Jacob Thorpe

As far as senior springs go, Anthony White’s is pretty hectic.

Mike Leach, not a huge fan of change. For example, the Washington State football coach is not big on rule changes.

Gonzaga’s run to the Final Four has made the West Coast Conference money. A lot of money. But nobody knows where it goes.

PULLMAN – Washington State men’s basketball assistant coaches Greg Graham and Silvey Dominguez have left the program, head coach Ernie Kent announced Monday. In a press release, the school said the coaches left in order to pursue other opportunities.

Gonzaga may be a top seed, but for the first time the Zags are no longer the most highly-regarded team on the horizon

Gonzaga made the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee look good, advancing to the Final Four like a No. 1 seed should. Even now that the Zags have made it to Phoenix, they will continue to be the favorite. GU is favored by 6 1/2 points over No. 7 seed South Carolina, which is also participating in the Final Four for the first time in program history.

Gonzaga is not the only gate-crasher to dance all the way to the Final Four for the first time this year. Its opponent, South Carolina, also made the NCAA Tournament’s final quartet for the first time after beating Florida 77-70 on Sunday afternoon.

ESPN college basketball pundit and former Duke forward Jay Bilas was issued a challenge on Twitter by an account celebrating Przemek Karnowski’s beard in December. The account, @Karnowskisbeard, asked clean-shaven Bilas would he grow his own facial fro if Gonzaga made it to the Final Four. Now, Bilas is paying up.

J.P. Macura’s three-quarter court heave at the end of the half was a split second too late, meaning a shot that did not count overshadowed an ever rarer one that did.

Xavier had a defensive game plan against Gonzaga: Let the Bulldogs shoot 3-pointers.

Johnathan Williams elevated his play with each successive NCAA Tournament game and on Saturday was named the Most Outstanding Player of the West Region.

Of all the NCAA’s dubious rules – and unless this is your time reading an article about college sports you know there are some doozies – the cruelest is the one that states losing teams face the media first.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – FINAL: Mark Few and Gonzaga have finally done it.

As far as we know, the Pope does not fill out a March Madness bracket. But either way, you can be sure His Holiness is pleased both Gonzaga and Xavier made it through the Sweet Sistine.

So, what can Gonzaga expect defensively from Xavier, its Elite Eight opponent on Saturday? A lot.

Allen Payne stood in a Cincinnati Wal-Mart, staring at the pink container decorated with green flowers and thought, “This is supposed to hold dead people?”

Washington State held a ramp-up practice on Thursday, the first of 15 spring football practices that will crescendo to the Crimson and Gray Game at Joe Albi on Saturday, April 22nd but conclude the following Tuesday.

The last question asked of anyone involved in Gonzaga’s win over West Virginia belong to Bulldogs coach Mark Few, who turned to Johnathan Williams and broke a cardinal sports writing sin: Leading an interviewee with a statement rather than a question.

Gonzaga will have a distinct size advantage on Saturday against its opponent, Xavier, whose largest starter is 6-foot-9 freshman Tyrique Jones.

The decisive moments of Gonzaga’s 61-58 win over West Virginia were a pair of missed 3-pointers by West Virginia guard Jevon Carter, and the first thing he said during the postgame press conference was to admit to an error in judgment.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – 3:06 p.m. - Welcome back, everybody. I hope you had a restful week. The Spokesman-Review Crew is in San Jose and I’m here at the SAP Center to keep you updated with everything that happens in today’s game between top-seeded Gonzaga and four-seed West Virginia. I know with a 4 p.m. tip there will be a strong temptation to follow along while you sit in rush hour, but keep those eyes on the road and pass your phone to a carpooling coworker.

Washington State begins its spring football practices today in Pullman at 2:30 p.m.

Senior forward Nathan Adrian embodies the industrious spirit coach Bob Huggins sees in his home state on the court. Adrian, like Huggins, is from Morgantown, where WVU is located.

After decades as prominent college basketball coaches, Bob Huggins and Mark Few have at times come off a bit prickly, particularly when dealing with sports reporters who have spent those years asking the same questions over, and over, and over. But when talking about each other, “Fewy” and “Hugs” sure seem chummy.