Backyard hoops: Gonzaga, EWU get NCAA slots in Northwest cities

Fans of Gonzaga and Eastern Washington won’t have far to travel this week if they want to watch their favorite team play in the NCAA tournament. Gonzaga was given a No. 2 seed in the South Regional, but perhaps more important, gets to play its opening game Friday in Seattle, against North Dakota State. Eastern Washington, a No. 13 seed in the South Regional, travels to Portland to play Georgetown on Thursday. Take that a step further and there may be a few ambitious Spokane County fans seen driving up and down I-5 to catch both teams.