A Grip on Sports: With the NFL, as always, dominating Sunday, one would think college basketball would have a bunch of great matchups Saturday but that isn’t the case

A GRIP ON SPORTS • And so it begins. Well, sort of. The great desert of sports. The time between when football ends and baseball begins.

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• OK, sure. The NFL still holds our eyes in its hands for three more weeks, albeit peripherally if your team is already worried about signing free agents and finding a new offensive coordinator. The NBA and NHL are always lurking, sure, but playoffs are where those leagues make their bones. And college hoops? It does its best to keep us all engaged until March’s madness descends.

All in all, though, it’s hit and miss for a while. Before spring sprouts, such as the Masters and the Final Four and another Dodger free agent signing going down with an injury – only to return in time for the inevitable World Series.

This weekend? The NFL’s conference title games, sure. But that’s just Sunday, with Washington and Philadelphia in an NFC East matchup at noon (Fox) and another meeting between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes for the AFC Super Bowl berth at 3:30 (CBS). By 7 that night, we should know if Taylor Swift will be making another appearance at the year’s biggest sporting event.

Other than that, what is there? OK, the Australian Open finals are available, if you’re a night owl. I sat down to power through the men’s semifinal last night but Novak Djokovic couldn’t, retiring after his first set loss to Alexander Zverev. And there was no way many Americans were awake when world No. 1 Jannik Sinner followed by topping the U.S.’s last male hope, Ben Shelton, in straight sets. The final is Sunday morning at midnight (ESPN).

The women’s final does include an American, after Madison Keys upset second-seeded Iga Swiatek in a semifinal. Keys will face defending champ and top seed Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s (12:30 a.m., ESPN) final. The two met in the U.S. Open semis in 2023, with Keys suffering a heartbreaking three-set loss.  

But weekends are supposed to belong to college basketball. Not this one, with only a few top 25 matchups and the West Coast basically a non-participant.

Can you name the only ranked team west of the Rockies? If you got Oregon – No. 15 this week – you’re either a Duck or a hoop junkie. The best team in California? That would be Saint Mary’s, who routed USF on Thursday night in Moraga and plays in Pullman on Saturday (5 p.m., CBS Sports).

The Zag men will be playing their first game since losing at home to Santa Clara (and dropping from the ranks of the ranked), traveling Saturday to Portland, where the woeful Pilots await. As per usual, the 5 p.m. contest is on KHQ.

Otherwise? There is a top 25 matchup tonight, with No. 21 Michigan at No. 11 Purdue (5, Fox). But on the first Saturday after football ends, there are only two top 25 matchups worth watching. No. 7 Houston, who is better than that, is at 12th-ranked Kansas, ditto, at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN). And sixth-ranked Tennessee, who has struggled lately, travels to No. 1 Auburn (5:30, also on ESPN).

Might as well watch the Gaels deal with Washington State and however many Cougar fans show up in Beasley.

With the NFL games (and all the buildup) the counter programming is simple. Women’s college basketball. There is actually one shouldn’t miss contest. Top-ranked (and undefeated) UCLA at No. 8 Maryland, whose only loss came at home against No. 4 USC. The showdown is on NBC at 11 a.m.

• You have to love David Riley’s honesty. It’s something I’ve experienced since his playing days at Whitworth. He’s been the same in every stop since and now, with the bigger stage afforded by being Washington State’s head coach, Riley’s call-it-as-he-sees-it honesty hasn’t stopped.

Thursday night his Cougars traveled to Santa Clara, fresh off its road upset of then-No. 18 Gonzaga. The Broncos win-or-lose by the 3-pointer but they thrive by being bullies around the basket. And they were Thursday, dominating the not-small Cougs on the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds in their 93-65 win.

How did Riley assess his team’s rebounding performance?

“They punked us on the glass,” he said in the postgame radio interview.

“We weren’t able to hold on the ball,” he continued. “We weren’t disciplined enough or tough enough.”

It’s possible Riley’s words were aimed at Saturday, when Saint Mary’s comes to the Palouse. The Gaels dominated USF on Thursday, doing their usual: Pounding the ball inside and not being afraid of anyone who gets in their way.

It will be interesting to see of Riley’s team answers their physicality with some of its own. And how the third team in the building adjudicates it.

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WSU: LeJuan Watts put together only the second triple-double in program history, putting up 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. And it didn’t make much difference, other than keeping the outcome within 30 points. Greg Woods watched and put together this coverage of the loss in the Bay Area. … The women were at home, facing another West Coast Conference contender. They also came up well short, as Portland rolled 83-65. Greg Lee was there and has this game story. … And, yes, there is football news. Greg Woods tells us Jimmy Rogers hired another of his old South Dakota State coaches for the defensive line and added a high school recruit. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner looks at the darkhouse 2025 Heisman contenders and lands on two quarterbacks who faced each other last season at different schools. One is Oklahoma’s John Mateer. The other is former New Mexico standout Devon Dampier, who transferred to Utah. … John Canzano had a conversation with Utah State’s athletic director about the Aggies run-up to Pac-12 membership. … The Colorado legislature is working to bring the state’s schools into the 21st Century concerning payments to players. … Speaking of that, what does Sonoma State dropping sports say about college athletics’ future? … Arizona’s roster contains a football player from, checks notes, Kenya. … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, if you wanted to purchase the Boise State football program, what would it cost you? … Fresno State added a defensive lineman who had no Division 1 scholarship offers after high school. … In basketball news, it was not a good night for the Oregon State women, who gave up a late lead at recently reeling USF. … The Beaver men, however, just kept making 3-pointers and blew out Pepperdine. … The final minute of San Diego State’s recent win at Air Force took forever. … Could Colorado State rally and win the MWC title? … Only if Utah State falters. … The Oregon women feature one player who has an Olympic gold medal from Paris.

Gonzaga: Simple but hard as Hades. Yes, those two things can be true at the same time. The two things Mark Few identified last weekend as the Zags’ biggest needs if they want to turn their season around. The two things Dave Boling focuses in on as he describes the Bulldogs’ future. Effort and toughness. Two hard-to-coach elements of success in college hoops. … There has been some discussion nationally about Few’s future. Longtime college basketball writer Jeff Goodman said recently he believed Few will follow colleagues of a similar age and outlook like Jay Wright, Tony Bennett and Jim Larranaga out the door after the season. … In lists of power programs that might miss the NCAA tourney, the Bulldogs’ name comes up. … Elsewhere in the WCC, after overpowering San Francisco last night, Saint Mary’s men are 7-0 and relatively unchallenged thus far. That will change.

EWU: The Eagles couldn’t get enough shots to fall at home last night to get past Northern Arizona. Dan Thompson was at Reese Court and has this game coverage. … Colin Mulvany also has a photo gallery we can pass along. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, there was good news yesterday for Montana State’s football roster. … Idaho State added two assistants recently. … In basketball news, the Bengals’ men and women both lost to Sacramento State. … The Weber State men fell flat at Portland State while the Wildcat women won at home. … Neither played last night, as Montana and Montana State had more time to prep for Saturday’s Brawl of the Wild. The men and women both meet for the first time this season.

Idaho: A little personal note. I had the rare opportunity to coach Kolton Mitchell for three seasons, about 90 games and a like number of practices. Rarely have I been blessed with someone who hates to lose as much as Kolton does. It showed in his spectacular career at Lake City High. And it showed again last night in Moscow, as the redshirt freshman point guard willed the Vandals to a 77-76, possibly season-defining upset of Northern Colorado. Everyone will remember Mitchell’s game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, what with the video making the rounds and all. But it was his second-half performance – he finished with 25 points, all but one after halftime – that stands out. The Vandals trailed by 10 at intermission. And won. Peter Harriman has the game story. .. The Idaho women also topped the Bears.

Preps: Yes, there is a wrestling roundup today. But Dave Nichols’ main story is this basketball feature on Mt. Spokane point guard Lucas Dickau, who is finally healthy and happy to be helping the Wildcats as they try to return to State.

Sounders: Josh Atencio is changing positions. It may just be the perfect switch for him.

Storm: Could Seattle lose Jewell Loyd but gain Kelsey Plum?

Seahawks: What does the future hold for Riq Woolen? Good question. … How about Cooper Kupp? Again, good question. … What would Pete Carroll bring to the Raiders? Another good question. … There are also good ones concerning Seattle’s free agents.  

Mariners: You have to love Ichiro. When asked about the one anonymous voter – out of 394 – who didn’t have him on their Hall of Fame ballot, the former Mariner star gave a Hall of Fame answer. He would love to sit down over a drink and talk with the person. … We have Matt Calkins column on Julio Rodriguez to pass along again today, as it ran in the S-R. … Here is a suggestion for the M’s brass if it wants to improve the offense. But it comes with a cost.

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• My Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning are both busy. That’s OK. Being free for Sunday afternoon and the NFL games is what matters. That makes me similar to most American sports fan. Until later …