A Grip on Sports: Now that the NFL season is in the rearview mirror (though there is still one massive party to attend) it’s time to shift the focus a bit

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s transition time. And we are not referring to the weather, despite the presence of Gatorade showers Sunday night.

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• Football is (finally) over. College basketball is ready for its star turn. And baseball is peeking its head out its offseason hibernation residence, hoping to see sunshine and no shadows.

College basketball’s No. 1 team in the nation finally lost Monday night. All it took was traveling – though it was the home team getting away with that and a lot more – to Phog Allen on a mid-February Monday night for Arizona to add a “1” to the right side of its ledger. No matter how much college athletics evolves, Kansas’ homecourt advantage is rock-chalk solid.

The Mariners will watch the Seahawks’ victory parade Wednesday and then pack their bags for Arizona. The ones who spend the offseason in the Emerald City anyway. They will carry with them expectations the franchise hasn’t toted around since 2002.

As for the NFL? The Super Bowl over-analyzation continues, though in most folks in this part of the nation are happy to imbibe. After all, the 2025 championship flag will fly at Lumen Field – or whatever it is called – as long as there is an NFL.

The sweeping generalizations coming out of Santa Clara should be taken with a grain of salt substitute, though. If you want to keep your blood pressure down. Remember, the flavor of the month is just that, especially in the NFL. When the 2026 season kicks in September, Seattle will be 0-0 like everyone else. Though they will carry a bigger target.

Defense wins championships? Tell that to prime-of-his-career Patrick Mahomes. Who, by the way, is no longer with us. Some quarterbacks are so good they can transcend even the hoariest of clichés. Matthew Stafford came this close to ending the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run before it even began.

(As an aside, I would argue if Zach Charbonnet hadn’t casually picked up the two-point conversion attempt against the Rams in the end zone, the Hawks’ playoff experience ends in the NFC title game in L.A. That New York replay review quite possible was the difference between Seattle or the Rams winning the West. Of such thin margins are titles won.)

Read whatever it is you want this week. Watch talking heads pontificate. Soak it in. Then forget it. Let it go. The only emotion worth keeping is the one you felt as the clock expired Sunday night. Whether it was joy, ecstasy or just plain old relief. That’s what you should remember from here to eternity.

• The two local college basketball programs who have tied their future fortunes together for the next decade or so meet tonight in Spokane.

Gonzaga, missing a key player who may or may not be return this season, host Washington State, finally healthy and looking to add another blemish to the Zags’ resume, face off on ESPN2 at 8 p.m.

Braden Huff’s knee may hold more weight for the Bulldogs’ NCAA tourney future than, heck, Kenneth Walker III’s offseason plans do for the Hawks’ 2026 season. Yep, that much. But the reality is Huff isn’t available now. And no one, especially not WSU, is inclined to go easier because of it. Of such things, actually, are upset hopes nurtured.

Another incubator? A key game facing Gonzaga on Saturday night just down the road from the Seahawks’ recent triumph. Both WSU and GU are looking up at Santa Clara in the WCC men’s basketball standings. The Broncos host Seattle tomorrow night, then welcome in the Zags three days later.

If Graham Ike and the Bulldogs are thinking about the Bay Area showdown, David Riley’s team probably wouldn’t mind. And seem more prepared to take advantage than any time this season.

• One last question for you this morning. It’s about the 12th-ranked Zags. When Huff is healthy, it’s a question that has a quick answer. Everyone can agree Ike is Gonzaga’s best player. But who is its second-best right now?

Tough, huh?

The default is probably Tyon Grant-Foster, who is second in scoring and rebounds among the available Bulldogs. Or maybe freshman point guard Mario Saint-Supery, who is second in assists but is the most-accurate 3-point and free throw shooter. It could be Jalen Warley, who may not be the prototypical Zag big – “may not” is way too generous – but is the team’s best defender. And may be the best the program has produced.

But each one of them have holes in their game, either shooting (Grant-Foster and Warley) or on the defensive side of the ball (Saint-Supery, though he has taken strides recently).

I am predisposed to cast my vote for Warley, though that’s my defense-first philosophy showing. But the fact there are multiple candidates, including a couple not mentioned here, makes it clear there has been a bit of identity void since Huff’s injury sent him home to Illinois to try to get healthy.

And that void makes it even more imperative for Gonzaga’s opponents to take away Ike and force another Zag to step up.

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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner’s ranking of the future conference members changed a bit this week. Utah State is his No. 1 after Gonzaga’s inexplicable loss at Portland. … If you are looking for information on tonight’s Cougar men’s game, check the Gonzaga section just below. … John Canzano has his weekly mailbag. … Maybe college hoop is safe from NBA players after all. … How is it Kansas’s win last night over top-ranked Arizona is the program’s first-ever at home against a No. 1-ranked team? … There has never been a season like this one for Oregon men’s head coach Dana Altman. The Ducks lost again. … Colorado’s season hasn’t been much better. And now it faces No. 16 Texas Tech. … No matter what, Utah seems to be the right place for this 5-star recruit. … Colorado State and Air Force may be playing for the final time. … Utah State begins a long homestand by welcoming in resurgent Fresno State. … A freshman has stepped up for the Colorado women.

• In football news, Christian Caple has a notebook full of Washington thoughts. … A couple of former Boise State players were on Seattle’s roster. One has waited a long time for this. … Colorado State quarterbacks have a couple of great role models.

Gonzaga: The Bulldog’s final WCC regular season stretch run begins tonight against Washington State. Theo Lawson previews the game in McCarthey, sure, but he also looks at the rest of the month, which actually holds promise for GU to improve its metrics. … Theo also has the key matchup, focusing in on Ri Vavers, the Cougs’ second-leading scorer and their No. 1 3-point shooting threat. … Jim Meehan and Richard Fox are back with another Zags Basketball Insiders podcast. They break down the Portland loss and look ahead to tonight. You can listen here if you are so inclined. … Jim also has this story on the Bulldogs dropping six spots in Monday’s Associated Press poll. 

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, former Montana head coach Bobby Hauck’s “retirement” lasted all of a week or so. He signed on as Illinois’ defensive coordinator yesterday. The retirement designation? It was, of course, about money. … North Dakota’s move to the Mountain West probably won’t impact the Bison’s nonconference game with Montana State down the road. … The move did, however, spark UC Davis to release a statement about its commitment to the Big Sky and FCS. … In basketball news, Northern Colorado’s men are about to begin a key homestand.

Seahawks: Yes, Dave Boling’s column today looking back at the Super win focuses on Walker. As it should be. The free-agent to be won MVP honors of course. But our favorite Walker news, and image, from Monday also includes Sam Darnold. The two rode the teacups together at Disneyland. I dare you to watch and not at least smile. The only thing that could have made it better? If Walker had been spinning the wheel like most of us when we were 8-year-old. … Yes, we have a whole bunch of stories to pass along, including some of the S-R ones we might have linked previously on other sites. … The Hawks were the NFL’s best team. But, as we said above, the margin was a thin one. … The film breakdown is illuminating. And fun to watch. … Every athlete is better when they are supported. … Two stars Sunday night. One high school. … Every season ending is hard, especially when it’s been a special one. … Finally, the offseason is here.

Mariners: Felix Hernandez. The Hall of Fame. His outcome over the next few years may end up being King Felix’s most-important legacy.

Olympics: A local story? Yep. Dave Nichols shines a spotlight on an Olympic hockey official who happened to grow up in Spokane, Sean MacFarlane. … The U.S. has won some medals and shed some tears of joy but today’s skiing featured an epic failure in a team race the U.S. team was expected to win. … Lindsey Vonn’s injuries are extensive. And illustrative of a sport, downhill skiing, that is not just a physical challenge but a mental one as well.

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• Have you ever looked at Medieval artworks and noticed an aura around the subject? Of course you have. It’s impossible to miss. I thought about those venerable pieces of art yesterday. And wondered if a thousand years from now future tourists will examine photos of Seahawk fans from Wednesday’s celebratory parade and see a similar effect. After all, the Hawk fans I know were positively glowing Monday. And I don’t see it fading soon. Until later …