A Grip on Sports: College basketball’s stretch run kicks off locally with a couple key Gonzaga games followed by a packed weekend

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It is really happening, isn’t it? No, not Spokane’s sub-zero streak ending, but there is a big “yes” to that as well. I’m referring to college basketball’s regular season winding down. With all that entails.

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• “All that entails” is carrying about $500 worth of excess-luggage charges with it this week. Starting tonight in the McCarthey Athletic Center.

When was the last time any of us were around to witness the Gonzaga men have a mid-February showdown for second place in the West Coast Conference? Even when BYU was a member of the WCC, making the Big Two – GU and Saint Mary’s, of course – a Big Three most seasons?

But here we are. The day before Valentine’s Day and along comes the University of San Francisco for its annual date in the Kennel. Not sure there will be any flowers, but there may be a box of chocolates on the line.

As Forrest Gump’s mom loved to say, you never know what you might get.

Case in point? The Dons (20-6 overall) are actually in control the WCC tournament’s second triple bye, not the Zags. Conference leader Saint Mary’s, at 12-1, still has a strong grip on the top seed. Then comes USF at 10-3. Then Gonzaga, at 9-3.

For Zags fans, it’s like biting into an orange cream when you thought you had picked a truffle. Yuck.

The fans’ sour taste can be cleansed over the next three weeks. Though it won’t be easy – other than the sweet treat that is lowly Pepperdine at home Saturday.

The Dons tonight (8, ESPN). A Wednesday trip to Washington State (6-7) next week. Saint Mary’s in Spokane next Saturday. And the final weekend in the Bay Area, at Santa Clara (9-5, with one of those wins in the Kennel) and the USF rematch at the Warriors’ Chase Center to open March’s madness.

Not easy at all.

• The Zag women (12-2) have won 11 consecutive games. Have built a one-game lead over Portland (11-3) in the WCC standings. Have also swept the Pilots, as well as third-place WSU (10-5). And yet uneasy rests the crown.

For good reason. The biggest of which is tonight, in Corvallis. Oregon State. An unintimidating, on the surface, 13-13 this season, 9-6 in conference. Yet it is Scott Rueck’s Beavers who handed GU its last loss. In the Kennel, after trailing by double digits after the final media time out.

The overtime collapse seemed to flip a switch with the Bulldogs. As did some subtle lineup tweaks. But Oregon State, winner of four in a row, is good enough to eliminate the Zags’ margin of error. And add angst to their final five games.

• This is Washington State’s first year in the WCC and the Cougar women are doing just fine, thank you. Even with a young squad. One more huge hurdle remains, though Kamie Ethridge’s squad better not be looking too far forward.

To catch second-place Portland, and earn another day off in Las Vegas, WSU needs to keep winning. Including Saturday night in the Rose City. Before then, though, 4-10 Loyola Marymount is in Beasley tonight. Wazzu needs to win its final five WCC games and hope Portland fumbles another game along the way.

• There are 10 schools in the Big Sky for men’s hoops. Two of them, Northern Colorado and Montana, are tied at 10-2. They split their regular season meetings, with both winning on the road. The Griz’s other loss? To Idaho State. The Bears? The wild, last-second one in Moscow three weeks ago.

After those two, however, six schools reside in a murky middle ranging from 6-5 to 5-7. That includes the Vandals and Eastern Washington.

Those two meet Saturday in Cheney in a game that will not only be for rivalry rights but may play a role in a tiebreaker for the Big Sky’s postseason tourney tiebreaker.

• One local team that isn’t being pressed as the regular season winds down? The Whitworth men. As usual. The Pirates (10-2, 19-2 overall) have a chance to clinch another Northwest Conference title this weekend, when they host Pacific (5-7) and George Fox (6-6).

Whitworth holds a three-game edge in the loss column over three schools, and a sweep would ensure it hosts the postseason tourney once more. Since 2003, the Pirates have won the regular season title and hosted 13 of the 19 events.

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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, there are always questions about college football, right? Stewart Mandel tries to answer them in The Athletic. … There could be two Hatchett brothers starting on Washington’s offensive line next season. … Where will Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo be playing next season? … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, Kellen Moore’s Boise State career included some matchups that are now playing a role in his NFL coaching career. … In basketball news, I’ll start with the Mercury News’ weekly rankings of West Coast women’s teams. Jeff Metcalfe has Gonzaga 10th. But the real interesting aspect of the rankings is No. 1 (UCLA) and No. 2 (USC) meet tonight in the Galen Center. The Bruins have yet to lose and are No. 1 nationally as well. The Trojans? A home loss to Notre Dame early and another at Iowa has them ranked sixth in the nation. … Oregon and Washington, the other two former Pac-12 schools in the Big Ten, are at a different level. Last night in Eugene, they may have played an NCAA elimination game. The Ducks held on in the fourth quarter to pick up the important 68-67 win. … The visiting Washington men couldn’t handle Ohio State’s aggressiveness and fell 93-69. … San Diego State needed a big second-half run to get past San Jose State. It happened. … Utah State used a quick start to each half to rumble past Colorado State on Tuesday. … Is it possible the SEC could grab all four No. 1 NCAA seeds?

Gonzaga: Tonight’s kickoff to the stretch run is covered well in the S-R, as could be expected. Theo Lawson has a preview and his key matchup, a tough choice considering the Dons’ backcourt depth. … You can’t do it tonight, but you may want to get out to Gonzaga to see Yvonne Ejim as her storied career draws to a close. If you haven’t seen Ejim play, you’re missing out. Don’t take my word for it. Trust those who pick the Naismith Award final 30 players. They selected Ejim to the list. … Former GU star Julian Strawther will play in the Rising Stars games at the NBA’s All-Star weekend. Jim Meehan has more in this story. … Elsewhere in the WCC, where does Saint Mary’s fit in the always evolving Western landscape? John Canzano tries to figure that out and settles on one area in which the school could improve: Its basketball facility.

Idaho: Ever since he was in the seventh grade, we’ve had a basketball connection with Kolton Mitchell. So we can vouch for the authenticity of Peter Harriman’s story about the Idaho point guard in today’s S-R. It’s well worth your time. Mitchell has always achieved at a high level. And always had high goals. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, former Washington State assistant athletic director Mike Marlowe is retiring after a long tenure as Northern Arizona’s AD.

Preps: The Deer Park wrestling program, like all the school’s athletic programs, is competing up a level this season. The Stags are a 2A school after years of dominating at the 1A class. It hasn’t changed their results much, as Madison McCord documents in the preview of the 2A district meet.

Golf: If you aren’t busy next weekend – I am – and want to dream about spring and summer, there is the annual golf show at the Convention Center. That news kicks off the S-R’s latest local briefs column.

Seahawks: Run the ball. And run it again. That may just be the Hawks’ mantra under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. … To do that, there will be new voices leading the way at practice for the offensive line. … Will Tyler Lockett be a part of the new-look offense? How about the rest of the receivers? … What will Seattle be looking for in the draft? Michael-Shawn Dugar has a mock draft in The Athletic.

Sounders: Pedro de La Vega can do some amazing things on the pitch. Things Seattle needs. He showed it in the final preseason contest.

Kraken: Jordan Eberle seems to be making progress in returning from his injury.

Mariners: For the M’s to be successful, the pitching staff will have to perform at an even higher level than last season. Especially the bullpen, which was hindered by injuries. … There is a growing chorus of voices who realize the Mariners didn’t help themselves much in the offseason, including among MLB players. … Yesterday was a big day in Peoria. Also a slow and quiet one.

Storm: Seattle tried to shore up its backcourt by signing a veteran free agent.

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• It’s funny how each college basketball season builds. The preseason prognostications are often wildly wrong. That’s revealed to some degree in the nonconference but mainly as conference play ramps up. All of this happens under the radar, of course, until football yields the spotlight. Then, seemingly all of a sudden, the nation realizes the game is special and some teams have proven to be more special than others. Finally, the last mad dash to March builds an anticipation for the best postseason of them all. Always. Until later …