A Grip on Sports: A near-perfect week will yield to winter this weekend, which means a look at the televised sports schedule is in order

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Pardon us if we’re not happy it’s Friday. The past few days have been wonderful in Spokane. Clear, crisp and warm, with the highs reaching into the 60s. It was so nice even golf was an option. The best week in months and, hopefully, you’ve been able to enjoy it. It’s all supposed to change tomorrow. Maybe the TV schedule will help offset the rain.

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• Most years, a rainy early March weekend would be nothing more than an excuse to watch basketball. And that’s about it. Spring training games would pop up, sure, and the occasional golf tournament and auto race. Maybe even, like this year, the NBA All-Star extravaganza.

But in the odd duck that is 2021, we can add football to the mix.

If you want, you can even venture out this evening, stand on a hill somewhere outside the gates (properly social distanced and masked, of course) and sort of take in a high school game under the lights. Or, you can be smart and turn on SWX at 7 p.m. to see Mead play at Central Valley. Your choice.

Saturday brings a football game as well on SWX, with Eastern Washington hosting Northern Arizona at 1 p.m. Hopefully, the Eagles will have a few players back they were missing in Moscow last weekend. And a crucial kick won’t bounce off the scoreboard.

No matter what, though, the weekend will be dominated by basketball.

Many conferences, even Power 5 ones, are holding their women’s tournaments this week and they finish Saturday. The Pac-12 final four features three ranked teams (Stanford, UCLA and Arizona) and interloper Oregon State. It’s worth a watch.

Many of the mid-major conference tournaments are also underway on the men’s side, though our local ones, the Big Sky and the WCC (mid-major for everyone other than GU) really don’t get interesting until next week. Gonzaga’s first game in Las Vegas is Monday night and the Big Sky, which finishes its tight regular season this weekend (Eastern hosts Idaho State today at noon, available only on radio), will be in Boise next weekend.

To satisfy your college basketball itch, you will have to be content with top-10 matchups in the Big Ten, with No. 7 Ohio State hosting fourth-ranked Illinois on Saturday. The best games Sunday include Wisconsin at Iowa, second-ranked Michigan at rival Michigan State and Texas Tech traveling to Baylor.

But the real show is Sunday from Atlanta, where the NBA is holding its somewhat subdued All-Star events. It tips at 3:30 with the ancillary stuff before the stars take the court at 5.

If you need more, there is golf from Florida, NASCAR from Las Vegas and that’s about it.

Let’s just hope it clears up (and warms up) enough to take the dog for a walk. After spending hours on hours outside during the past week, he’s probably expecting it.

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Gonzaga: The Zags always have a pretty good break between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the West Coast Conference tournament. It’s a chance to rest, recharge and rev up the execution. This year, different in so many ways, is no different in that regard. Jim Meehan tells us this morning just what the Bulldogs have been doing. … The names of the 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy were released Thursday. Corey Kispert and Drew Timme were included. Jim has that story as well. … There is a feature about Anton Watson in the Gonzaga Bulletin. … The Zags will have a No. 1 seed. So will Baylor and Michigan. Illinois is holding the final one right now. Who else is challenging? … Elsewhere in the WCC, the tournament began Thursday in Las Vegas. Santa Clara defeated Portland and San Francisco stopped San Diego. … BYU will rely on its depth.

WSU: With no live events in Pullman, you would think Theo Lawson would have Thursday off. Nope. He spent part of his day talking with Larry Weir for the latest Press Box podcast. … The women saw their basketball season end last night. Maybe. They fell to Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament but may play on – if they can garner an at-large NCAA bid. The Wildcats dominated with their defense last night. … Around the Pac-12 and college basketball, the men’s tournament seeding is becoming clearer, as Colorado clinched the third seed with a win over Arizona State on Thursday night. That is if USC and UCLA play Saturday. Only a cancellation could change the Buffs’ spot. … Oregon State will be the fifth seed. … On the women’s side, Oregon State is the only non-ranked team to make the semifinals with another win over Oregon, but no one is playing better. Maybe Stanford. But not UCLA or Arizona. … In football news, the conference’s nonconference schedules are as tough or tougher than most of the Power 5. … Trap games dot almost everyone’s 2021 schedule. … Oregon is probably the team to beat next season. … Oregon State has embraced the transfer portal as much as anyone.

EWU: Northern Arizona, fresh off a one-point home win over lame-duck Southern Utah, heads to Cheney for a game tomorrow. That means one of my favorite people in college football, NAU head coach Chris Ball, will be back in the area. Ball spent two stints coaching in Pullman. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the Eagles chance of winning the regular season basketball title took at hit yesterday when Weber State survived against Northern Colorado 60-59 in Ogden and Southern Utah topped host Portland State. To take the crown, the Eagles need to defeat Idaho State and have Weber and SUU both lose.

Idaho: UC Davis did not play its scheduled Big Sky opener last week due to the COVID-19 issues at Cal Poly. But there doesn’t seem to be the same depth of problems in Moscow, though the Vandal basketball team will not be playing Montana this weekend. Peter Harriman has a preview of Saturday’s football game. … The women will host Montana in basketball action this weekend.

Preps: The Idaho boys State basketball tournaments are underway, with Lake City in today’s semifinals after a 65-57 win over Rocky Mountain. Dave Nichols has more in this basketball roundup. … Dave also has a roundup of other sports. … Women’s basketball in the Spokane area has been exceptional for a long time. The are hits well above its weight class in the number of high school players who move on to play at the next levels. Ryan Collingwood has this story on a half-dozen local graduates who are all playing at Helena’s Carroll College together.

Chiefs: Preseason camp is underway as Spokane prepares for the WHL season opener later this month. Dan Thompson takes a look at what’s going on at the Arena and how it is different than usual. 

Mariners: Larry Stone thinks there is one guy who can fix the mess that is the Seattle front office: Theo Epstein. My question: Would Epstein want a challenge that would, if he failed, destroy his legacy? … If he continues to hit like he has so far, Taylor Trammell will start the season in left field. Book it. … The M’s hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in another tie.

Seahawks: What do the numbers tell you happened to the Hawks’ passing offense in the second half? This story examines a lot of them. The bottom line? Injuries may have played the biggest part. … The Hawks released Josh Gordon so he could sign with a minor league. … Does Seattle need to examine more quarterbacks in free agency? … Don’t expect Chris Carson to be back.

Sounders: If you missed Fredy Montero the past few years, you don’t have to anymore. The veteran will be signing a one-year deal with Seattle.

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• Once again a reminder. We won’t be here Sunday morning. Make other plans. My suggestion? Sleep in until noon. Without this column to greet you, why get out of bed? Until later …