Taco Bell Team of the Week, brought to you by Border Foods

Editor’s Note: This article recognizes the very first Taco Bell Team of the Week, brought to you by Border Foods. This new partnership builds off the popular “Taco Bell Teams of the Night” feature we had this fall for football season. Going forward, all varsity teams from any sport at every Minnesota school are eligible to win the Team of the Week. The winning team each week gets — yep, you guessed it — free tacos from Border Foods and Taco Bell. See below for details on how to nominate a team. Thank you for reading Strib Varsity!

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Getting Totino-Grace boys basketball coach Nick Carroll to be overly excited about two wins in December is asking for a lot.

Carroll led his team to three straight Class 3A state titles from 2022-24, so expectations are high for the Eagles to be playing their best basketball at the end of the season.

Still, they are looking pretty darn good at the beginning this season, especially after last week’s victories over top-five teams Maple Grove and Hopkins — arguably the best two victories of any team in the state so far.

Based on those performances, Totino-Grace boys basketball was selected by Strib Varsity journalists as the first team to win our Taco Bell Team of the Week honor.

“Our first seven games against Minnesota competition are against top-10 teams,” Carroll said. “We’re seeing what we got in the tank right now. We tried to set it up so that [early] play would mimic state. It’s validating to be on the right side of the scoreboard, but the experience is invaluable.”

Last Thursday, Carroll watched junior Malachi Hill, part of one of the state’s well-known basketball families, score a season-high 25 points in a 78-76 win at Maple Grove, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A in the first coaches’ poll last week. Dothan Ijadimbola, who added 18 points, found Tian Chatman for the game-winner with seconds winding down on the clock.

Two days later, the Eagles were led by Ijadimbola’s season-high 27 points, including 15 points in the first half, in a 72-64 win against Hopkins at home. The Royals opened the season No. 5 in Class 4A.

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Nominate a team: Want to nominate a varsity team for Taco Bell Team of the Week consideration? Email us at varsity@startribune.com. Winning teams receive free tacos from Taco Bell and Border Foods.