A Grip on Sports: College basketball’s split personality is on full display this weekend, but that’s not all there is to watch

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s a strange netherworld college basketball enters this weekend. Which means those of us who love to watch on TV have to make a few decisions. Watch to experience the raw emotions of the Little Dances, as they’ve come to be known, or focus on the excellence of the country’s best teams.

•••••••

• Yes, some conferences have started their postseason tournaments, men and women. The West Coast Conference is in that category. The Big Sky joins the fray on Saturday. It’s similar for almost all of the conferences that make up the bulk of the NCAA’s 364 Division I schools, from the Northeastern Conference to the Big West.

But the handful or so of conferences from which the eventual NCAA champion will emerge? They show more of a split personality. The men are finishing up their regular season. The women? They are deep into conference tournaments.

Between now and Selection Sunday – March 16 – everyone will finish of course. It’s just how they get there that is different.

Nothing illustrates it better than Friday’s schedules.

Among the men, not a single ranked team plays today. Almost every game is between schools that know they have to win to have a shot at playing in the Big Dance. Talk about pressure.

The women? Eighteen of the 25 are in action, all playing in loser-out tournaments that will determine their NCAA fate. No, not whether they make it or not. Their seeding, a crucial element in whether they can put together a long run or are home by the first weekend.

Such are the vagaries of a sport with a distinct pecking order – no matter the gender. Or location.

• So, what to watch? If the Blue Bloods of the men’s game are your style, then you have plenty of chances on Saturday. It starts with sixth-ranked St. John’s at No. 20 Marquette on Fox at 9 a.m. and runs through No. 3 Houston at Baylor at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Thanks to the vagaries of the conference tournaments, the matchups among the ranked women’s teams are not set in stone. But it’s OK to anticipate a third meeting between second-ranked USC and fourth-ranked UCLA in the Big Ten title game Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on CBS.

If a more local bent is more your style, Washington State will be playing that night at 8:30 in Las Vegas, though you’ll have to use ESPN+ to watch. And if you’re interested in who the Cougs play, you’ll have to wait until about 11 tonight to find out who won between Loyola Marymount and USD in the WCC second round.

The WSU women don’t start until Sunday’s quarterfinals. And you have to wait until Monday for either Gonzaga team’s first game.

Down in Boise, the Eastern women will take the court Saturday afternoon at 1:30 (ESPN+) against Sacramento State. The men matchup with Northern Arizona at 7, also on ESPN+. The Idaho schools don’t begin their Big Sky tourney trials until Monday.

• No matter how good the basketball is this time of year, all of the major moves the M’s made in the offseason probably have you salivating as you anticipate their march through the American League, right? OK, so that’s probably not the case. But if by some miracle rivaling the ’69 Mets they find a backdoor into their first World Series come October, who do you think they’ll play?

That’s right. The Dodgers, the franchise with the resources of France and no need to sign someone the caliber of Ty France. The Rich Ones of Los Angeles are the team to beat again, which means tonight’s game in Glendale, Arizona could be a World Series preview. The M’s will send a World Series-caliber starter to the mound, no matter who it is, for the 5:40 game on Root.

• What else is there this weekend?

NBC has the golf, with the tournament bearing Arnold Palmer’s name and featuring the PGA’s best, the stop this weekend.

There are also a few soccer matches worth checking in on, including the Spokane Zephyr returning to the ONE Spokane turf on Saturday at 6 p.m. on Peacock. As an aside, there is also the B Tournament finals at the Arena that night (and on SWX) as well as a youth basketball tourney at The Podium. Parking will be at a premium.

•••

WSU: As the Cougars prepare for their first appearance in the WCC tournament, Cedric Coward is preparing to get back on the court. Not in games yet. But to get back to prepping for his future. And, as Greg Woods tells us, though he has a year of eligibility left, that probably won’t be as a member of the Washington State basketball team. … Football is also going on. Not just the spring practices but also workouts for those hoping to get an NFL chance. Greg has a story on today’s Pro Day, which will also include Eastern Washington players. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner takes a look at how the stars are aligning for another major revamp of the college landscape late in this decade. … John Canzano has a column on a former Duck continuing to improve as his NBA career rolls on. … Here’s a weird aspect of change. The transfer portal opening close to the end of the regular season has college assistants who are moving to head coaching spots leaving their old teams early. … Utah has hired its new coach. Alum Alex Jensen is coming from the NBA, so no worries in that regard. … An Oregon State player believes basketball saved him. … Arizona renews its Kansas rivalry this weekend. … The Wildcats’ athletic director has been on the job for a year. … Spokane’s Tyson Degenhart will play his final home game for Boise State tonight. It’s a big one for the Broncos and Colorado State. … In women’s play, Washington and Oregon both lost in the Big Ten tournament and will have to wait and see if they are NCAA-bound. … California defeated Virginia in the ACC tournament and may have punched its ticket to the NCAAs, part of a pretty select Bay Area group. … Colorado is still alive in the Big 12 postseason after topping Arizona. … Utah isn’t. … In football news, college coaching sure pays well. At least at Oregon and not just for Dan Lanning, who received a two-year extension. Even the assistants have joined in. … Arizona State’s success may just help the entire university.

Gonzaga: The Zag men are playing better defense. That’s not just opinion – though every college coach asked will say so – but also proven by the numbers. Theo Lawson delves into both of those areas as he looks at their recent improvement on that side of the floor.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, the Rams and Cooper Kupp are facing a deadline for a decision on the former Eastern receiver’s future employment. … Montana is the second seed in the men’s tournament after tying Northern Colorado atop the regular season standings. … A Portland State transfer, who was one of the conference’s best last season, has blossomed even more for the Montana State women.

Preps: The way the WIAA has set up the State basketball tournaments, there are more chances these days of the top teams meeting early. That happened Thursday in Tacoma, where the 4A boys’ top seed, Gonzaga Prep, met second-seeded Auburn in a quarterfinal. As could be expected, it was a tight game. And Prep prevailed 53-50. In overtime. Dave Nichols has the coverage. … Dave also covered the 3A games, with the CV girls topping Kennewick for the third time this season, this one 45-37, and the Mt. Spokane boys prevailing against Bellarmine Prep 52-48 in overtime. … Deer Park continued their undefeated run in the 2A girls tournament in Yakima with a 56-45 win over W.F. West. … From the Arena, Dan Thompson has coverage of Almira/Coulee-Hartline’s quarterfinal win the 1B boys ranks and the Reardan girls’ victory in 2B. … Cheryl Nichols has summaries of the rest of the B games for the girls and boys.

Zephyr: It’s been a long time since Spokane has played at home. That ends Saturday night as the Zephyr hosts Carolina. Justin Reed has a preview.

Mariners: No surprise here. Or with the Seattle players, who heard what Justin Turner said about the franchise. … Sure Cal Raleigh is good at framing pitches. But that skill is already devalued, as baseball works toward video-assisted plate umpiring. It will happen. And has to happen for the good of the game. Bemoaning the fact because it impacts the home team is short-sided and inappropriate. … Harry Ford is quietly having a good spring. And probably making the M’s at least think about carrying three catchers. … The bullpen is going to be key for Seattle. … The M’s lost one game and tied another yesterday.

Seahawks: Did you know DK Metcalf wants to be traded? Sure you did. It’s about all anyone is talking about concerning the Hawks currently. What are the next steps? What is John Schneider thinking? … Forget DK. How about people who may actually want to be in Seattle? … Former Hawk Bobby Wagner is returning to the Commanders. Russell Wilson, however, is still in limbo.

Kraken: There is a new look to the Seattle roster.

•••       

• The S-R staff won two Associated Press national awards for their 2024 work. Congratulations to all who were honored. And to everyone who works at what is still an outstanding sports section in an industry dealing with tough economic times. Until later …