A bad (basketball) day in the Inland Northwest

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where were we? Oh, right. Trying to figure out if Saturday was the worst day of college basketball in the area since Dan Fitzgerald coached Gonzaga. Read on.

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• The answer to that question is probably “no.” But only because Washington State had the day off – the Cougars host California today – and Whitworth got a late stop to avoid what would have been a disappointing road loss. Eastern Washington got worked in Portland. Idaho lost at Sacramento State. And Gonzaga? For the first time since 1995 (more on that later), the Zags lost both regular season games to Saint Mary’s. It was also GU’s second WCC loss at home this season – that just doesn’t happen anymore – and the Zags’ fourth home defeat overall – ditto that. It means Mark Few’s team is sitting precariously on the NCAA bubble, with a road game at BYU looming and then the minefield that is the WCC tournament in Las Vegas. The Zags may have to win that extravaganza if they want to continue their NCAA streak that dates back to the magical year of 1999, which is even before Mark Few became head coach. An at-large berth just doesn’t seem in the cards, not with seven defeats and no really impressive – to the national pundits – wins on their resume. But winning the WCC tournament is not out of the question, as Saint Mary’s, BYU and Pepperdine, the other schools who seem to have a chance in Vegas, have all played poorly on the road at times this season. The tournament will probably be as wide-open as it’s been this century. But let’s harken back to the last century for a minute, shall we? Back to that fateful year of 1995. When Saint Mary’s came into Spokane, beat GU by five and then turned around and beat the Bulldogs in Moraga by seven points six days later. Those two defeats were part of a six-game losing streak for Gonzaga that dropped its record to 0-6 in conference play. But the Zags finished 7-7 in league that season and then won three consecutive tournament games in Santa Clara to win the WCC’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. It was their inaugural trip and, though it ended in an 87-63 loss to Maryland, it was as memorable as any of their others, if only because it was their first. So there is hope, even if the Zags will probably have to battle BYU in the semifinals and then get past a so far un-get-past-able Saint Mary’s in the finals. But remember, after losing to the Gaels twice in the regular season in 1995, they defeated them in the tournament. If we’re going to take a walk down memory lane, we might as go all the way, right?

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• WSU: The Cougars, as we mentioned, host California today. It will be senior day for Junior Longrus and Brett Boese. … Speaking of trips down memory lane, Matt Calkins of the Times has a column on Klay Thompson that is worth reading but also contains a factual error. Thompson did miss 24 consecutive shots his sophomore season at WSU, something I remember vividly counting in the Beasley press area, though his slump breaker didn’t lead the Cougars to a win over Washington. The Cougars were down 16 to the Huskies in the first half of that game and Thompson tied it at 39 with his only 3-pointer of the game. But UW went on to win 59-52. It was just another in a string of disappointing defeats in Ken Bone’s first year in Pullman. … Around the Pac-12 yesterday, Washington snapped its losing streak at Stanford’s expense and UCLA had little trouble with Colorado. … Oregon won another battle with Oregon State . … We weren’t here yesterday so we’ll pass along the mailbag and a look at the North offensive lines from ESPN.com’s Pac-12 football blog.

• Gonzaga: It was Senior Night in the Kennel and the Gaels spoiled it. Jim Meehan has the game story (he’ll also be back with a day-after post today) while John Blanchette lends perspective with this column . Tyler Tjomsland has the photo report . … Around the WCC , BYU , which barely got past USD Thursday in San Diego, held the Toreros to 11 first-half points and won 91-33 last night. … Portland had little trouble with Pacific. … Gonzaga opened its baseball season with a doubleheader split in Arizona.

• EWU: The Eagles ran Portland State out of Reese Court not long ago, but the Vikings returned the favor last night, winning 107-91 in Portland. … The Eagle women defeated PSU at home. … In other Big Sky games, Montana continued its dominance of rival Montana State, winning 87-78 in Bozeman . … Weber State lost its best player to injury but still got past Northern Arizona on the road.

• Idaho: The Vandals also lost on the road last night as Sacramento State won 68-65.

* Whitworth: The Pirates picked up a 73-71 win at Pacific Lutheran to earn their seventh consecutive Northwest Conference title .

• Empire: Spokane made its debut in the Indoor Football League a successful one, holding off Tri-Cities 60-51 in Kennewick.

• Chiefs: The U.S. 395 rivalry was also renewed in hockey, with Spokane winning as well, 4-2. Tom Clouse was in the Arena and has this game story . … Everett got past Seattle.

• Preps: You like wrestling? Then today is your day. Greg Lee has the coverage of the state tournament in Tacoma, including stories on the 4A , the 3A , the 2A/B and the 1A, where Deer Park won the state team title. … There is also Idaho postseason wrestling coverage as well. … In basketball, the Idaho girls decided their state titles, with Timberlake breaking through for a 3A title. … On this side of the border, there are 4A regional stories from the boys and the girls as well as a roundup of other basketball action. … A couple of local legends will be inducted in a new statewide hall of fame.

• Seahawks: The Hawks are in a, seemingly, never-ending search for offensive linemen . … And they always like more defensive linemen .

• Mariners: To no one’s surprise, Felix Hernandez will make the opening day start . But to Hernandez’s surprise, he’s never pitched in a postseason game. … Felix, and all the M’s pitchers, has to meet all his new catchers .

• Sounders: After years of asking, the Sounders finally will be playing on new turf in CenturyLink. … Darwin Jones is making a mark with Seattle.

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• That’s it for today. I hope it’s enough. Until later …