A Grip on Sports: There are some sure signs of spring appearing, not the least of which is college baseball and postseason hoop

A GRIP ON SPORTS • We’re finally there. Like Andy Dufresne, we’ve come out clean on the other side. Winter has passed. Spring is here. How do we know for sure? The weatherman is predicting every day in the week ahead will include highs in the 50s – at worst. Postseason college hoops fills up every night. And it wasn’t miserable watching a baseball game outdoors yesterday afternoon. Forget the crocuses (which are also peeking above the dirt). Those are surer signs.

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• Tonight, the Cougars will battle the Cougars. Let’s make a deal. Whoever wins the NIT quarterfinal game between visiting Washington State and BYU gets to keep using the hashtag #Gocougs for the rest of the school year. The other school has to refrain. That seems like a better bet than, say, having the mayors of Pullman and Provo bet a bushel of wheat versus whatever it is Provo is famous for, don’t you think?

Maybe there doesn’t need to be any bet, actually. There is enough on the line. Mainly, a trip to New York City.

We’ve made it for the NIT semifinals before. It was a long time ago, but Washington State, with Klay Thompson leading the way, edged Northwestern 69-66 in overtime. That quarterfinal victory, before a surprisingly raucous crowd of 5,905 in Beasley Coliseum, also earned the Cougars the right to get blown out by Wichita State in Madison Square Garden. We tagged along to document it.

If making the NIT semifinals was the high point of Ken Bone’s WSU tenure, then the 75-44 loss to the Shockers was its low point. Or one of them, anyway. Many of the Cougars just rolled over. In Thompson’s last game wearing the crimson and gray. Not a good way to say thanks to one of the school’s best-ever players, was it?

Still, the idea of playing before thousands of folks in one of the most revered buildings in basketball is worth something.

For the other Cougars, tonight’s game is a chance for their fans to say goodbye to a couple seniors, most notably Alex Barcello, who played against WSU while he was at Arizona. He’s built a much-better legacy in Provo and we’re guessing he’ll be thanked for it tonight. Loudly. Often.

It is just one more obstacle in Kyle Smith and his team’s path to New York.

• We’ve recently reconnected with an old college baseball teammate who has relocated to Spokane. By recently, we mean during the pandemic, which made getting together pretty tough. But with restrictions being lifted and the weather beginning to brighten, we decided to get together at Gonzaga’s home baseball opener Tuesday afternoon.

We sat down the first-base line and did a really great imitation of Statler and Waldorf. (To be clear, I look quite a bit like Waldorf, though for some reason the oldest Muppet never had to wear glasses.)

Those sitting nearby probably heard “back in our day” a lot. Preceded by “wow, no one threw this hard” or “there wasn’t this kind of bat speed.”

Like all memories of ancient times (and, being we played almost 50 years ago, it qualifies as ancient), we were probably wrong. Some did throw as hard as the Gonzaga and Oregon pitchers did. Some did have the bat speed most of the hitters displayed. And every once in a while someone jogged slowly around the bases after a dinger, despite our memories of everyone hustling full speed on every play.

Time has a way of scrubbing everything clean, as surely as spring follows winter. And the crack of the bat makes one long for what-seems-to-be simpler times. They weren’t actually. And they weren’t better. Or worse. They just were. And we were more than willing to remember them – and enjoy the now.

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Gonzaga: The top-seeded Zags will be back on the court today at some time in San Francisco, preparing for their Sweet Sixteen matchup with sneaky-difficult Arkansas. The fourth-seeded Razorbacks should offer a ramped-up Memphis-like challenge in many ways, as Jim Meehan tells us. … Jim also has a story on the Bulldogs remaining the betting favorite to win the title. … Chet Holmgren may erase Brandon Clarke’s single-season blocks record this weekend. If he does, Clarke is cool with us. Theo Lawson shares that information. … Theo also examined an off-court battle between GU and Arkansas that is raging currently. It is over five-star recruit Anthony Black. … Sometimes we pass along stories that have a great subject and aren’t all that well written. Other times the story sings but the subject bores. Today, with this Brian Hamilton piece on Rasir Bolton in The Athletic, we have one that is beautifully written and has a subject of unparalleled interest among Gonzaga followers. … Corey Kispert has asserted himself for Washington recently. … Mike Krzyzewski has never won an NCAA tournament game in the Pacific Time Zone. His Duke teams plays Texas Tech in San Francisco in the Sweet Sixteen. … The replay conundrum needs to be solved. … The baseball game we watched yesterday? Oregon ended up winning 9-5. … Around the WCC, BYU does have a lot at stake tonight.

WSU: As we mentioned above, the Cougars from Pullman are headed to Provo. As Colton Clark tells us, they seem to be peaking at just the right time. … Hey, spring football is starting. Jake Dickert is in charge for the first time. How will it play out? Colton tries to figure that out. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college basketball, Jon Wilner believes the conference is better off right now due to recent happenings in Los Angeles. … And, we would add, in Arizona as well. The Wildcats are one of the conferences signature basketball programs and have played like it this season under Tommy Lloyd. … UCLA is the other and the Bruins are preparing two game plans for their Sweet Sixteen matchup. It all depends on who is healthy. … Oregon’s roster is evolving. Next year could be interesting. … One of the four women’s regionals is in town (hosted by the University of Idaho) and featuring defending national champion Stanford. Dave Nichols has a preview. … Maybe its time – past time? – to distribute money to NCAA teams as the men do. Not as much, sure, but some. … The women deal with many of the same issues as the men, after all. … In football news, Washington’s offensive depth chart will look different. … USC began its most anticipated spring practices since Pete Carroll left for Seattle. The Trojans have a quarterback, that’s for sure.  … Utah still has a quarterback battle, just not for the starting spot. … Bigger receivers should help Arizona in many ways.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Northern Colorado’s run in the CBI ended in the semifinals. … Montana State has a new defensive coordinator who is trying to build trust.

Whitworth: Ian Kolste has returned to the Pirates. This time as their offensive coordinator. That news is part of the S-R’s latest local briefs column.

Preps: Dave also has a roundup of Tuesday’s high school action.

Mariners: Robbie Ray made his first appearance in a M’s uniform Tuesday. He seemed to be exactly what everyone expected. … Abraham Toro is hitting the ball well.

Seahawks: There is more to Bobby Wagner than just his football prowess. Much more. … The Hawks have to find a way to keep DK Metcalf. It will take some money. … Pete Carroll said yesterday he didn’t think they would trade Russell Wilson until it became obvious it wasn’t going to work out. … Just who is going to play offensive tackle this season?

Kraken: Seattle has won two consecutive games.

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• It’s finally here. The first 60-degree day of the year. Time for shorts? Maybe. Until later …