squads jumped on their in-state rivals and nemeses early, but in both cases, the Jackrabbits made major second half leaps (runs) to extend their winning streaks in the series — 10 straight for the men, seven straight for the women, back to Dawn Plitzuweit's last team.

What was the biggest difference in both games this time around? When it comes to the men's game, John thinks it is the biggest player on the floor and illustrates why.

Brad Newitt has been commentating SDSU and USD men's and women's basketball for 15 years on Midco Sports and gave an hour's worth of breakdowns on these games, plus where each of the four programs are headed.

What skills make Oscar Cluff a dominating big man beyond his size? What separates Grace Larkins from SDSU stars Brooklyn Meyer and Paige Meyer beyond the number of shots she takes?

And, how much has the Summit League basketball product weakened these last few years of the NIL and transfer portal era?

Brad also gives insight into his own basketball career that lead him from student managing in the Big 12, to coaching at the University of Sioux Falls, to broadcasting for both radio and TV in the market.

What was the biggest difference in both the South Dakota State men's and women's teams' wins over South Dakota this time around?

Both Coyotes squads jumped on their in-state rivals and nemeses early, but in both cases, the Jackrabbits made major second half leaps (runs) to extend their winning streaks in the series — 10 straight for the men, seven straight for the women, back to Dawn Plitzuweit's last team.

Brad Newitt has been commentating SDSU and USD men's and women's basketball for 15 years on Midco Sports and gave an hour's worth of breakdowns on these games, plus where each of the four programs are headed.

What skills make Oscar Cluff a dominating big man beyond his size? What separates Grace Larkins from SDSU stars Brooklyn Meyer and Paige Meyer beyond the number of shots she takes?

And, how much has the Summit League basketball product weakened these last few years of the NIL and transfer portal era?

Brad also gives insight into his own basketball career that lead him from student managing in the Big 12, to coaching at the University of Sioux Falls, to broadcasting for both radio and TV in the market.

When South Dakota and South Dakota State lock horns in hoops, it is always a big deal. But this weekend's tilts are seeping with late-season storylines and drama.

Both men's teams are red hot coming into their showdown in Vermillion. The Jacks have won seven of their last eight while the Yotes have won five or their last six. USD is 12-1 at home and a victory over SDSU would tie the two squads would tie for third in the standings, with both still having a shot to capture the regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

The women's game in Brookings isn't expected to be as much of a toss-up because the Jackrabbits have won 59 regular season conference games in a row, while the Coyotes are 5-7 in league play. But that doesn't mean it won't be a grand spectacle, with Summit League's best player wearing red (or black). Amazing Grace Larkins is third in the nation in scoring at 25 points per game and gunning for a Summit League "triple crown" — topping the conference in scoring, rebounding, and assists.

John explains more reason why these games should be special, and why it is already a special season for both the SDSU and USD men in their own ways — particularly the Jackrabbits, who don't just have the usual sun shining on them and wind at their backs, as it always seems.

Then, a conversation with Jay Elsen, who has been calling play-by-play for Summit League games for 15 years and is now the man behind the microphone for both South Dakota institutions after 14 years of being solely the Coyotes voice. He talks about the changed dynamic and barrels into breakdowns of all four programs and both games' matchups.  

It's stretch run time for Summit League basketball, with the third-place South Dakota State men hosting first-place Omaha in Brookings tonight. The Mavericks are on a magic carpet ride from out of nowhere — a ride that started with an incident involving a trash can in their locker room that has become a national phenomenon, now covered by The New York Times and The Athletic.

Gary Sharp has been the radio voice of the Mavs for over 10 years and describes both the trash can thing and how Omaha has put together a dream season, and what to expect out of the rematch of an 87-80 Mavs win over the Jacks in Omaha in January. 

Meanwhile, first-year Augustana men's basketball coach Cody Schilling stops by Sunny's Pizzeria to talk for 40 minutes about his inaugural team, plus his prolific playing career, which includes some awesome stories about playing at Augie for Tom Billeter, who guided the Vikings to the 2016 Div. II national title. 

But first, John dissects the 59th consecutive consecutive Summit League regular season win for the South Dakota State women's basketball team — a 68-53 dismantling of worthy contender North Dakota State. The struggle is real for anyone trying to dethrone the Jackrabbits, who are three years in the rear view mirror of Dawn Plitzuweit's USD program, it's sharpest thorn-in-the-side of Aaron Johnston's 18-year Summit League run.

This may be as good of a mood Matt Zimmer has ever been in the four-plus years of "Nobody's Listening Anyway," as he appears to still be glowing — and gloating — over the humiliation of Patrick Mahomes and the get-out-of-my-life Kansas City Chiefs. However, Zimmer and John Gaskins explain why the putrid performance did not put much of a dent in Mahomes's legacy.

How far do the Vikings have to reach what the Eagles have, and what do they need to get to have it? What do we make of the major moments in New Orleans — Trump, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, the anthem, and the commercials?

And now that football is over for the season, now what? Here in South Dakota, Summit League hoops is heating up, including a big couple of games for both South Dakota State men's and women's teams — first on Wednesday (women at NDSU) and Thursday (men host first-place Omaha), and then "State vs U" weekend with games against USD.

How do we wrap our brains and arms around "Amazing Grace" Larkins, especially compared to the last prolific scoring machine from this state, SDSU's Macy Miller? 

We finish with Matt's rant about the miserable Minnesota Twins' ownership and his excitement level for the upcoming season. Plus, back by unpopular demand, our "Dead Guy of the Week," which was an excuse to bring up a sneaky awesome sports comedy flick from the early 1990's.

Time for more South Dakotans to watch and enjoy our version of Caitlyn Clark — USD senior guard Grace Larkins from Altoona, Iowa, who is the third-leading scorer in the nation (24.8 ppg) and the only player to rack up 40 points in one game twice this season. She leads the Summit League in points, rebounds, and assists, and is 33 points shy of her 2,000th career point and third on the all-time Coyote career scoring list. This, after being named first-team All-Summit League each of the prior two seasons. As a freshman, she was the Summit League's "Sixth Woman of the Year" on Dawn Plitzuweit's NCAA Sweet 16 squad. Larkins added to her legend on Saturday by scoring 47 points, the most ever by a Summit League women's player in one game in the 43-year history of the conference. She made 17 of her 27 field goal attempts, two of her four 3-point shots, and 11 of 12 free throws. This topped her 45-point night a month ago, a performance which smashed Mandy Koupal's all-time school record and earned Larkins Associated Press National Player of the Week honors. So, what's it like to get in that kind of groove? What's it been like to have four different head coaches in four seasons? What kind of impact did Plitzuweit have on Larkins' early success at USD? And, how can the Coyotes (4-7 in league play) being a late-season surge?

Oh, and what was it like to be AAU teammates with Caitlyn Clark for a summer in high school?

Then, a powerful hour-long conversation with Staff Sgt. Kim Hubers — South Dakota's state commander for Disabled American Veterans. Last time she was in New Orleans, the Iowa native spent six weeks helping clean up the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina as a member of the South Dakota Army National Guard. People who had lost everything in their lives literally fell into her arms. Twenty years later, the lifelong Vikings fan was wrapped in Justin Jefferson's arms as part of a Super Bowl trip rewarded to her through the USAA (United Services Automobile Association). Hubers brought 18-year-old daughter Aubrey to experience not only the suite life in the Superdome for the big game itself, but the Saturday Fanfest, where they met and shared a few minutes with the Vikings' All-Pro receiver. Hubers, the 2023 Disabled American Veteran of the year, tells vivid memories of her Katrina experience and explains the emotions of returning to a place that was so devastated and is now  "electric" with people, music, art, culture, and the buzz of the Super Bowl.  She also describes the phyiscal and mental pain suffered her entire life from her year in the Iraq War and six weeks in Katrina, and how she channels it into serving other disabled veterans. It is an hour full of heartache and heartwarmth.