A GRIP ON SPORTS • You hear it over and over again every March. Survive and advance. Survive and advance. But what happens when you don't survive and don't advance? Read on.

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• We know the answer around here, don't we? Your fan base becomes restless. Other adjoining fans bases gain joy out of the perceived failures. And endless stories and opinions dot the airwaves, printed pages and computer pixels. The only way to stop the carnage is to win. Survive and advance. Once is never enough, not anymore. The Gonzaga Bulldogs have participated in 17 consecutive NCAA tournaments. The most common response: Big deal. They have failed to get past the first weekend the last five times, seven of the last eight and in 11 of their last 13 appearances. It's time. Or it's past time. That's seems to be the consensus. Tonight's matchup with Iowa, one of the few teams in America that is actually bigger than Gonzaga, is seen as a referendum on the Zags – and possibly their future. Gonzaga has a senior backcourt, one of the key elements in NCAA tournament success according to the talking heads. The Zags have size. They have depth. They have scorers at all five spots. They have an improved defense. They have somewhat of a home-court advantage, playing in Seattle. This is it. The time to take a step they haven't taken since 2009, when a two-point win over Western Kentucky earned them a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. It's time to survive and advance. The alternative is too ugly to contemplate.

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• WSU: There hadn't been a perfect game pitched in the Pac-12 since Washington State's Joe McIntosh threw one back in 1973. Until yesterday in Corvallis. Ironically, it was the Cougars who were on the receiving end of Drew Rasmussen's perfection, losing 3-0. Even more ironically, Rasmussen is a freshman from Mt. Spokane High, and bypassed the Cougars to attend Oregon State instead.

• Gonzaga: You want stories to read before the games start today? You have them. Way too many of them maybe. John Blanchette has a column on what the game means for the Zags. Jim Meehan has the advance and teams with Jacob Thorpe on a notebook. Jacob has a story on the matchup at the 4 spot. ... The Gonzaga women are in action at about the same time tonight, meeting Oregon State in Corvallis with a trip to Spokane on the line. Tom Clouse has an advance and Jim Allen has a notebook. The Oregon State side of things is also covered well, with the focus on the Beavers' habit of slow starts. ... Back to the men, the Seattle-area news outlets examine the matchup with Iowa from about every angle, including the importance of a win to both programs. But that's not all. The entirety of the first couple days of March Madness is covered in this column. ... And we also found some stories from Iowa to pass along. ... Back to the women, Gonzaga is the WCC's lone hope after BYU lost to Louisville.

• EWU: The last Big Sky team still in action is Northern Arizona, which got past Sacramento State last night in the CIT.

• Chiefs: Spokane fell 2-1 at Tri-City last night, allowing the Americans to clinch a playoff berth. ... The Chiefs will face Everett in the first round after the Silvertips picked up a point in a shootout loss Saturday. That helped them clinch first in the U.S. Division over Portland.

• Seahawks: What does Jimmy Graham bring to Seattle? A completely different weapon on offense for one thing. ... The Hawks have been winners in the free agent race mainly by not being big losers.

• Mariners: With the regular season just around the corner, the position battles among the M's seem to be working themselves out. ... Dustin Ackley is getting more comfortable with playing left field. ... Felix Hernandez didn't throw well yesterday, but then again no one did in the Cubs' 12-10 win over Seattle.

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• There are some really interesting matchups today in the NCAA tourney. Michigan State vs. Virginia peaks my interest as does Wichita State vs. Kansas. And, of course, Gonzaga vs. its history. And Iowa. Until later ...

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