Our local colleges are gearing up for the basketball season’s stretch run
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Now that football season is fading in our rearview mirror, it seems like a good time to exam the rest of the college basketball season. Read on.
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• We are blessed with four Division I college basketball teams in our area (and one of the best Division III programs in America). Last season at this time, three of the four seemed poised for monumental things – and two of them, Gonzaga and Eastern, came through. This season? Not so much. But there is hope – and trepidation.
• In Pullman, this has been a season of disappointment. No doubt about it. After last season’s better-than-expected showing under then first-year coach Ernie Kent, there was ample hope the Cougars would take another step. They have. It’s just been backward. But, in hindsight, it was probably to be expected. Davonté Lacy was that good. Having a senior leader who could make a key shot can’t be overstated, especially for a team that is going to play a lot of close games. Those are the games WSU is losing this season. Well, those and just about every other conference game. The Cougars have lost nine consecutive Pac-12 games and are headed for a last-place finish. Barring an unprecedented run, the season will end in Las Vegas at the conference tournament. Then it is on to next year.
• It’s funny. Just about every week there is a story in a Salt Lake City newspaper about BYU needing to win the WCC tournament to make the NCAAs. That’s true. But it’s also true for every West Coast Conference school except Gonzaga. Even Saint Mary’s resume isn’t strong enough to get the Gaels an at-large berth, especially following their road losses to Pepperdine and BYU. Gonzaga will still get a berth if it avoids a BYU-like loss – the Cougars lost at home to Pacific last week, which nailed the at-large coffin shut. The first test is tonight in Portland, a team that handled BYU at home two days after the Cougars won in the Kennel. Then it’s off to Texas for a chance for a decent – until recently the correct term there would have been resume-building – win at SMU. The Mustangs, undefeated just 18 days ago, have lost three of their last five games, including an 82-77 home defeat to Tulsa last night. Gonzaga has five losses, none of which are of the awful, hard-to-explain kind. Avoid one of those down the stretch, get to the finals of the WCC tournament and there is a good chance for an at-large berth, keeping the NCAA streak alive.
• A couple of weeks ago Eastern looked like road-kill. Figuratively, of course, but the inability to win on the road was flattening any chance the Eagles had of making a run in the Big Sky Conference. Then last week they won twice on the road. Sure, they still aren’t going to win the conference regular season title, but a healthy EWU team – Julian Harrell returned from injury and Eastern is 7-2 since – will be a tough out at the conference tournament in Reno. And that’s all Jim Hayford’s team needs. They can shoot themselves into the NCAA tournament for a second consecutive year. Keep tightening the defense down the stretch and Eastern might actually go into Reno next month as one of the favorites. Who would have thought that a month ago?
• Really, all Idaho has to do is get healthy. The Vandals could play with anyone when they were at full strength. But recently, with their two best players, Perrion Callandret and Victor Sanders sidelined, they have struggled to finish out close games. Anyone would. Both players are mending but won’t be on the court for a while. If UI can find a way to still finish in the top four, which earns a tournament first-round bye, it will be a force in Reno. Otherwise, the road gets tougher.
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• WSU: It was busy day in the Pac-12 yesterday, though the on-court action was minimal. Jacob Thorpe looked forward to the Cougars' games in the Rockies, previewing them in this weekend outlook. WSU is at Colorado tonight. ... Speaking of on-court action, Utah took advantage of Washington’s porous defense for a 90-82 victory. ... California, the state, is having money problems. So is California, the university. Both could affect California, the athletic teams. ... USC out-going athletic director Pat Haden is suffering health problems again. ... This is kind of fun, in a way-to-low-passing-total kind of way (I'm talking about Super Bowl LI, of course).
• Gonzaga: The Zags have the one conference game tonight and their final, for now, late-season non-conference matchup Saturday. (Future changes in the WCC scheduling process will preclude these type of games down the road.) Jim Meehan has the weekend preview. ... Jim also has a blog post from yesterday. ... BYU’s up-and-down season is a head-scratcher. ... Saint Mary’s offense can be formidable. ... Former Gonzaga assistant Leon Rice’s Boise State team suffered through another head-scratcher of an end-of-game decision by the officials. (Verne Harris and David Hall, better known for their work in Pac-12 games, were seen talking on the video.) They hand-timed the clock from replay – are they allowed to do that? – and waived-off Boise’s game-winning shot. ESPN electronically timed it and said the shot was good. Sorry, I trust the electronic decision. This is one the league should overturn.
• EWU: Jim Allen has a story of the Eagles’ recent run of good play as well as the usual weekend preview.
• Idaho: The Vandals, like travel-partner Eastern, are home for the weekend. Sean Kramer has the preview.
• Whitworth: Part of the reason the Pirates are doing so well is the play of 6-foot-10 center Drew Sears. Tom Clouse has a feature on the junior post.
• Chiefs: Down two goals late, the Chiefs rallied to tie the game last night against Portland. But, as Tom Clouse’s story relates, the Winterhawks scored with just seconds left in overtime to win 3-2. ... Tri-City won on the road at Kootenay.
• Preps: Greg Lee has a couple of features in today’s newspaper, including one on a Selkirk senior who is enjoying an improbable senior basketball season and another on Mead’s best gymnast. ... Greg also has a notebook with basketball news and he covered Timberlake’s state-berth clinching win over Bonner’s Ferry in girls’ play.
• Seahawks: Dave Boling has some thoughts on Cam Newton’s defiant statements to the media.
• Mariners: Hey, spring training is not too far away. And Ryan Divish has a look at the M’s catchers.
• Sounders: Seattle is playing a new formation this season. The Sounders will also have new voices for their broadcasts.
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• I’ve always felt if a game ends on a play that is incorrectly decided by a official or a game administrator, and a correction of the mistake would not undermine the opponents chance to overcome the change, then a league, professional or college, should rectify it and declare a different winner. Electronic evidence, which is what we have decided is the most accurate, seems to show last night’s Boise State game falls into that category. Until later ...