With the NFL set to kick off next weekend, it’s only natural to start to think about other professional sports leagues and when they will begin. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who made the Western Conference Finals for the 2nd straight season last year, begin their season on October 22nd in Portland. What’s different about this year is that the Timberwolves will be nationally televised 28 times, meaning the possibility you’ll need different subscriptions to catch all the games. Here’s what subscriptions you’ll need to catch all the games this year on TV.
28 Nationally Televised Games For The Timberwolves
This season, the Timberwolves will be playing under the bright lights of nationally televised games 28 times, and you’ll want to ensure you have these streaming services so you don’t miss out.
Locally, the Timberwolves can be found on FanDuel Sports Network, which will require either a subscription or a streaming service to watch those games.
In addition to FanSuel Sports, Timberwolves fans will want to make sure they have:
ESPN – 7 games this seasonPrime – 7 games this seasonNBC – 6 games this seasonABC – 4 games this seasonPeacock – 4 games this season
The good news for many fans of the Timberwolves is that you can catch NBC or ABC through most televisions with a digital tuner, allowing you to pick up the ‘over the air’ broadcasts. But for the remaining 3 networks, you are going to either need a subscription or a cable/satellite package.
Dates & Opponents For National TV Games
ESPN
October 29th vs Lakers
November 5th @ Knicks
November 26th @ Thunder
January 16th @ Rockets
February 8th vs Clippers
February 20th vs Mavericks
March 25th vs Rockets
PRIME
October 24th @ Lakers
December 19th vs Thunder
January 10th @ Cavaliers
January 29th vs Thunder
February 26th @ Clippers
March 7th vs Magic
March 13th @ Warriors
NBC
January 6th vs Heat
January 13th @ Bucks
February 24th @ Trailblazers
March 10th @ Lakers
March 22nd @ Celtics
April 7th @ Pacers
ABC
December 25th @ Nuggets
January 24th vs Warriors
March 1st @ Nuggets
March 15th @ Thunder
PEACOCK
October 27th vs Nuggets
November 3rd @ Nets
January 26th vs Warriors
February 2nd @ Grizzlies
New Ownership & Team Leadership For 2025-26 Season
The Timberwolves’ fans are excited about the new ownership that has taken over the club, Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, plus the new CEO, who was announced this week, who is coming from the NHL, Matthew Caldwell.
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On paper, the Wolves should be competing for the Western Conference title again this year, but they have to play the games first.
Did Anyone Watch These TV Shows in the 1980s and 1990s? While you might think “watching while distracted” is a modern habit, even back in the day the TV was just… there, humming along while you did other things. These were the shows that weren’t exactly “must-see TV,” more like “might-see TV” — part of the culture, but you had to wonder: who was actually watching? Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz 
Watch it in action below:
MORE: 3 Fisher-Price Adventure People Sets We All WantedLOOK: Biggest underdog victories in March MadnessEvery spring, legions of sports fans turn their attention to college basketball when March Madness takes the national spotlight. Using aggregated Associated Press data, BestOdds has come up with 10 of the biggest—and most unlikely—underdog wins in March Madness history. Gallery Credit: Brian Budzynski 
– Final AP poll ranking: 10
– Preseason AP poll ranking: 3
– Preseason AP poll favorite: Duke
The Big Ten is a notoriously tough conference prided on defense. Going into the 1988–1989 season, everyone had their eye on the Wolverines, who were coming off a respectable 26–8 season, but still smarting from a loss to North Carolina in the 1988 Sweet Sixteen. Conference foes Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa all put up winning records, while Purdue, ranked as high as #3, slipped into the rearview. After a 24–7 regular season record (12–6 in the Big Ten Conference), Michigan barreled through the tournament, besting ACC powers North Carolina and Virginia to reach the Final Four.
There, they faced fellow Big Ten member Illinois in a match that few expected the Wolverines to win. But win they did, 83–81, in a nail-biting classic. Two days later, on April 3, Michigan won the title with an 80–79 overtime victory over fellow underdog Seton Hall.
– Final AP poll ranking: 11
– Preseason AP poll ranking: Unranked
– Preseason AP poll favorite: Duke
Prior to the 2005–2006 season, the Florida Gators had been bounced out in the first round of the tourney each of the past two years. With coach Billy Donovan returning for his 10th season in the Sunshine State and a lineup that featured Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Chris Richard—all of whom would go on play in the NBA—along with team captain Adrian Moss, the Gators took home the SEC Championship against South Carolina after posting a 24–6 regular season record.
Coming into the NCAA tournament ranked 11th in the country, the team beat Big East dynamos Georgetown and Villanova. The Gators then handled upstart George Mason on the way to a 73–57 win over UCLA, who have more NCAA men’s basketball championships than any other school. This would be the beginning of a brief dynasty, as the Gators also won the 2007 championship, becoming the first school to win back-to-back titles since Duke in the early 1990s.
– Final AP poll ranking: 11
– Preseason AP poll ranking: Unranked
– Preseason AP poll favorite: Cincinnati
Coming off a modest 19–9 campaign, no one expected much from the Golden Bears heading into the 1958–1959 season. But beginning with a decisive 60–36 win over San Jose State to open the season, the team went on to finish the regular season in impressive fashion, posting a 21–4 record. After wins over Utah and Saint Mary’s, both top 20 teams, Cal made it to the championship game by beating #5 Cincinnati (and its three-time Sporting News Player of the Year Oscar Robertson). The title game was a white-knuckle bout against #10 West Virginia and future NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West, but the Golden Bears squeaked out a 71–70 win.
Just one year later, California center Darrall Imhoff would go on to win gold with the 1960 U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team—a team coached by the Golden Bears’ own Pete Newell. Imhoff was then drafted third overall in the 1960 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, right behind Robertson and West.
– Final AP poll ranking: 13
– Preseason AP poll ranking: Unranked
– Preseason AP poll favorite: Arizona
The 2003 NCAA Championship would be a first title for one of two legendary coaches. On one side was Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, who in his 27 years as head coach, had taken his team to the Final Four just two times, in 1987 and 1996. On the other sideline was Kansas head coach Roy Williams, who had reached the Final Four four times, finishing as runner up in 1991. The Syracuse Orangemen, as they were known at the time, were led by freshmen Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara. Together, these first-year phenoms blazed a trail through the tournament, culminating with an 81–78 victory over Kansas.
Anthony was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and months later was drafted in the first round by the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. Later, still fond of Syracuse, he donated $3 million to his alma mater to build the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center.
– Final AP poll ranking: 15
– Preseason AP poll ranking: 19
– Preseason AP poll favorite: Cincinnati
There’s a first time for everything, and for the Arizona Wildcats, 1997 marked many firsts in program and college basketball history. Yes, they won their first-ever championship that year, defeating top-ranked Kentucky, 84–79, in overtime, but the team’s true mark on NCAA history was that they were the first school to defeat three top seeds in one tournament. Before their victory over Kentucky, the Wildcats bested top-ranked Kansas and North Carolina.
Fun fact: In the opening game of the season, the Wildcats took down North Carolina 83-72, providing a harbinger of things to come in the Final Four rematch.
– Final AP poll ranking: 16
– Preseason AP poll ranking: 16
– Preseason AP poll favorite: Virginia
To this day, the story of the 1983 “Cardiac Pack” still evokes awe among sports fans. After putting up a respectable, if not spectacular 17–10 regular season record, the Wolfpack took the ACC Tournament title from Virginia. Led by notorious rabble-rousing coach Jim Valvano, NC State carried that momentum into a matchup with #1 seed Houston in the NCAA title game. But Houston was led by future NBA Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwon, and the Cougars were heavily favored to win. (The Drexel and Olajuwon duo was known as Phi Slamma Jamma for their high-scoring and dunk-filled style of play.)
This battle of underdogs versus superstars would come down to the last shot. NC State’s Dereck Whittenburg lofted an airball, but center Lorenzo Charles, waiting under the basket, outboxed Olajuwon and tapped it in for the 54–52 victory.
– Final AP poll ranking: 18
– Preseason AP poll ranking: 18
– Preseason AP poll favorite: Kentucky
The year before their 2014 title, the Huskies had a great season by many standards, going 20–10, but they were banned from participating in tournament play, due to sanctions resulting from years of substandard academic progress ratings among team members. Out for vengeance, second-year coach Kevin Ollie guided UConn to a 24-7 regular season record in 2014.
The team hit a speedbump in the American Athletic Conference final, losing to #5 Louisville, but bounced back in the NCAA tourney with wins over top 10 ranked Villanova and Iowa State. UConn also topped #11 Michigan State, before a stunning decisive win over #1 Florida, 63–53. The Huskies then faced college basketball royalty Kentucky for the title, and pulled out a 60–54 victory.
– Final AP poll ranking: Unranked
– Preseason AP poll ranking: 14
– Preseason AP poll favorite: St. John’s (NY)
The Beavers provided headlines of hoop dreams and scandal during a memorable 1950 season. They were the first NCAA championship team to have Black players in its starting lineup, setting a precedent that redefined the sport. But even after a 17–5 regular season, there was no love for the team by the poll voters. That did not stop them—and maybe even motivated them—to winning the NIT and NCAA titles, both over top-ranked Bradley.
Scandal later engulfed the team when it was revealed that seven players were charged for their involvement in fixing games during the regular season, a fiasco that involved a total of seven schools and supposedly members of organized crime.
– Final AP poll ranking: Unranked
– Preseason AP poll ranking: 7
– Preseason AP poll favorite: Syracuse
Jayhawks fans still remember the year of Danny and the Miracles. Led by star player Danny Manning, the 1988 squad got off to a rocky 12–8 start, but turned things around in the season’s second half, winning 15 of its last 18 games, including a win over rival Oklahoma. Manning would go on to be named National Player of the Year, and head coach Larry Brown became the only coach in basketball history to win both an NCAA national championship and an NBA title, the latter of which he accomplished with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
– Final AP poll ranking: Unranked
– Preseason AP poll ranking: Unranked
– Preseason AP poll favorite: Georgetown
For any college hoops fan, this championship team was utterly unforgettable. Dubbed by Sports Illustrated as “The Perfect Game,” the 1985 NCAA title match had all the makings of a David versus Goliath showdown. Defending champion and #1 ranked Georgetown, which came into the final with a 35–2 record, had future NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing dominating at the center position.
Villanova’s comparatively average record of 19–10 seemed to suggest that this would be one of the biggest routs in college basketball history. But Villanova shot an unprecedented 79% from the field, while limiting Ewing to just 14 points. The Wildcats’ 66–64 win was, in the words of P.J. Carlesimo, coach of then-rival Seton Hall, “as close to the perfect game as any team [has played] ever.”
This story originally appeared on BestOdds and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.