68, take away 52, leaves us less than half done
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Sixty-eight teams began March Madness. Sixteen are left. Yet we aren't halfway done. Math is hard. Read on.
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• For the 52 teams – that is right, isn't it? – that have been eliminated from the NCAA tournament, their season is finished. But for the other 16, the road to a national title still has four more stops. And the pressure ratchets up at each one. Though on some probably less than others. Take UCLA for example. Gonzaga's foe this Friday in Houston is playing with house money, so to speak. No one expected the Bruins to be in the tournament. And there was an incredible amount of outrage when they were included. Too much, probably, but it is the age we live in. Then they won their first game on a goaltending call that adhered to the letter of the rule if not the spirit of it. (Really, is there anyone in America, including Steve Alford and his son Bryce, who really believes that shot was going in? And is there anyone in America who doesn’t understand the way the rule is written, the call had to be made?) The Bruins next game was not against one of the powers of college hoop this season but instead a UAB team that was just incredibly happy to still be playing. So here they are, in the Sweet 16. Yes, they had to work hard to get there. And yes, UCLA is playing much better than it was when Gonzaga handled them at Pauley Pavilion. But still, if UCLA loses this weekend, most folks connected to Bruin Nation will pat them on the back, congratulate them for the good run and get back to trying to undermine Alford's tenure. It's what they do in Bruin land to every coach not named John Wooden. You want contrast? Then look no further than Gonzaga. Yes, the Zags solved the you-haven't-got-past-the-first-round equation over the weekend, but that's just one problem they have to deal with. There's the Mark-Few-never-has-made-the-Elite-Eight corollary as well as this-team-has-Final-Four-potential theorem. So once again Gonzaga hits the road, expected to pass a test that is made up of make-believe questions. And the Zags will be asked to show their work. After all, even if they win, there's always another question to answer.
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• WSU: ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog takes a look at the special team performers returning for the North schools. Washington State seems to be in pretty good shape. ... Drew Rasmussen's perfect game against the Cougars has earned him a handful of awards.
• Gonzaga: With all the action on the courts just waiting to be dissected, John Blanchette follows the tune of a different drummer. Yep, his column today is about the Gonzaga band. ... But that doesn't mean there isn't a whole bunch of stories already on the matchup with UCLA. There is, including Jim O'Connell, AP's national college basketball writer, looking at the Bruins' quest for revenge. Bud Withers also writes about revenge, but a much longer gestating strain. ... The L.A. Times already is hitting the Byron Wesley angle, as the Gonzaga guard spent three years tormenting UCLA while at USC. ... Dave Boling has a really fun column today on Few's early days. ... The final two participants in the women's regional this weekend at the Arena were decided last night, with Gonzaga having to face perennial power Tennessee on Saturday. ... Back to the men, the next great Gonzaga guard was just named Mr. Basketball in Utah. Zag fans will have to wait a while to see Jesse Wade, however, as he's headed on his LDS mission. ... Wade turned down BYU to sign with Gonzaga, but the Cougars should be OK. ... Finally, Art Thiel understands Key Arena is outmoded, despite the remodeling that occurred 20 years ago.
• Seahawks: Michael Bennett may not have asked to be traded, but the Hawks won't deny he's asked them to redo his contract. That isn't something they like to do when so many years are left on the current one. ... As for two of their key players, Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson, Hawks' general manager John Schneider says their contract extensions are still important, there are just other things to get to first. ... The Hawks will get four extra draft choices this year due to losses in free agency. ... This really doesn't affect us in Spokane, but the NFL is scrapping the blackout policy for a season. ... Filling an offensive line need is still going to take a while. ... Finally, we can pass along more on the Super Bowl ticket fiasco.
• Mariners: The M's were blanked by the Angels yesterday, losing 5-0. Still, Mike Zunino had a hit and is having a good spring at the plate. That's important to him. ... Yes, the M's are becoming a trendy pick in the American League.
• Sounders: Seattle hosts Club Tijuana tonight in a friendly, though it may just be more than that.
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• We'll be back tomorrow. We promise. Until then ...
