Eastern doesn’t rise up until much too late
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Eastern Washington's second trip to the dance party was a short one, lasting just about as long as it took Georgetown's Jabril Trawick to slap Tyler Harvey across the chest and knock him to the floor. Read on.
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• When Trawick celebrated Harvey's late first-half turnover by doing a chest thump, albeit with Harvey between Trawick's hand and chest, then shimmied his hips enough to knock Harvey to the court, the game was still in doubt. After the play was reviewed and no foul was called, it wasn't anymore. As one of the truTV announcers said, by not making that call, the game was opened to all types of physical play. And physical play favored one team. In case you were wondering, it was not the team from Cheney. From Harvey's turnover until the middle of the second half, the Hoyas dominated. Dominated the paint, dominated the perimeter and, most importantly, dominated the scoreboard. The Eagles never really picked themselves up off the floor where Trawick had sent them. Well, they did, but it was too late. A 23-point lead is too much to overcome, even for a team that can rain 3-pointers with the best. Except this night it was Georgetown, already bigger and stronger, who was among the best from long range. Nowhere in Jim Hayford's equation that allowed him to predict an Eastern victory was there a variable filled in with 11-for-23 shooting from beyond the arc. From Georgetown I mean. I'm sure Hayford had figured in more than a handful of minutes for big man Josh Smith, and the corresponding statistics. And I'm sure Hayford had even accounted for a lack of whistles when the action got tough. But figuring Georgetown would shoot like, well, Eastern, from beyond the arc? That wouldn't seem to compute. But it happened. And by the time the Eagles had worked out a winning formula – pressure, pressure and more pressure – it was too late. The chance for an upset had slipped away. Or been knocked out, whichever you prefer.
• UPDATE: John Adams, the director of basketball officiating for the NCAA, was on truTV this morning for the pregame show. The Harvey play mentioned above was discussed. It was the only play Adams admitted the officials screwed up Thursday. He said it should have been a deadball technical foul, which would have resulted in free throws and Eastern having possession of the basketball. He also said, because Hayford asked for a review, Eastern was charged a time out. When Buzz Williams, Virginia Tech's coach, expressed amazement about that, Adams said, quietly, "It wasn't our finest hour." No, it wasn't.
• Upsets happen in the NCAA tournament, we all know that. Gonzaga has delivered them in the past and has been on the receiving end as well. Mark Few and his team will be the favorite tonight against North Dakota State and, if things work out, the next two rounds as well. Even more overwhelming favorites than expected thanks to UCLA and UAB winning yesterday. If Davidson gets past Iowa today, all that would stand between GU and the Elite Eight are double-digit seeds. Once again the bracket seems to have opened up for the Zags. One of these years they are going to take advantage of it. Maybe even this year. We will find out, at least partially, tonight.
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• WSU: Just a couple football-related items today, with ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog looking at the defensive lines this fall in the North and one draft analyst slotting Connor Halliday in the eighth spot among quarterbacks.
• Gonzaga: The storm has yet to come. It's still calm in Seattle. Jim Meehan has an advance of tonight game with the Bison as well as a notebook. ... Colin Mulvany has a photo report from practice yesterday. ... The Gonzaga women face George Washington in the first round of the women's tournament. Tom Clouse is in Corvallis and he has this advance as well as a notebook. ... There is a Tinkle family reunion in the offing. ... The baseball team rallied but fell short against BYU. ... Byron Wesley has waited a long time to play in the NCAA tournament.
• EWU: For those of you who feel words can't motivate a team to play better, you should read the postgame comments coming from John Thompson III and the Hoyas. Hayford's guarantee – that's how Georgetown perceived it – was the subject of many of their postgame quotes. John Blanchette also exams the effect it had in his column this morning. ... Jim Allen has the game story and a morning post while Jacob Thorpe has the Hoya view. Dan Pelle was also in Portland and he has a photo report on the 84-74 Georgetown victory.
• Chiefs: This is the last weekend of the WHL regular season. It should be a wild one, what with Everett trying to win the U.S. Division and Tri-City trying to make the playoffs.
• Seahawks: There was an addition to the roster yesterday – Seattle signed defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin – but there was also some subtraction – and could be more. Is Rubin's signing a precursor to Brandon Meban being let go unless he reworks his contract? That's the speculation this morning.
• Mariners: The M's played most of their opening day lineup last night and it accounted for all the runs in a 5-2 win over the Indians. ... Justin Ruggiano and Seth Smith are expected to combine to give the M's a high-caliber bat in right field. ... Lloyd McClendon doesn't think Safeco is all that tough a place to be a hitter.
• Sounders: It's anniversary time for the Sounders.
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• I watched parts of all 16 games yesterday. Yep, I was a couch potato, even when I was not sitting on the couch. Heck, I had lunch at a sports bar so I wouldn't miss any action. When did I become so pathetic? Until later ...
