A Grip on Sports: If one school from the Spokane area making the NCAA Tournament is nice, what do you call it when two make it?

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s Selection Sunday. There will be two Spokane County schools hearing their name called. It’s not the first time that’s happened but it is rare enough to be celebrated.

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• Gonzaga is a given. Like clockwork, which, by the way, need to be moved forward an hour this morning if you haven’t already done it. The Zags play a daunting nonconference schedule, win the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles just about every year and earn a high seed. Their participation in March Madness is set, seemingly, in November.

Not so for Eastern Washington. When the Eagles’ name is announced today (sometime after 3 p.m. on CBS) it will be only the third time that’s happened. But there was a lot less time between the second and third one (six years) than between the first and second (11). In other words, under Shantay Legans, it’s become commonplace. No, that’s not right. But in Legans’ four years at the helm, taking over Jim Hayford, the man he assisted for years, Eastern has played for a tournament berth three times and was denied by COVID-19 another opportunity last season.

That’s pretty good.

Now it is time to see if the Eagles can win a tournament game. It won’t be easy. The NCAAs never are for winners of conferences with the resume of the Big Sky. A seed in the range of 13 or so means a first-round matchup, usually, with a power conference foe, one who may have some weaknesses but is usually more talented, skilled and physical.

Maybe not this season, though. This Eagle team has not just depth of talent but depth of camaraderie. They play well together on both ends. No matter who Eastern plays, if the opponent takes the Eagles lightly, they may pay with an early exit.

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Gonzaga: As we said, we know the Bulldogs will be in the NCAA Tournament. We also know they will be the top seed. The top overall seed. That’s a culmination of 20-plus years of excellence, entering the tournament undefeated. So we’re looking back. At Mark Few’s history (courtesy of Justin Reed) and the season’s top plays (from Jim Meehan) and to other perfect teams (a Further Review by Charles Apple) and to a time when bars were open (an imagined conversation scripted by John Blanchette). … The baseball team lost to TCU.

WSU: Around the Pac-12 and college basketball, Oregon State is the conference’s auto bid winner. The Beavers, picked to finish last in the preseason, did better than that. They earned a fifth seed (after Arizona dropped out) and won three games in Las Vegas, capped by the win over Colorado on Saturday night. It’s the first NCAA berth for OSU under Wayne Tinkle, the Ferris High graduate. … There are coaches on the hot seat. One of them is in the Bay Area. … Washington has to get its basketball program squared away.

EWU: The biggest news, of course, is the Eagles winning their way into the NCAA basketball tournament. Ryan Collingwood has the story of the rout of Montana State. The Bobcats did rally but it wasn’t near enough after Eastern’s hot start. … The second-biggest news of the day is the football team’s rally in Pocatello, scoring in the final seconds to defeat Idaho State 46-42.

Whitworth: The Pirates won in football and basketball as well Saturday. The football team finished its four-game spring season with a 56-23 win over Pacific Lutheran in the Pine Bowl. Dan Thompson has that story and James Snook adds a photo gallery. … The basketball team played last night and also defeated PLU, this one 64-48. Dan has that story as well.

Preps: The lone Greater Spokane League football game featured Shadle Park scoring late to edge Othello, 21-18 at Mead’s Union Stadium. Dave Nichols has that story as well as a roundup of other high school action.

Mariners: Marco Gonzales got to pitch yesterday with his father in the other dugout. Dad is working for the Rockies. … The M’s ended up losing.

Seahawks: The Bears may offer the moon for Russell Wilson. It may take that, and Mars too. It would be too much.

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• It’s going to be weird this evening when it is light around 7 p.m. But it always is a little weird when Daylight Saving Time kicks in. Heck, the morning is the weirdest part. Getting out the door with it still dark is a kick in the pants. Until later …