A Grip on Sports: Can WSU rebound as Saint Mary’s visits? Can Gonzaga? Can the Buffalo Bills get to the Super Bowl? A Saturday with questions

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Maybe it’s the tickle in the throat. Or maybe it’s the last remnants of a recent eye infection. The sore right heel. Lack of sleep. Age. Laziness. All of those things. None of them. But for whatever reason, nothing quite caught my fancy this morning. Nothing major anyway. Except maybe a tennis major.
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• Ya, I’m not going to bloviate on anything for long today. Short quick hits. Sort of like the Kansas City Chiefs’ passing offense these days. Will it be enough to carry them to another Super Bowl. To end another Buffalo season in misery?
Sure. Why not? Not that it’s a big deal to anyone outside of KC or Western New York or a Taylor Swift fan site anymore.
Another Bills loss would be kind of redundant, wouldn’t it? Just like the Super Bowl will be if the Chiefs return. At least if Buffalo wins, the word “dynasty” might disappear for a while. Until the NCAA tourney – we see you Danny Hurley, heck everyone sees you – or the NBA one.
• In Friday’s column, I mentioned the Australian Open’s women’s final included an American, Madison Keys. Guess what? OK, you folks who stayed up all night can’t guess, you know.
But for the rest of you, Keys topped top seed Aryna Sabalenka, denying Sabalenka a third consecutive title.
It was also mentioned Keys’ last matchup Sabalenka, in the 2023 U.S. Open semifinals, ended in a heartbreaking three-set loss for the American. Not this time. It was Sabalenka who lost in three sets, 7-5 in the third. And it was Sabalenka who had the broken heart. Well, at least a broken racket, as she threw it after the tough defeat.
• It’s sort of too bad I have a previous commitment late this afternoon, or I probably would have gotten in my new car and driven to Pullman. Ah, who am I kidding? I’m too lazy for that. But it would have been fun, if only to yell at Randy Bennett.
No, that’s 1990s Vince, who used to do such things. This version of Vince uses his fingers instead.
And doesn’t really yell. It’s undignified. Sort-of-subtle jabs are so much more hip.
(By the way, is “hip” a term anymore? Or have all the people who used it retired the expression since it creeped into their conversation accompanied by the word “replacement?”)
Anyway, watching the Gaels take the court in Beasley today will be worth the price of admission. Same concerning the game. Or the coaches and their contrasting basketball philosophies.
The first time these schools met, in 2009, I was in attendance. Had to stand and watch – if I set at all in Saint Mary’s bandbox of a gym, the court was blocked by the folks standing in front of my last-row perch – as the Gaels and Patty Mills raced past Tony Bennett’s final WSU team in the NIT’s first round.
Having experienced the maelstrom that is playing Saint Mary’s at home – a yearly occurrence for Gonzaga – I tried to warn the Cougar staff it was an experience like none other. They downplayed it. After all, they were in the Pac-10, and had to play at Arizona and Washington and the like, in front of crowds of more than 10,000. A crowd of 3,500? No big deal.
It was a big deal. Tonight’s game will be as well.
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WSU: Part of our interest about tonight’s game is a key element of Greg Woods’ preview. Saint Mary’s, undefeated in West Coast Conference play, features a beastly front line. A bunch of big guys with beef and are not afraid to throw their body around. Picture Omar Samhan, but less likable. Just kidding. No Gael has ever been less likable than Samhan, who helped them win the NIT game I mentioned above. Anyhow, it should be a battle. If you want to watch, it’s on CBS Sports at 5 – the same time as Gonzaga and Portland (KHQ) and a half-hour before No. 1 Auburn hosts No. 6 Tennessee (ESPN). … There is football news from Greg as well in this notebook. The biggest involves future schedules, with the Cougars and Huskies announcing Apple Cup dates for 2026 and 2027. Also, Washington State announced a home-and-home series with former Pac-12 foe Arizona the same seasons. The news means WSU has four nonconference games scheduled for both those seasons, indicating the new Pac-12 will play, at most, an eight-game conference schedule. Does that mean the rebuilt conference is only looking to add two more football-playing members to the seven already in the fold? Of course not. The SEC has 16 schools and plays eight conference games. … Jon Wilner’s latest Friday mailbag, which is in the S-R, touches on the Pac-12 in many ways. … The recruiting summary he passes along in the Mercury News, mentions the Cougars prominently. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, how do fans of former Pac-12 schools feel about their new experiences after one football season? They are not too happy. … The 11 games of the CFP this time around gave us a bunch of duds and a few really great games. … USC has hired away a front-office maven from Notre Dame, of all places. It’s a big deal. And not just because colleges have front offices these days but that’s pretty weird too. … I love when a reporter holds himself accountable. Christian Caple does that today concerning his Washington football predictions. … Transfers are all the rage. Who are the best ones Oregon State has attracted? … UCLA is in deep sewer water financially. … Arizona State returns one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Maybe the best. … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, how do draft experts see Utah State’s standout Jaylen Royals? … In basketball news, Washington hosted UCLA in men’s play Friday night. The Huskies stayed close to the Bruins but lost 65-60. … Oregon has yet to lose away from home. The Ducks are the only school that can say that. They are at Minnesota today. … Red-hot Colorado State is at Fresno State. … Utah State hosts woeful Air Force. … The Oregon women played lock-down defense when needed to top visiting Indiana last night.
Gonzaga: The long week of practice is over. I wonder if every Zag is healthy? Sometimes tough in-season retooling, especially on the defensive end, leads to unfortunate injuries. We’ll find out tonight, when GU takes the floor at Portland. Jim Meehan has a preview and the key matchup.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky … well, not really. But I thought you might interested in North Dakota State deciding not to opt-into the NCAA’s new financial model.
Whitworth: The Pirates began their home weekend with a fast start and a 77-62 win over Linfield.
Preps: Dave Nichols was in my neck of the Spokane woods last night, covering the Ridgeline girls’ visit to Ferris. A tight game at the half turned into a 68-41 Falcon rout behind the play of Emma Myers (30 points, eight rebounds). …Dave also has a GSL roundup and passes along one covering the smaller schools’ games.
Chiefs: After leaving the South Hill, Dave traveled to the Arena and covered Spokane’s tough, come-from-ahead 3-2 loss against the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Seahawks: Pete Carroll is back in the NFL. He’s taking over the Las Vegas Raiders. Big news. In Las Vegas. In Seattle. And, surprisingly, in Los Angeles, where Carroll is still beloved for this success at USC. … The Hawks’ list of offensive coordinator candidates is shorter. … Trade DK Metcalf? Sure. If the offer is decent.
Mariners: No surprise. The M’s have few options left to improve their roster.
Sounders: I wrote this yesterday: “Josh Atencio is changing positions. It may just be the perfect switch for him.” The words still work, as the Times’ story is on the S-R site today.
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• For someone who didn’t feel he had a lot to say, I wrote a lot of words this morning. Now my fingers hurt, adding to my litany of woe. I feel a bit like Job. Not the bible guy, but the “Arrested Development” character. Until later …