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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Grip on Sports: After tonight, Gonzaga’s basketball history will be richer, but how much we don’t yet know

The Gonzaga bench celebrates a Gonzaga guard Nigel Williams-Goss (5) score during the second half of an NCAA Final Four basketball game, April 1, 2017, in Phoenix. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Today’s the day. The day the school from out-of-the-way Spokane, Washington, plays for the NCAA basketball title. It’s a pretty big deal. Really. Read on.

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• I don’t know where you are going to hunker down tonight to watch. You may do it at home, like me, surrounded by some of the people who attended GU games with you back when the Martin Centre was half-full. (One son is working, the other is in Texas visiting in-laws, so it’s just Kim and I tonight, along with three dogs who probably are rooting for the canine in this fight.)

You may have already made plans to be at a bar or restaurant, enjoying the camaraderie of others of a like mind.

You may squeeze in with 5,999 others at the Kennel, as Gonzaga is holding a viewing party in its home arena.

Or you may be in Glendale, Arizona along with 77,000 of your newest, closest friends, earning the right for the rest of your life to be able to tell others “I was there when Gonzaga …”

It’s what happens after the “…” that fills our thoughts this morning.

Will those in attendance be able to say “won the national championship?” (Or, if you are optimistic as hell, “won its first national championship.”)

Or will you have to, like Butler fans from earlier this decade, say “when we came this close to winning the national title?”

This game is a tossup, sort of like that first Butler championship game in 2010, when Gordon Hayward’s shot just missed at the buzzer and Duke won its 247th title.

Honestly, the two-point spread seems right, with North Carolina earning it because it was in the title game a year ago and experience has to count for something.

But so does destiny. And hometown. And pressure.

The Tar Heels are trying to avoid becoming the first school since Butler in 2010 and 2011 to lose back-to-back championship games.

The Bulldogs? They are trying to be the first team since Indiana raced through the 1976 season undefeated to win a title with one or fewer defeats. And they are trying to become the first champion from a non-power conference (Connecticut in 2014 doesn’t count, as it was one year removed from the Big East) since UNLV in 1990.

You would think Gonzaga, like Butler before it, would be the sentimental choice around the nation. But that and $2.45 will get you a cup of Dutch Bros. coffee. And nothing else.

This game will come down to who plays the best. Who hits shots. Who gets stops. Who executes. Who plays tougher. Who gets the calls.

And who settles in quicker.

Heck, I don’t know who is going to win. You don’t either. But I can wonder. And I can ask people who have a better idea. So yesterday I sent a text to former Washington State and current Virginia head coach Tony Bennett.

I wanted to know how Gonzaga beats North Carolina. What’s the secret?

As you might expect, Bennett broke it down extensively, with Xs and Os and … no, no he didn’t.

His answer: “Don’t play them at UNC!”

Who can argue with that?

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Gonzaga: Not sure there are enough pixels in the world to contain the S-R’s coverage today, but we’ll use them all as we link the work. We begin with Jim Meehan’s four stories, from the game advance to some analysis of the matchup through Bill Walton making amends with GU fans to the adjustment to the court. … We move on to a trio of columns, with John Blanchette adding his masterful touch to the coaching history that reaches back to those half-empty days in the Martin Centre. Then there is Rob Curley’s thoughts about what tonight means to Gonzaga and Spokane. And Paul Turner sums up what the Final Four experience is like. … Jacob Thorpe relates a story of a 2009 excursion that binds Mark Few and Roy Williams, as well as the Tar Heels’ redemption tour and the national popularity of this Final Four. … Speaking of excursions, Josh Horton looks at the one GU took before the season began. He also looks back at the lone loss and how guards deal with Przemek Karnowski’s size. … The Gonzaga president shares his thoughts with Whitney Ogden. Makes me wonder what former president Fr. Robert Spitzer is thinking these days. … Dan Pelle and Colin Mulvany have their photo report of Sunday’s activities. … Few won another national honor. … Jim Kershner has a non-basketball related obituary to pass along. … The baseball team lost late at Pepperdine.

From other parts of the country, there are stories about the matchup with North Carolina – no, it is not David vs. Goliath but there are stark differences in the programs, especially when it comes to academics – and the game itself. … I’m not sure this relates to folks reading this column, but if you are looking for someone to root for tonight, here are some thoughts. … The national media covers such subjects as Dan Monson, the big men and finances. There are also trips down memory lane, picks on who wins and an outsider’s view of the program.

WSU: The baseball team suffered through a tough weekend at California. … Around the Pac-12, Oregon and UCLA have some work to do during spring football practices. … It looks as if Washington will be looking for another women’s basketball coach.

Whitworth: The baseball team swept a doubleheader vs. Lewis & Clark and the softball team swept Puget Sound.

Chiefs: Josh continues his series on the Chiefs, looking at the goaltending.

Mariners: The season begins tonight in Houston – if not for Gonzaga, that would have been the subject of my column today – and Dave Nichols finishes up his series of previews with a look at the catchers. … The Mariners are better in many spots this year. Are they improved enough to make the playoffs? Until the starting pitching shows it can stand up under the pressure, I’m not going that far. … It’s hard to argue the lineup hasn’t improved.

Seahawks: Richard Sherman and the Hawks will make amends.

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• A short radio stint today, starting at 3 p.m. and ending at 4:30, when the title game coverage begins. You can listen to Dennis Patchin and myself here if you like. We probably won’t have time to talk about another golf rule fiasco, but I wish we did. This ticks me off no end. Until later …