A Grip on Sports: The finish is in view, but a lot of action awaits before Gonzaga’s season ends

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The college basketball season seems to drag on interminably. And, at the same time, seems over in a flash. We have reached the flashpoint. And it couldn’t be brighter.

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• Think about this. Gonzaga and the University of San Francisco played four halves of basketball this season. The Dons won two of them. Neither was a fluke. And yet GU won both games.

But what happens tonight if USF puts those two exceptional halves together? It’s not something Zag fans want to contemplate. Especially not those of you in Las Vegas who have tickets for tomorrow night’s championship game.

Though more than likely the powers that be in the conference office wouldn’t be too adverse to the Dons getting on a run, winning tonight and tomorrow and earning the conference’s automatic bid to the tournament. A couple semifinal upsets tonight, a USF win over Saint Mary’s in the title game and, lo and behold, the WCC could have four teams dancing for the first time ever.

Wouldn’t that be interesting?

It would also cap the best season in conference history.

Only twice in conference history have three WCC (or WCAC) teams earned NCAA bids: 2008 and 2012. Both years it took a team not named Gonzaga winning the tournament for it to happen. (To be fair, Saint Mary’s won the regular season and tournament title in ’12, though San Diego’s title-game win in ’08 was a surprise.)

And only once in conference history have the teams combined for a winning percentage of .584. That’s this season. That success came against, by some ratings, the toughest schedule the league has ever faced.

So no matter what happens tonight and tomorrow, the West Coast Conference has reached a regular-season pinnacle. The conference tournament has already filled a highlight reel. All that is left is to figure out who plays on in the NCAA Tournament. And how far they will go.

• The other semifinal is, well, interesting. Saint Mary’s needed a performance for the ages from Jordan Ford to get past Pepperdine in double overtime on Saturday night, and that’s what it got. After playing 50 minutes, Ford and the Gaels have to regroup to face the second-seeded Cougars.

Luckily for Saint Mary’s, BYU wasn’t able to practice Sunday – school policy – and so both squads will probably be on the same page when it comes to preparation. Film and more film. A walk-through today. That’s about it.

Both teams are expected to join Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament but seeding is important. Whoever loses tonight not only hasn’t helped themselves in that regard but also lose a chance to improve on Tuesday if the Zags are the opponent in the final.

The best part of the contest? The teams are evenly matched, so it might just come down to a late run or a last-second shot. TJ Haws from the top of the key. Ford from the wing. Yoeli Childs with a putback. Malik Fitts bulling his way to the hoop. No matter who or what decides the game, it should be dramatic.

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Gonzaga: The Zags have won the last 17 meetings with USF, though in many of the recent games the Dons gave them fits. Jim Meehan previews tonight’s contest – for those of you at home, it will be on ESPN starting at 6, with Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale and Sean Farnham on the call – and looks at the key USF player, Charles Minlend. … The women take their 28-2 record into the semifinals today, facing a Portland team at noon that has given them two tough games as well. Jim Allen has a preview. The way the Zags have remade their attack after the loss of senior guard Katie Campbell has been nothing short of remarkable. … The baseball team won yesterday to split a four-game series with Cal State Northridge. … Around the WCC, Loyola Marymount fired Mike Dunlap. He was 80-109 in six seasons.

WSU: Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Washington heads into the conference tournament as quite possibly the most-dangerous last-place team in America. But a scheduling quirk, having to play – and beat – Arizona in consecutive games, faces the Huskies. … Colorado’s shooting has slumped and so has its record. … It took all day Saturday before Utah discovered which team it would play in the Pac-12 Tournament. … Oregon won the women’s title yesterday, toying with a very good Stanford team. Now the Ducks will look to add an NCAA title to their resume. The first four games will be in Oregon. … In football news, whoever wins the Oregon quarterback job, expect them to run more. … Oregon State is also looking for a new starter at quarterback. … A familiar face will fill Colorado’s offensive coordinator spot.

EWU and Idaho: The women open the conference tournament today in Boise, with the Vandals, who don’t play until Wednesday, among the favorites and the Eagles, who face Portland State today, trying to end their seasons on high notes. Ryan Collingwood previews their Big Sky Tournament. … Around the Big Sky, Montana’s Bobby Hauck isn’t a fan of a proposed transfer rule.

Mariners: Hey, the M’s lost but look over here. Justus Sheffield has a new pitch and a new outlook.

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• Have you ever spent a day at work and was so challenged by your task that when you headed for home, you were exhilarated, not drained? Me neither. But yesterday I spent six hours in a gym, teaching hoops and, though my legs were barking all night, it was just so invigorating I couldn’t feel all that tired. It’s so much more fun than any job I ever had. Until later …