A Grip on Sports: WSU just needs to follow up its historic win with a run-of-the-mill one
A GRIP ON SPORTS • College basketball may not be as much of a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” sport as its football counterpart, but there is some of that inherent in the sport. Case in point: Washington State’s upcoming week.
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• The Cougars are coming off one of the best regular-season victories in their more than 100-year history. On the road. In McKale, a place they rarely win. Against an Arizona team that has reconnected with its impressive past.
To not only defeat UA in that situation would be one thing. But to lock down and dominate the fifth-ranked Wildcats is something even more special. Arizona’s usually free-flowing offense wasn’t, mainly because Kyle Smith’s team took away the inside game, dared the Wildcats to beat them from the outside and won the gamble.
Arizona shot 18% from beyond the arc. WSU earned a 74-61 victory.
But that was last Saturday. And even Smith is ready to turn the page.
“You’re going to get a lot of pats on the back,” Smith told the S-R’s Colton Clark during his media availability Tuesday, “and it’d be easy, at their age, to kind of puff up and feel good about yourself. There’s a fine line between being confident and arrogant. I remind them that we’re 7-10. We got a lot of work to do.”
It starts tonight with California (8 p.m., ESPNU), quite possibly the least imposing Power 6 team in the nation. Only Louisville (344) and Georgetown (258) have a lower NET ranking among top conferences than the Bears’ 252 (out of 363 teams).
The Bears are 3-13 overall. But two of those wins have come in the last few days. The first was unexplainable, as Colorado came into Haas Pavilion with wins over Tennessee and Texas A&M, among others. And promptly fell flat, losing 80-76.
The second one is more understandable. Bay Area rival Stanford is also struggling this season and seems hell-bent to get coach Jerod Haase fired.
But if the Cougars follow up their historic win, their first over a top-5-ranked school on the road, with a loss at home to Cal, the good vibes will be washed away faster than a leaf on the Palouse River right now.
And that’s what we mean by basketball being a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” sport.
• What has BYU done while in the West Coast Conference? Not win a conference title, that’s for sure. Nor win the conference tournament. Pretty amazing, huh?
When the Cougars joined the WCC for the 2011 season, there was a lot of thought – at least in Provo – Gonzaga’s reign atop the conference was in jeopardy. With BYU’s basketball tradition, its unmatched (in the WCC) facilities and football-fueled athletic budget, the idea was the Cougars would take control of the conference and never let go.
Didn’t happen. Not even close. Oh, sure, while BYU has been in the conference, the Zags haven’t won every title. But it’s been little ol’ Saint Mary’s that have knocked GU off that perch – in 2019 and 2012 at the tournament and 2011-12 during the regular season. The Gaels also shared the regular season title with Gonzaga in 2015-16. But otherwise its been the Zags’ crown.
BYU has been relegated to the second tier, with the likes of USF and Santa Clara, albeit on a more consistent basis than those schools.
And how have the Cougars fared in their head-to-head battles with GU? Better than the standings might indicate, but the Bulldogs still hold a dominating 22-6 edge since BYU joined the conference.
The teams meet Thursday night in Provo, possibly for the final time in the Marriott Center. The Cougars are headed to the Big 12 at the end of the season and, though both coaches profess to enjoy the series and want it to continue, you know how these things go. In the “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” world of college hoops, BYU could easily become yesterday’s news.
At least as far as Mark Few and Gonzaga are concerned.
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WSU: The Cougars’ win, and the week ahead, hold sway in Colton’s notebook from this morning. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college basketball, Jon Wilner has his power rankings, which also ran in the S-R this morning. … We have another power ranking as wall. … Wilner also takes a crystal ball to the conference’s future in the Mercury News. … KJ Simpson should be back for Colorado this week. … Can Arizona find its offense on the road in Oregon? … In football news, Washington was always Sam Huard’s dream school. But the quarterback is leaving, looking for a place to play right away. Such is the up-and-down nature of the transfer portal. … Oregon’s offense improved this season. Nothing else did. … The Ducks had some roster news from Tuesday. … Then again, pretty much everyone has roster moves every day. … Utah may just have another run in it. … Lincoln Riley believes in defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. Most USC followers don’t. … It looks as if Arizona State and Colorado may open next season against each other.
Gonzaga: The Zags’ continued success at the college level has begun to really translate to the NBA as well. Case in point: Andrew Nembhard. Jim Meehan has this story on the Pacers’ rookie, who is quietly having a great year. … So is Domantas Sabonis with the Kings. … Elsewhere in the WCC, how does BYU view the rivalry?
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, a key element of Montana State’s success is leaving for a bigger school.
Preps: Dave Nichols has a roundup of Tuesday’s action from around the area. … Dave also has this story on the WIAA’s announcement of its latest Hall of Fame classes. There are a trio of folks with local ties headed in.
Seahawks: Yesterday Pete Carroll had a chance to face the media for the first time since the Hawks earned their unlikely playoff berth. He could gloat. But he just emphasized his beliefs and how they have worked once again. … We linked this Matt Calkins’ column when it ran in the Times. It ran in the S-R this morning. … Receiver Dee Eskridge returned to practice. He will help the receiving group.
Kraken: The win streak has reached six games, as Philipp Grubauer returned to the net, stopped 32 shots and helped Seattle to a 4-3 win in Buffalo.
Mariners: The M’s kept their coaching staff intact and added Stephen Vogt, a recently retired catcher, to the group.
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• Wednesdays are a hard day to fill at times. Not today, though. Thank you Pac-12, for scheduling a game in Pullman tonight. By the way, paid the first of the Christmas credit card bills today. May start a GoFundMe tomorrow. Anyone else feel the same? Until later …