A Grip on Sports: So far this week has been pretty special for the local college hoops scene but will it continue?

A GRIP ON SPORTS • If the college basketball weekend lives up to the week we’ve already had, wow. Just wow.

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• No, really. We’ve already seen so much success in key games.

It started Wednesday night with Washington State’s 79-57 shellacking of Utah in Pullman. That win got the Cougars above the .500 mark in the Pac-12 and marked them as one of the conference’s hottest teams – especially if you are willing to forget the final couple minutes and overtime of their previous game.

But that was an appetizer.

Thursday night’s main course included a first-place showdown in Cheney, with Eastern Washington, inarguably the Big Sky’s hottest team, edging Northern Colorado 77-74. The Eagles are undefeated in conference play. They are two games up in the loss column. And only the Eastern women, a 68-62 winner in Greeley, and leading their conference race by a game over Northern Arizona, able to rival them. Oh, and the women have won their last 10 games.

That’s impressive. Not as impressive, however, as what the Gonzaga women have accomplished. The 17th-ranked Zags went into Santa Clara last night and once again exposed Santa Clara’s biggest weakness – a lack of quickness – in an 82-45 rout. The Bulldogs, 19-2 overall, haven’t lost since 2023, a streak of 13 games. They can get to 20 wins again Saturday, when they play third-place USF.

That last sentence has a familiar tenor to it. That’s the same description of last night’s men’s victory at McCarthey. Gonzaga prevailed in its showdown with San Francisco 77-72. It was a grinder, as such back-and-forth offensive-challenged games are called, with the Zags doing the final grinding. And the Dons playing the fodder.

Still, as ESPN2’s play-by-play voice Dave Flemming said, the game was the perfect encapsulation of Gonzaga’s year. What should have been a pretty simple finish turned into a nail-biter thanks to a few late missed free throws. A celebration slowly morphing into the Kennel filled with trepidation and then sighs of relief. Ultimately, GU stayed within one game of Saint Mary’s.

The weekend schedule for the men doesn’t seem as filled with such potential. The Bulldogs travel to woeful Pacific for a 7 p.m. game tomorrow (KAYU). The Eagles host middle-of-the-BSC pack Northern Arizona (1 p.m., ESPN+). And Washington State? The Cougars will have their hands full with Colorado, which sits second in the Pac-12 standings and is finally healthy. That 2 p.m. Pullman matchup will be available on the Pac-12 Networks.

There are key games for the women, however. Washington State is in Los Angeles, which means the Cougars will face two top-11-ranked schools in less than 48 hours. The first is tonight at No. 11 USC (7, Pac-12 Washington). The second? That’s Sunday at second-ranked UCLA (1 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).

The Big Sky Conference lead will be up for grabs tomorrow in Flagstaff, with the Eagles taking their 6-0 mark into the Walkup Skydome for a 1 p.m. showdown with second-place Northern Arizona (5-1) on ESPN+.

Late January in college hoops. Nothing beats it.

• Except maybe the NFL. The two conference title games are Sunday, with all the enveloping hoopla available pretty much all day if you want to watch.

CBS has the AFC title game, though why Kansas City’s visit to Baltimore – let’s call it the Taylor Swift Bowl – kicks at noon instead of in primetime back East is beyond our comprehension. Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes is enough to kick the ratings through the skylight, but add in all the ancillary stuff with the Chiefs and oh boy are the NFL’s bean counters doing a happy dance.

The main time slot of 3:30 p.m. our time goes to Fox and the NFC title game. The Detroit Lions, just 15 years removed from a winless season, at San Francisco, once again the heavy favorite after last year’s exit in the same circumstances. A decent story, sure, but not the NFL’s biggest one. Not this season.

• Not enough? Well, there is the PGA tournament from Torrey Pines, with the final round on Saturday (Golf and CBS) to avoid the NFL. Also, for those of you unable to sleep or wanting to continue a late-night celebration, tennis’ Australian Open finals for women (12:30 a.m. ESPN) tomorrow and the men (same time, same station) Sunday are available. A major? Sure. And more for us this weekend.

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WSU: Around the Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has some predictions for 2024. Have fun. If they all come true, we’ll buy everyone an adult beverage. Of course, we get to decide if they have come true or not and we’re predicting we will say no. That’s one prognostication you can take to the bank. … Will the Cougars make the NCAA tourney? They are close now it seems. … The Huskies felt they had to win Wednesday night against Colorado. They didn’t. … Arizona probably felt the same way about the Oregon State game last night. And the result was the same, with the Beavers’ Jordan Pope hitting a last-second 3-pointer for an 83-80 victory in Corvallis. … Oregon also picked up a win, topping Arizona State in Eugene and moving to the top of the standings. … We repeat. Mark Madsen played at Stanford. Friday night he’ll coach Cal against the Cardinal. Odd, huh? … Utah heads to Seattle with another major injury hitting the roster. … USC vs. UCLA is always a grudge match. … Among the women, third-ranked Colorado faces No. 25 Oregon State tonight in Corvallis. … USC needs some other players to step up. … UCLA has seen that this season. … Arizona is off the road and hosts California tonight. … Utah will try to avoid a letdown. … In football news, after more transfer portal news Thursday, Washington will head into the Big Ten playing with an entirely new offensive line. That’s a recipe for failure. … Can Michael Penix Jr. make a big NFL impact next season? … Former WSU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s next stop will be at Wisconsin. … Who won and who lost in the transfer portal on the Best Coast? … John Canzano believes former Oregon star Justin Herbert will love playing for Jim Harbaugh. … Colorado reported almost a dozen minor infractions to the NCAA this season. That’s not unusual. … Arizona fired athletic director Dave Heeke. He will get his money. … Finally, Oregon State feels it can compete for an NCAA baseball title in the final Pac-12 season.

Gonzaga: Close games have been the Zags’ Kryptonite this season. Until last night. And the hold-on-to-your-seats win. Jim Meehan has the game story. … Theo Lawson has a look at how GU was able to limit the Dons’ best player, Jonathan Mogbo. He also shares his difference makers. … Colin Mulvany had the photo gallery duty. … We had the watch-from-home duty and this TV Take. … The folks in the office put together the recap with highlights. … Greg Lee watched the women on ESPN+ and has this game story of the rout. With the 4 p.m. start, we watched as well. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Saint Mary’s crushed Pacific. The Gaels have not trailed in four games.

EWU: Dan Thompson was in Cheney and has this game story from the tight win over Saint Thomas and Northern Colorado. … We can pass along a roundup of the Eagles (against Northern Colorado) and Vandal women (against Northern Arizona) as well. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, there was one surprise among the men last night. Montana losing at Portland State was bad enough but the Vikings just rolled the Griz 72-46. … Montana State picked up another close win, defeating host Sacramento State. … The Montana women had no trouble with PSU. … Montana State did but they still defeated visiting Sacramento State. … Bobby Hauck will lead Montana football for a while longer.

Idaho: The Vandals haven’t had much success in the Big Sky just yet and that continued Thursday night. Peter Harriman has the story from Moscow, where UI lost to Northern Arizona 75-60. The Vandals are 1-5 in conference play.

Preps: The Greater Spokane League wrestling title was on the line last night at Mt. Spokane. Madison McCord was there. He has this coverage of Mead’s win over its district rivals. … We also pass along a roundup of other high school action.

Seahawks: Only Washington and Seattle have not filled their coaching vacancies yet. Is it settle time for the Hawks, or does John Schneider have his eyes set on someone connected to this weekend’s conference title games? Your guess is as good as ours. … We do know hiring Dan Quinn won’t move the fans’ needle. … Hey, X-factors. We’re watching the X-Files again, so we seem pretty locked in. … There doesn’t seem to be a spot for Bill Belichick this go-round.  

Mariners: What you see right now is what you’re probably going to get, as the M’s roster seems finished. Well, done. Not a finished product at all. And maybe not even good enough to win 54% of its games.

Kraken: Sometimes in a contact sport, non-major injuries can derail a season as surely as a major one.

Reign: The schedule is set.

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• Four years ago today, Kobe Bryant and others died in a helicopter crash. His legacy lives on in many ways, including his first name. Until later …