One of the best stories you will hear this season: Minnesota honors a teammates sister

You know, college basketball is funny sometimes. When all you hear about are the controversies and the agents and the money being funneled to recruits, you sometimes forget that the majority of the kids playing basketball at this level aren't on the take. The majority of them are going to class and are doing to work.

And sometimes, it takes a story like this to make you remember.

Minnesota has been struggling this season. With two highly touted power forwards never suiting up and a starting point guard that was booted from the team for academic reasons, the Gophers, thought to be a Big Ten contender in the preseason, have struggled through a 15-10 season. It seems that all hope for an NCAA tournament at-large bid has gone out the window.

Ralph Sampson and his freshly shaved dome.
(photo credit: Scout)

Paul Carter is a 6'8" forward for Minnesota. As teammate Damian Johnson described him, Carter is "great leader, a very spiritual guy, and a very emotional guy", so you had to imagine that it was weighing on him when he found out his 13 year old sister had cancer.

But Minnesota, showing the team unity you rarely see above the collegiate level, showed their support for the Cater family:

The Gophers looked a lot like the close-cropped Badgers, literally, with freshly shaved heads to honor Carter's younger sister, Bria, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

And what happened?

Minnesota went out and beat Wisconsin 68-52.

Could this be a turning point in the season? Can the Gophers rally and make an NCAA Tournament run?

Its unlikely, but not impossible. Prior to this win, Minnesota had lost six of eight games and at times had looked like they bailed on this season. But hey, if they can win out and maybe pick up a game or two in the Big Ten tournament, you never know.

The bubble is weak this season and begging people to play their way in.

Hey, at least luck has to be on their side by now, right?