A GRIP ON SPORTS • We have been blessed around here with more than our share of great college basketball players. Heck, in the last decade we've been able to watch a player of the year (Gonzaga's Adam Morrison) and one of the NBA's best guards (WSU's Klay Thompson). And there's another one. Read on.

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• Eastern Washington's Harvey won't win any national awards this year, even if he leads the nation in scoring. And the left-handed junior's NBA future has yet to be written, so we can't speculate on that. But right now, today, he's as good a college scorer as the two guys we mentioned in the open. And because of that, Eastern is still playing – and may well be playing for another week or so. Harvey, whose story has been well-documented recently, shot down Idaho yesterday morning, stepping back time and time again to hit a big 3-pointer in EWU's 91-83 Big Sky tournament win. That it happened in Missoula instead of Cheney is our loss, not anyone else's. If the Eagles had won one more game, we could have been out there to watch it instead of listening on the radio, a surreal experience if there ever was one. It was so empty in Dahlgren Arena for yesterday's Egg McMuffin game (a term the players used for a morning contest when I was covering the Cougars) you could hear many of the comments made by the fans. Let's hope the FCC wasn't reviewing the tape. Anyhow, Harvey put on a show and kept the Eagles' NCAA hopes alive. (You notice I didn't say postseason hopes. With a 24-8 record, one of the nation's most prolific scorers and one of the country's most explosive offensive teams, the Eagles would seem to be a lock for the NIT and the NCAA's experimental 30-second shot clock.) His 42 points tied a Big Sky tourney record, but more importantly, he hit every big shot Eastern needed to hold off the Vandals. Which just ratchets up the pressure for today, when the Eagles face Sacramento State and the Big Sky MVP, Mikh McKinney. All that's at stake is a berth in the tournament final and a chance to keep digging toward the golden nugget, the NCAA berth. It's what March is all about, isn't it? The NCAA tournament is where a school like Eastern has a chance to make a name for itself for something other than the color of its football field turf or its transferring quarterback. It's a chance to catch the nation's fancy for a week or so by springing an upset or two on a highly rated Power 5 school – or its ilk. But to do that, you have to win the conference tournament. There is no other path for the Big Sky's schools. No at-large berth, no do-over of any kind. Lose one and you're done. So Harvey's shots have to keep falling, Venky Jois' long arms have to keep pulling in rebounds and everyone else in an Eagle uniform has to continue to do whatever is asked. It's that time of year, that time of the season. And we’re blessed to be able to be a part of it, if only in a small way.

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• WSU: Though Washington State wasn't involved any more, the Pac-12 tournament was fun to watch yesterday, what with the second-half dominations by the favored teams. Arizona, UCLA, Oregon and Utah all dominated the second halves en route to easy victories. Now it's on to the semifinals tonight, in which the conference would probably be better served with a UCLA upset of top-seed Arizona, allowing four teams a spot in the NCAA tournament. ... Jon Wilner has finished his examination of the Pac-12's finances. It's not as rosy a picture as it seemed just a few years ago.

• EWU: Jim Allen is involved in a much bigger way, sitting in Dalhgren and chronicling the tournament for us. He has his game story from yesterday on the men's win, a notebook covering the action as well as an advance of the women's contest with Montana today, also in a semifinal. ... Back to the men, Jim has a preview on the blog of today's game, and there are stories available from last night's action, including Montana's overtime win over Weber State, which could have gone either way. ... Sacramento State had to hold off Portland State in a battle of teams with outstanding guards.

• Idaho: Don Verlin thought his Vandals did a decent job guarding Harvey, but it didn't do them much good. Sean Kramer has a blog post on the postgame comments of UI's coach.

• Chiefs: As the WHL regular season winds down, the Spokane Chiefs will have a lot to say in who finishes where in the standings. Chris Derrick has more in this story. ... Everett and Tri-City have a lot on the line during this weekend's games.

• Seahawks: Jimmy Graham met the Seattle press yesterday, though he did it over the phone, not in person. He had a lot to say, including expressing his shock at the trade as well as his happiness it happened to be to the Hawks. After he was done, Jerry Brewer felt he already had the Hawk-speak down pat. ... Pete Carroll had some comments on Graham as well. ... One area of need for the Hawks is the offensive line. There are players out there and a couple visited yesterday. Seattle will take its time, though, to fill the spots.

• Mariners: Will Ferrell did his level best to make a mockery out of the seriousness of spring train ... ah heck, I can't do it. I can't even keep a straight face while I try to make you think I was angry about a comedian disrupting the all-important spring training games. Actually, the circus that surrounded Ferrell's charity-inspired visits to 10 teams yesterday might have been good for everyone involved, as it forced extra concentration to succeed. Such was the case for the M's starting pitcher and their right fielder. ... Hey, Tyler Olson had another perfect outing yesterday. The M's bullpen faltered in the ninth, however, and they lost 4-3 to the A's. ... Austin Jackson wants desperately to be the Austin Jackson of old. Not an old Austin Jackson.

• Sounders: When Sigi Schmid spins a yarn, he really spins a yarn. Today, we pass along his story of a one-armed uncle and a stick shift. Sounds like an episode of "Family Guy." ... Schmid also updated the status of a couple of players. ... Marco Pappa's game has improved. ... Stefan Frei only had to make one save the other day, but it was a beauty. ... The Sounder supporters have a rhythm to their game.

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• Another day filled with basketball, including watching some live, albeit in a clinic setting. I couldn't ask for a better time. Until later ...

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