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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Grip on Sports: It’s been a long time, but Gonzaga’s run to the Final Four isn’t the first one for the Inland Northwest

The Zags hold up four fingers representing the Final Four tournament that they are heading in Phoenix the first time in Gonzaga basketball history. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The bulbs are popping up and the rain continues to come down. It is March, late March actually, after all. That’s normal. You want to know what’s not? Not normal, I mean. We’ll tell you. Read on.

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• Usually by now we would be writing about Mariners baseball – the season opener in Houston is a week away – or spring football – Washington State has already started and Eastern begins nest week.

That’s the normal rhythm this time of year. College basketball season ends and other items pop up to take its place.

But this year has been anything but normal.

And we’re not talking about the front page of your newspaper, though the news there has been different too.

We’re talking about college basketball. Inland Northwest college basketball. In the week leading up to the final weekend – known around the nation these days as the Final Four.

Someone being paid by The Spokesman-Review hasn’t written about the last weekend of NCAA basketball in a local participatory sense since before America entered World War II.

That’s a while ago. In fact, there probably aren’t all that many people still around here who can recall when Washington State traveled to Kansas City in 1941 to play in the final two games of the fledgling NCAA tournament.

It’s even before my time folks and I’m (sort-of) retired.

No one remembers when Paul Lindeman and Kirk Gebart led WSU past Creighton in the Elite Eight – that’s how many teams began the tournament back then – and Arkansas in the semifinals.

Or how the Cougars hung tough in the finals before losing to Wisconsin, 39-34. And no, Dick Bennett wasn’t coaching Wisconsin – or WSU for that matter.

It was the closest an Inland Northwest school would get to an NCAA Division I basketball title. Nothing that close before, nothing since.

(A funny fact about that tournament. The semifinal was played on March 22, a Saturday. The final was held March 29. A week between games. Think if that was still the case these days. By the way, The Times’ Jayson Jenks did this wonderful story on the 1941 WSU team a few years back.)

Now another Inland Northwest school attempts to do WSU’s 1941 team one game better and win the national title. Gonzaga faces South Carolina on Saturday with a finals’ berth on the line.

If someone tells you this is a once-in-a-generation occurrence, you just might want to believe them.

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Gonzaga: I saw a couple tweets this morning that I thought I would pass along. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index now gives Gonzaga a 55 percent shot of winning the national title. Does that give you confidence or scare the heck out of you? Another tweet listed the number of minutes experience each coach has in the Final Four. Roy Williams has 520. The other three? Zero. … Sticking with numbers, we present John Blanchette’s column, which passes along 36 reasons why Gonzaga can win it all. … Though the Zags celebrated mightily in San Jose, Jim Meehan tells us their ultimate goal is still ahead. Jim also has a story on Zach Collins acknowledging some of his fouls aren’t smart and Chris Webber expressing his love for college basketball. … Bulldog fans have one goal: Get to Phoenix and see the game without having to take out a second mortgage. Whitney Ogden has the story. … Saturday’s game will tip on CBS at 3:09 p.m., and Jacob Thorpe takes a look at South Carolina, GU’s opponent. He also examines the odds of GU winning and Jay Bilas’ beard ever growing in.

WSU: The women’s basketball team’s magical trip through the WNIT – and around the country – continues on after a 74-66 win over Iowa in the Midwest. Now the Cougars will travel to Atlanta for a semifinal meeting with Georgia Tech on Wednesday. … There are two Northwest schools in the Final Four for the first time ever. Oregon’s appearance is not only marked by fun, it is also helping other Pac-12 school’s bottom line (just as Gonzaga’s is helping the WCC schools). … Phoenix is ready for its turn on the national stage. … Arizona’s team will look different next season. … Washington’s will too, but not as different as earlier thought. … The Huskies begin spring practice today and there are questions and storylines to follow.

Mariners: The best storyline right now in spring training concerns the bullpen and who will make up the final eight. … Taylor Motter looks to bring his gorgeous hair to the big leagues. … The M’s won 7-6 over the Reds yesterday, ensuring a winning spring record.

Seahawks: Though free agency is winding down, the Hawks are still looking for a few pieces.

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• Don’t forget. The S-R is putting together a commemorative book about Gonzaga’s magical season. (Say that three times fast.) You can pre-order it now. Don’t let your coffee table spend the summer bare. Until later …