Archbishop Desmond Tutu brought his message of social justice and equality to Gonzaga University’s graduation ceremony Sunday, urging students to dream dreams that could change the world. Tutu, a central figure in South Africa’s fight against apartheid, has scaled back public appearances in recent years, but said he accepted Gonzaga’s invitation because he remains inspired by the idealism of the young. “I have to tell you, I can’t resist young people,” said the 80-year-old Tutu, a Nobel Prize winner and retired Anglican archbishop of Cape Town. “They are some of the most incredible creatures in God’s creation.” Student activism during the 1980s helped pressure the United States to divest in South Africa, which eventually toppled the racist government and led to democratic elections/Becky Kramer, SR. More here. (SR photo)

Question: Is today's youth more politically active than the ones of your g-g-generation?

Archbishop Desmond Tutu (pictured in 2006 AP photo) will be honored with a Doctor of Laws degree next month at Gonzaga University. Gonzaga University will be honored as well. Yet petititoners led by a local attorney claim that Tutu, the 1984 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is unworthy of recognition from an institution that should uphold the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Tutu supports same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion rights for women. Clearly, those positions are outside the church’s teachings, although not necessarily those of his Anglican faith. The Anglican Church splits on some of these issues. But doctrines evolve. Perspectives change/Spokesman-Review Editorial Board. More here.

Question: Would you like to hear Archbishop Desmond Tutu's commencement speech at Gonzaga?

Gonzaga University, like many religious academic institutions, see-saws in perpetual tension between its Catholic tradition and its broad academic focus. Is it okay for the school to perform the Vagina Monologues? Have a pro-life club on campus? Have a non-Jesuit president? If you thought the selection of Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Nobel peace laureate, apartheid-toppler, preacher against injustice and for forgiveness) commencement speaker, would avoid that sort of tension, apparently, you thought wrong. Now, Tutu’s the subject of a critical petition from a few Gonzaga alumni. First came a blog from the Cardinal Newman Society – a group with the goal to “help renew and strengthen Catholic identity in Catholic higher education” – which takes this angle on the story: “Gonzaga to Honor Pro-Abortion Rights Archbishop Desmond Tutu”/Daniel Walters, Inlander. More here. (Inlander photo)

Question: Do you see a problem with Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu speaking at Gonzaga's commencement exercise this year?

Gonzaga fans hold up signs in the sold out arena as the team plays Miami in the second half of an NCAA tournament second-round women's college basketball game in Spokane Monday. Gonzaga beat Miami 65-54.(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Ever so slightly overlooked in Gonzaga crashing yet another Sweet 16 in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament this week was the morsel of the Bulldogs holding the nation’s sixth-highest scoring team 22 points shy of its norm. So the Zags played pretty good defense. And coach Kelly Graves was still playing it Wednesday. Perhaps you can imagine the reason. As was the case a year ago – and as it will be again next year – the Bulldogs bid for and won the right to host the first and second rounds at the McCarthey Athletic Center, though they still had to, you know, earn their way into the tournament itself. Which they did/John Blanchette, SR. More here.

Question: Are you following the Lady Zags now that the men are done with March Madness? Have you followed the all along? Or are you still not following them?

Gonzaga's Robert Sacre, center, tries to squeeze a shot between Ohio State's Evan Ravenel (30) and Lenzelle Smith, Jr., left in the first half of an East Regional NCAA tournament third-round college basketball game on Saturday in Pittsburgh. Game story & boxscore here. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

• Blanchette: Even with loss, this team was Gonzaga at its best/SR
• GU men's notebook: Buckeyes had plenty of weapons/Jim Meehan, SR

Purdue's Robbie Hummel, center, is fouled by Saint Mary's Stephen Holt (14),  Jorden Page, right, and Rob Jones, rear, in the second half of an NCAA tournament second-round college basketball game at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb., Friday. Purdue won 72-69. On Thursday, BYU lost, leaving the Gonzaga Bulldogs as the only WCC team and only team in the Pacific Time Zone left in the NCAA Tournament. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

In his March Madness column today, John Blanchette/SR writes: “This is about the stage of March Madness when the Gonzaga apostle begins peeking at Faust’s bracket and weighing the bargain. Do you give up everything you have for just one shot at having it all? It’s a mostly specious question anyway, as each inch of real estate in the NCAA basketball tournament must be fully earned. Deals with the devil are generally not third-party accommodations, and so the Bulldogs must play straight up with the seventh-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes today with passage to the Sweet 16 at stake. And that’s a pretty good deal, too, if you think about it. “Lot of teams would like to change places with us,” Zags center Rob Sacre pointed out unnecessarily.” More here.

Question: What would you sacrifice to see Gonzaga reach the Final 4?

Idaho State's Chelsea Pickering dishes off a pass during practice in the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. No. 11 Gonzaga will face No. 6 Rutgers at 1:15 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the Women's NCAA Tournament. Rutgers didn't like traveling across the country to face “visiting” Gonzaga in The Kennel. Story here.

Kevin Pangos of Gonzaga drives to the hoop and is fouled by Kevin Jones of West Virginia during their second round game of the NCAA Tournament in Pittsburgh Thursday. Gonzaga won the game 77-54 to advance. (SR photo: Christopher Anderson)

• Blanchette: Bulldogs showed fierce nature/SR
• Zags go mad on West Virginia/Jim Meehan, SR
• Gonzaga dedicates game to young fan/Jim Meehan & John Blanchette, SR
• Complete photo package of Gonzaga's win over West Virginia/AP & Christopher Anderson, SR

Question: Have you changed your mind re: Gonzaga's chances in the NCAA Tournament as a result of the Zags' convincing victory over West Virginia?

Gonzaga's Guy Landry Edi (10) dunks the ball in front of West Virginia's Jabarie Hinds (4) in the first half of an NCAA tournament second-round college basketball game tonight in Pittsburgh. Story here. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) 

• Running ESPN boxscore here

DFO: I'll be following the game via linescore, AP photos, and updated headlines during the afternoon. Feel free to use this thread for you comments.

Gonzaga University center Rob Sacre appears on a closed circuit monitor as he listens to a quetion from the media Wednesday in Pittsburgh as the Zags await their opening round game against West Virginia. The two teams tipoff at 4:20 p.m. today on Channel TNT (Channel 31 on Time-Warner). (SR photo: Christopher Anderson)

Question (for bracketologists): Who did you pick for your Final Four?

Gonzaga's Robert Sacre, right, mugs with former NBA player Reggie Miller courtside after basketball practice in Pittsburgh today. Gonzaga plays against West Virginia an East Regional NCAA tournament second-round college basketball game on Thursday. Cosmo mag has ranked Sacre fourth sexiest in his NCAA tournament bracket. Story here. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

• Idaho trio back together at Southern Miss/Jim Meehan, SR
• 65YO man beaten while trying to break up underage party/SR
• Idaho House passes felony animal torture bill/Betsy Russell, SR
• CityLink plans service reduction, other changes/Coeur d'Alene Press
• Bonner County seeks de-listing of woodland caribou/Keith Kinnaird, Bee
• 3 Kootenai County residents busted w/pot in Oregon/Meghann Cuniff, S&G
• Senate OKs licensing bills for massage therapists/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise
• Coeur d'Alene artist Mueller to document 'Portrait of a Town'/Alecia Warren, CdA Press
• House Transportation kills Senate-OK'd GARVEE for bridges/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise

“The only thing I know about Pittsburgh is the Steelers,” said 6-foot-9 senior forward Sam Dower during the press conference at The McCarthey Athletic Center on Sunday.The Gonzaga men's basketball team was seeded seventh in the East Region of the NCAA tournament and will face 10th-seeded West Virginia (19-13) on Thursday in Pittsburgh. More here. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)

• Idaho Records/Sherry Adkins, SR
• It's still winter as calendar approaches spring/AP
• Vandals to host Santa Barbara in Insider.com tournament/IPT
• What would Idaho education repeal look like?/Jessie L. Bonner, AP
• Wind moratorium moves to bottom of calendar/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise
• Idaho rejects cigarette tax hike, stays at 57 cents/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise
• Ex-Flathead Valley artist Fellows gets lifetime honor/Tom Lotshaw, Kalispell DIL
• Arrest made in poaching of super bull on Super Bowl Sunday/Eve Byron, Helena IR
• Orbusmax Special: Washington's Tri-Cities ranks as 9th most obese area in U.S. here

Gonzaga drew a seventh seed in the NCAA tournament and will face 10th-seeded West Virginia on Thursday in Morganto…, err, Pittsburgh. “We’re wearing white jerseys but the home-court advantage will be with them,” junior forward Elias Harris said. “It’ll be like a road game, but the fans aren’t on the court. It’s us against them and it really shouldn’t bother us.” The Bulldogs (25-6) and Mountaineers (19-13) square off at 4:20 PDT at CONSOL Energy Center, roughly 2,250 miles from GU’s campus and 75 miles from West Virginia’s campus. The winner will meet the winner of No. 2-seeded Ohio State (185 miles from Pittsburgh) and No. 15 Loyola-Maryland (245 miles) on Saturday. Syracuse is the top seed in the East Region/Jim Meehan, SR. More here. (Kathy Plonka's SR photo of Gonzaga coach Mark Few)

Question: Do you think the Bulldogs were properly seeded at No. 7?

It’s been 15 years in the making, but finally someone took it all away from the Gonzaga Bulldogs. All right, not all of it. Not all the history – not the charmed rise from mom-and-pop store to national franchise, not the Bracketville thrills, not the Spokane mania, not the investment that got the gym built, not even entrée into this year’s NCAA tournament. And not – forgive the odious term, please – the brand. But for the first time in the decade and a half, the Zags have no championship banner to hang. No regular-season title. And now no West Coast Conference tournament championship/John Blanchette, SR. More here.

Question: Will the Zags do well in the NCAA tournament?

Gonzaga's Haiden Palmer, right, and Shannon Reader, center, battle for a loose ball against BYU's Lexi Eaton in the first half during the NCAA West Coast Conference tournament championship basketball game, Monday  in Las Vegas. ESPN running boxscore here. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

For all the talk about the addition of traditional power BYU and the chatter about the West Coast Conference being the best it has been in a long time, the regular-season race still came down to Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. Just like it has the last eight seasons. The Gaels put an end to Gonzaga’s 11-year run of titles. For all the talk about four or five teams having legitimate shots at winning the WCC men’s basketball tournament title, it, too, will come down to Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. Just like it has the last four seasons. Both teams appear to be locks for the NCAA tournament and tonight’s winner at the Orleans Arena will earn an automatic berth. Gonzaga (25-5) and Saint Mary’s (26-5) split during the regular season, both winning by comfortable margins on their home floors/Jim Meehan, SR. More here. (Christopher Anderson SR photo: Freshman guard Kevin Pangos scored 30 in Gonzaga’s semifinal victory over BYU)

Question: Any predictions about tonight's game?

Gonzaga's David Stockton (11) and Longwood's Tristan Carey chase a loose ball during the first half Monday in the McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga beat Longwood 92-60 on Seniors Night at The Kennel. ESPN boxscore here. (SR photo: Colin Mulvany)

Question: Who will win the WCC tournament next weekend?

Guy Landry Edi scored 13 points and Gonzaga kept its hopes alive for a share of its 12th straight West Coast Conference regular-season title by defeating San Diego 65-57 Saturday.The Bulldogs (23-5, 13-3) can tie St. Mary's (Calif.) for the league crown if the Gaels (13-2) lose to San Francisco in a late game Saturday night.Robert Sacre and Kevin Pangos added 11 points each for the Bulldogs, who pulled ahead 59-57 on a jumper by Sacre with 1:51 remaining and closed the game on an 8-0 run. Elias Harris had 12 rebounds for Gonzaga/AP. Story & boxscore here.

St. Mary's 67, San Francisco 60: Rob Jones had 14 points and 14 rebounds, Clint Steindl added 16 points and Saint Mary's beat San Francisco 67-60 on Saturday night to clinch the Gaels' first outright conference title in 23 years. Story here.

Question: Despite the end of Gonzaga's WCC title streak, do you enjoy watching a conference that's more competitive than ever?

Bringman Young's Josh Sharp is harassed by Gonzaga's fans, in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday in Spokane. Gonzaga beat BUI 74-63. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Jed Conklin)

Top Cutlines:

• 1. Fan to Josh Sharp: I think you’re the father of my baby — DFO.
• 2. LDS meets LSD — JohnA.
• 3. I thought Newt was in CDA? — Dennis.
• HM: 805me (VP of the Kennel Club who's the man in the mask above)

Gonzaga University seniors, Jordyn Pillatzke, left, and Madison Merz protect their “Take the Hate Out of Hoops” posters fromt he wind as they head to College Hall in Spokane. Students from the Hate Studies in Business class have organized a response to hateful tweets sent by GU students about Mormons and Mormon faith after the last BYU/GU game. The Zags play Brigham Young on Thurday evening in the McCarthey Athletic Center. Tipoff is at 8. Kevin Graman SR story here. (SR photo: Dan Pelle)

Question: Are business students overreacting to a fierce rivalry developing between Gonzaga & BYU? Or being preemptive?