NCAA basketball

Ryan Nembhard didn’t have a vote, but Gonzaga’s point guard was willing to give Graham Ike his endorsement after Saturday’s regular-season finale at Saint Mary’s.

The postgame celebration Monday at Reese Court wasn’t predicated on the Eastern Washington women’s basketball team winning its final game of the regular season.

With the No. 1 seed in the Big Sky Tournament already secured, the Eastern Washington men ended the regular season with a 91-88 victory over Sacramento State on Monday.

From staff reports

Gonzaga vs. Washington State in Spokane for the first round of the NCAA Tournament? Definitely a longshot. But with the Zags and Cougars both rolling and seemingly locks for the tourney, it's fun to think about a possible 7-vs.-10 matchup at the Spokane Arena. 

It was a predictably emotional Senior Night for the Gonzaga women’s basketball team Wednesday.

PULLMAN – Washington State just keeps ascending.

By nearly every measure – NET rankings, Associated Press poll, KenPom, bracket projections – Gonzaga is moving up. The Bulldogs, following impressive West Coast Conference wins over San Francisco and Saint Mary’s, climbed four spots to No. 19 in the latest AP rankings. The regular-season champion Gaels dropped from 17 to 23 after falling to Gonzaga 70-57 on Saturday in Moraga.

Graham Ike was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week after scoring 50 total points in wins over San Francisco and Saint Mary’s and there could be a bigger award for Gonzaga’s junior forward when the league announces its postseason honors later this week.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Too much to describe happened in this ardent college town Sunday, so you’re better off not even trying to describe it.

The late Latah County magistrate William C. Hamlett first laid eyes on the University of Idaho and the law school from which he graduated in the early 1970s. Ever after, he said Moscow and UI reminded him of Wainwright College from Mickey Rooney’s Andy Hardy comedies of the 1940s.

PULLMAN – Andrej Jakimovski wasn’t exactly himself in his Washington State group’s win over UCLA on Saturday. That much was clear just by looking at him, at the wrap on his shoulder, at the cut on his bottom lip.

MORAGA, Calif. – After losing for the fourth time in eight games last month at Santa Clara, Gonzaga knew it had to do almost everything right to ensure the NCAA Tournament selection committee wouldn’t leave the Bulldogs out of the 68-team field for the first time since 1997-98.

Gonzaga has known since the final buzzer sounded in an 86-68 victory Thursday over San Francisco that it was locked into the second seed for the upcoming West Coast Conference Tournament.

PULLMAN – Myles Rice gave Kyle Smith a certain look. Washington State’s head coach had just taken his star guard out of the game, trying to steal a couple of minutes during Saturday’s home matchup with UCLA, knowing he probably couldn’t afford to do so later in the game.

Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett offered Gonzaga counterpart Mark Few a handshake and a compliment at the conclusion of the Zags’ convincing 70-57 victory Saturday night. Bennett’s words were similar to San Francisco coach Chris Gerlufsen’s after his Dons were thumped by Gonzaga 86-68 on Thursday night at the Chase Center.

Ryan Nembhard

Follow along as the Gaels host the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

SEATTLE – Down three points in the final minute, the Washington men’s basketball team needed a defensive stop to give itself a chance.