A Grip on Sports: WSU’s season comes to an end as Texas A&M smothers the Cougars’ offense and wins in the paint

A GRIP ON SPORTS • A trip to New York can be one of the more exciting moments of a life. Or one of the more disappointing. For the Washington State Cougars, it was the latter. Mainly because Texas A&M made it so. With “made” being the operative word.

•••••••

• There are two main ways to win a basketball game. Lock down the other team defensively. Or make a lot more shots than your opponent. The Aggies did both last night in their NIT win over WSU.

That combination led to the 72-56 result, the second blowout loss in two NIT semifinal tries for the Cougars over the past decade-plus. This one, however, wasn’t determined in the first five minutes. Or even in the first half.

When Washington State last visited New York, Wichita State undressed Klay Thompson’s final Cougar team from the opening tip. Tuesday night, WSU and the Aggies traded defensive blows early, like two heavyweights in a cramped studio apartment, each throwing punches that were easily deflected.

And then Texas A&M’s blows began to land. The Cougar defense cracked a bit before intermission and their offense couldn’t keep up. Still, as the teams headed to the back tunnels of “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” the Aggies led by just six.

The signs were there, the shots weren’t. Texas A&M, which felt a run to the SEC tournament final should have clinched an NCAA at-large berth, dominated the bigger Cougars inside. But up until half, its shots weren’t falling consistently. They did after intermission.

When you are shooting from 3-feet, that tends to happen. Washington State had 56 total points. Texas A&M finished with 58 in the paint, some from their bigs but many from dribble penetration.

“They didn’t miss,” Cougars guard Tyrell Roberts told the S-R’s Colton Clark. “They were getting to the rack, which is what they do. They were making contested and-1s, tough 2s.”

The Aggies converted nearly 60 percent of their second-half attempts, limited the Cougars to less than 40 percent and rolled into Thursday’s finals against Xavier.

Washington State, which has lived by pairing 3-pointers from Tyrell Roberts and Michael Flowers with strong inside play, hit just 3-of-17 long-range attempts in the second half. And, despite plenty of opportunities, for the most part the Aggies kept WSU off the offensive glass.

Or, as Kyle Smith saw it, “They didn’t let up the gas. They stepped on our necks and went for it.”

And the Cougars’ season ended at 22-15, not what Smith or his team wanted but more-than-likely a steppingstone for better play in the future.

• If you are a Buffalo Bills’ follower, how are you feeling today? Your team was eliminated in overtime in the AFC title game without ever touching the ball in the extra time. You cried foul and the NFL did the verbal equivalent of the shrugging emoji.

There was nothing to be done. It was fair. You had your chance. Just get a stop. Who cares?

Well, quite a few people, including fans of the seven of 12 teams that have seen the same thing happen since the NFL instituted the playoff overtime rules in 2010.

And enough of them made a stink the league reversed course yesterday – for the playoffs only. Everyone will get to possess the ball in the future. Sudden death won’t come until after at least two possessions.

It is the right thing to do. Even if it is a few months too late for the Bills’ fans.

•••

WSU: As we mentioned above, Colton was in New York with the Cougars. And say courtside as they struggled. We understand. The same thing happened to us 11 years ago. A long trip. A short stay. And a story about how the season ended in ignominy. Colton has his game story here. … He also has this more upbeat piece on WSU’s visit. … Around the Pac-12 and college basketball, we have some Arizona news below (in the Gonzaga section) but the big news, as it relates to the Pac-12, is the Wildcats and UCLA are in good hands again. As Jon Wilner (and others) see it, that’s crucial for the conference’s national reputation. … Oregon State’s roster is changing quickly. … A Colorado player is in the portal. … The Stanford Cardinal are still playing, what with another showdown with Connecticut on Friday night in Minneapolis. Haley Jones and her teammates are trying to win consecutive national titles. …. In football news, spring break has brought new players to help bolster Oregon’s roster as practice continues. … Just who will be Washington’s quarterback this fall? … Utah’s backup quarterback shined in the Rose Bowl. … Colorado begins a crucial spring practice. … USC has a new line coach but pretty much the same players. … Chip Kelly told his quarterback he was ready for the NFL. The quarterback decided he had more to learn. … Arizona’s defense is all about takeaways these days. … Finally, the Pac-12 is trying something new. The conference is going to close its conference office soon and not reopen. At least not in a brick-and-mortar facility. Everyone is going to work from home. Everyone except those connected to the Pac-12 Networks, which will still have a production facility.

Gonzaga: Has Mark Few’s window to win a national title closed? Neither of CBS’ top analysts, Grant Hill nor Bill Raftery, think so. Jim Meehan listened to their pre-Final Four media scrum yesterday and put together this story. … One key element of the Zags’ success the past two decades is now in Arizona. And Tommy Lloyd had a great season. He earned his peers’ respect as they named him their coach of the year on Tuesday. The National Association of Basketball Coaches’ award was won by Few in 2021. Theo Lawson has this coverage.

Idaho: The Vandals held their first day of spring football practice under new coach Jason Eck and his staff. That’s the focus of Peter Harriman’s coverage. … Around the Big Sky, an Idaho State receiver earned the spotlight at Washington’s pro day. … The Bengals began spring practice Tuesday. … In basketball news, Northern Colorado is losing a player and Montana State is gaining one.

Preps: The weather was near perfect yesterday, which seems to mean it’s a good time to put softball into focus. Dave Nichols starts with a feature on defending GSL champion Mt. Spokane. He then moves on to capsule summaries of each school. … Dave also has a roundup of Tuesday’s action. If you follow Dave on Twitter, you know he sat out in the sun yesterday at two baseball games. … Two local high school graduates had great basketball seasons for Carroll College. Actually, there were a handful of them. But Christine Denny (Liberty) and Shamrock Campbell (Ferris) earned All-American honors. That information leads off the S-R’s latest local briefs column.

Mariners: Jerry Dipoto was able to do what a lot of us have done over the years. He watched his son work. … The newest M’s infielders are working with Perry Hill. … The M’s top pitching prospects are pretty darn good. Only one will probably make the roster out of spring training, however.

Kraken: Sometimes a fight is necessary in the NHL.

Seahawks: A lot is going on with the Hawks, from DK Metcalf to Drew Lock. Someone needs to write a notebook. Oh. … Ethan Pocic won’t be back. … Pete Carroll admitted the Hawks are “still in the quarterback business.”

Sounders: A crucial player is back. That news is part of this notebook. … The U.S. National Team has a great chance to qualify for the World Cup tonight in Costa Rica. A 5-0 loss would still work. Costa Rica, which seems destined to a play-in match, has roster decisions to make.

•••       

• Shorts yesterday. Long pants today. A sweatshirt. Maybe a coat. Spring weather in the Inland Northwest can change quickly. Until later …