Grip on Sports: We can always celebrate the weekend starting early around here thanks to college basketball

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The nicest part of college basketball season? The weekend begins on Thursday night. At least around here. Read on.

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• The West Coast is pretty blue, in the politic parlance of the day. The three coastal states embrace change, from Chula Vista, Calif., to Blaine, Wash. Except in college basketball scheduling.

At least for the most part.

In other places around the nation, a college basketball conference game can occur on most every night these days. It’s not unusual to sit down on a Monday or Tuesday evening and watch a key ACC matchup or a Big East battle.

The major players in the sport, and by that we mean the television networks, need programming on those nights as well. Colleges are willing to oblige.

Except not as often out here.

The Pac-12 plays a game or two on Wednesday nights pretty consistently. And Sunday as well. But for the most part, Thursdays and Saturdays are still the days of choice for conference games.

The same can be said for the West Coast Conference. The Big Sky? It’s a bit more flexible this season, with the league holding a conference game on most every Monday night. It’s a way to gain extra exposure, though I’m not sure it works all that well, considering how late the games start for most of the country.

All in all, though, the three conferences that cover our neck of the Division I woods are still pretty conservative in their scheduling plans. Who would have thought?

We’re not complaining, though. There is something comforting about turning on the TV on a Thursday night and knowing there are games on. And that the weekend is (sort of) beginning.

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Gonzaga: The West Coast Conference road beckons. A place where the Bulldogs have won about 393 consecutive games, give or take as few. OK, it’s 26, but we were close. Jim Meehan has a preview of the Zags’ contest in Santa Clara and a look at the key matchup. … With the men on the road, the women are at home, hosting USF tonight at 6. Jim Allen has a preview. … Around the WCC, the best game of the evening will be in Provo, where BYU will host a rejuvenated Saint Mary’s.

WSU: Andre Dillard is the “other” Cougar at the Senior Bowl, though not in the eyes of his position coach. Theo Lawson has a story from Mobile, Ala. … Theo also talked with Larry Weir for the most recent Press Box pod. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, there is plenty of football news, including the contract details for former WSU assistant Ken Wilson with Oregon. He’s making a lot more money. … Washington will have a new look on defense next season. … California will have a new look on offense, as there have been staff assignment changes. … The all-conference team will have a new look as well, though one thing remains consistent: WSU isn’t well represented on the first team. … On the basketball court, Arizona heads to Los Angeles hurting a bit. … USC will be happy to help them heal up with another loss. … UCLA wants to get its offense going again. … California seems to be the team everyone wants to play. … Stanford has the conference’s youngest player and a winning streak over Utah. … Oregon State returns home with a new emphasis. … Oregon returns with Kenny Wooten and his facemask. … Washington has risen to the top of the standings thanks to contributions from some experienced players. … Will the conference schedule change in the future? … Finally, John Canzano continues to write about commissioner Larry Scott and his issues.

EWU: The Eagles lost their defensive coordinator recently. But head coach Aaron Best already had the next one on the staff. Ryan Collingwood has the story of Eti Ena’s promotion.

NIC: The firing of longtime wrestling coach Pat Whitcomb still hasn’t been explained. The former coach shared his thoughts with Tom Clouse yesterday. … The Cardinals’ basketball teams ventured over to Spokane last night and handled CCS. Ryan was there and has this story.

Preps: There has been a bit of a change around the GSL 3A basketball standings recently and Dave Nichols explains why. … Dave also takes a look at the small school races around the area. … The classification changes proposed by the WIAA will impact the Great Northern League significantly. Steve Christilaw looks at what the future holds whether the changes are accepted or not. … Former Lewis and Clark guard Riley Lupfer reached a milestone for Boise State. Ryan has that in his women’s basketball notebook.

Mariners: Edgar Martinez seemed to be the focus of much of the Hall of Fame talk yesterday. … Ichiro is going to be playing with the M’s in Japan. Is that all?

Seahawks: The Hawks have their eyes on the draft right now. … Free agents are also important as well.

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• We will be back tonight with our TV Take from the Gonzaga game at Santa Clara. So you have that to look forward to – or to avoid. Until later …