Considering how much fun we had last year going to see Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever play against the Minnesota Lynx, my mother and I decided before this WNBA season began that we needed to do it again this season.

That was before Clark injured herself and has missed a large chunk of the season.

Of course, securing tickets for this season was not difficult, but that does not mean it was not fraught with difficulty. I knew we wanted seats in a lower area of the arena than we had sat in last year at the Target Center. Those seats only cost about $40 if memory serves, but they felt like they were halfway to the moon.

So, I went searching as soon as single-game tickets became available. Of course, given the hype of Clark and the fact that the Lynx are four-time WNBA champions, it was still hard to get much closer. However, I found a pair in row A of section 238, so, still nosebleeds, but at the front of the section.

However, despite purchasing the tickets back in April or May, I did not receive them on my phone until Thursday, which created its own panic. I checked with the ticket company multiple times throughout the months to make sure I would receive them, which I am sure annoyed them.

The game was this past Sunday, so we decided to drive over on Sunday, stay overnight, and drive back on Monday.

Maybe not the best plan. A functional plan, but not necessarily a smart one. I know.

Yes, I can admit when I make a mistake. The drive over from Houghton, through Wausau, usually takes less than six hours the way I drive. This trip took over six thanks to multiple areas of construction along WI-29 between Wausau and Eau Claire. Not ideal by any means.

However, we arrived in Minneapolis about two hours from game time. Those who remember my column from seeing the Fever and the Lynx last year probably remember my misadventure with a debit card, having paid for parking in a deck, only to drop the card when putting it back in my wallet. If I didn’t share that story, well, I did it. We were going to call and cancel the card, only for me to find it when we got to the car after the game.

Anyway, this time I booked a room at the Cambria, which turned out to be just three blocks from the Target Center. Therefore, I had no chance of dropping my card this time when paying for parking.

We helped an elderly couple who was staying at the same hotel get to the Target Center, and they were very happy at our willingness to help them out. Once we all arrived, we went our separate ways to our seats.

Last year, the Target Center was flooded with Clark fans wearing Fever jerseys and shirts, or wearing Iowa jerseys and shirts. This year was closer to 50/50 in terms of fans, due, I figure, to the fact that she was not going to play due to the same injury she has dealt with for most of the season.

The Target Center atmosphere is electric. I have been to the Xcel Center in St. Paul multiple times, and now the Target Center twice. I can definitely say I love both venues. From where we were sitting, it was easy to pick out which players I wanted to watch, Jessica Shepard, Bridget Carleton, DiJonai Carrington and Napheesa Collier for the Lynx, and Lexie Hull, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, and Odessy Sims for the Fever. Watching plays develop, seeing where players set themselves up on the floor throughout the game, seeing quick passing, good rebounding, and, of course, multiple 3-pointers, was so much fun.

Whenever Carleton scored, the in-house DJ played “It’s not unusual” by Tom Jones, which made me laugh every time.

Almost every time Collier scored, the announcer said something like, “Phee from three” or “Phee to shoot two.” To say that Collier is beloved in Minneapolis would be like saying that Scotty Scheffler is really good at golf. She scored 32 points in return from injury, and throughout the fourth quarter, the crowd chanted “MVP,” every time she scored.

Those were the positives. As a Fever fan, watching Indiana without Clark is difficult right now. Mitchell is incredible. She scored 26 herself in the game. Boston added 14, and Shey Peddy added 16 off the bench. However, this team is floundering without Clark to anchor it. Sims is doing as much as she can in a point guard role, but she just does not see the passing lanes that Clark does.

To make matters worse, once the wheels come off, it is very hard for this team to get back on track. They have four players out for the season now with Sophie Cunningham, Aari MacDonald, Sydney Colson, and Chloe Bibby all injured. Add Clark’s injury and the Fever are practically playing every game with Boston, Mitchell and a collection of players on hardship contracts.

The bad news is that Sims has already signed three such seven-day contracts, so the Fever will have a new issue once her latest contract expires, but that is a tomorrow problem. Right now, they are one game over .500 at 19-18, having just dropped two straight games to the league’s best team.

They sit in eighth in the WNBA standings as of Sunday night. All of their remaining games are winnable, with perhaps the exception of the Phoenix Mercury, but right now, they look like a team in need of a miracle if they want to make the playoffs for the second straight season.

They desperately need Clark on the floor as soon as possible.