A Grip on Sports: After a day jammed with Olympic hockey and a high-scoring shootout in Alabama, the most-important basketball game of the night slipped my mind – and, seemingly, others as well
A GRIP ON SPORTS • In a day dominated by a variety of sports on the family big screen, Wednesday also carried something else. A nagging thought late in the evening. I forgot something. What? Then it hits. Gonzaga’s men are playing. How could I forget that? Quick, check the ESPN app. What’s the score? Oh. Wow. Looks like USF forgot the game too. At least I can just go to bed.
•••••••
• I have to admit I can’t tell you this morning if the 11th-ranked Zags played well. Or if the Dons just stunk up the Warriors’ palace. A combination of the two? Either way, Gonzaga finished off an exceptional sports day with another blowout win over Bill Russell’s alma mater. And extended its winning streak in the series to 35 games.
A series that, like just about every West Coast Conference series the Zags are playing, ended last night.
That’s something I haven’t forgotten. And no one should, no matter how many of the three remaining WCC regular-season games are blowouts. Or nailbiters.
• One of the best college games of the season showed up a few hours earlier Wednesday on ESPN. It wasn’t to be missed (and I didn’t). It also had a connection to the Zags in a roundabout, but crucial, way.
Twenty-fifth-ranked Alabama and No. 20 Arkansas played a defense-optional, up-and-down affair in Tuscaloosa that went overtime. And then another overtime. The host Tide figured out a way to win 117-115, thus pulling John Calapari’s squad back to the main SEC pack. That result, combined with visiting Creighton’s 91-84 upset of fifth-ranked Connecticut, it was a good night for the Zags’ analytics.
Every time a bell rings, an angel may get its wings, but that has nothing on what a big win by a previous opponent does for college basketball numbers.
Gonzaga’s 93-63 home win over the Bluejays has lost some luster – and boost in the metrics. Same with its 95-85 victory over the Tide in Las Vegas. Every win for those teams – and Oklahoma, ASU, UCLA, Kentucky, even top-ranked Michigan – serve the purpose of strengthening the Bulldogs’ schedule.
• Want to know what strengthens my opinion the IOC is run by a bunch of no-nothing negative nabobs (to paraphrase a long-ago U.S. Vice President)?
The way the organization treats one of its premier Winter Olympics sports, hockey.
The U.S. men, one of the gold medal favorites, has yet to lose. Ran through its Olympic pool with authority. But, thanks to the IOC and the AAU-nature of its tournament – the most-important one worldwide – the U.S. was forced to meet Sweden, quite possibly the tourney’s third-best squad, in the quarterfinals.
At least that made for great TV yesterday. And for a nail-biting outcome. The men won 2-1 in overtime, thanks to Quinn Hughes’ friendly doink off the post.
All four quarterfinal games were taut, with three going to OT. And all four probably attracted decent to exceptional ratings. Hockey is popular throughout the cold-weather nations of the world, the Winter Olympics’ wheelhouse.
• The women’s final, though, has been stamped as a second-class, niche event by the IOC. How do I know?
Check out the time for today’s final, pitting the overdog Americans against the country everyone else in the world will be pulling for, Canada.
The game starts at 10:10 a.m. in our part of the world. Ten minutes after the Olympics’ premier event, the women’s free skate. Both have gold medals on the line. Both feature female athletes. Both should include spectacular, awe-inspiring falls. But one (hockey) is on USA. The one accompanied by classical music? It’s on NBC.
Maybe the IOC has been bribed by an international consortium of divorce attorneys. Such things have happened before. Bribes, I mean.
The attorneys’ dastardly plan? Have the IOC put the events on at the same time, force spouses to choose which one is on the household’s main TV and which one is shunted to the secondary one. And then reap the benefits of the ensuing arguments.
•••
WSU: Pacific came to Pullman on Wednesday night playing well. The Tigers had moved up to fourth in the men’s WCC standings, though there were five games in the loss column between them and Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara, the second-place teams. Make it five. Washington State showed once again when its offense is clicking, it can play with anyone in the conference. And click it did, as the Cougars grabbed an 87-70 victory. Greg Woods has the story. And I have a thought. The forced two-year stay in the WCC has done nothing to excite WSU’s basketball fans, if last night’s Beasley crowd was any indication (check out Geoff Crimmins’ photos for yourself). The student section was a sea of empty seats. Will it pick up next year in the rebuilt Pac-12? That’s the million-dollar (or more) question, isn’t it? … Earlier in the day, Greg covered a court hearing for one of the team members. … One of the football players I covered in my time in Pullman, running back Dwight Tardy, was named Moscow High’s head coach last Friday. Dave Nichols has this story. … ln the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, John Canzano made the trip to Logan, Utah, this week and has this first column on the Aggies, one of the Pac-12’s new schools. I made that trip a few times in a previous (read: before moving to Spokane) sportswriting life. And I can attest it is a nail-biting one. Especially when the person giving you a ride from Salt Lake to Logan decides to alter his state of consciousness halfway through the drive. The next couple times I had to make the trip, I sprung for a rental car. … Speaking of Utah State, the Aggies rolled over visiting Boise State with ease. … The longtime Washington basketball radio analyst is hanging up his headset. … Colorado hopes to start making more of its long-range shots against Oklahoma State. … Fourth-ranked Arizona held off No. 23 BYU in Tucson. … Utah finally picked up another Big 12 win, topping West Virginia. … It’s happened. Another Mick Cronin meltdown has led to calls for UCLA to fire him for his behavior. I wonder if anyone is listening. And if they are, if they might try Kansas State’s strategy to save at least part of the multi-million dollar buyout. … Speaking of meltdowns, USC had one against red-hot and 10th-ranked Illinois. The Trojans lost 101-65 at home. … What will happen with San Diego State and the NCAA tourney? … Colorado State is missing players but still winning. … The Oregon women hope to rebound against Nebraska in Eugene. … Oregon State’s rematch with Portland tonight carries a large weight. … No. 2 UCLA has to remember not to look past Washington. … USC is ready for the stretch run. … San Diego State added to its Mountain West lead with a win over UNLV. … In football news, how good will the quarterbacks be Washington faces next season?
Gonzaga: Yes, the Zags streaked past USF in San Francisco. Theo Lawson was there and has this game analysis as well as working with the folks in the office for the recap and highlights. … Jim Meehan has his three takeaways. … Tyler Tjomsland has the photo gallery. … Greg Lee’s weekly women’s basketball notebook takes a look at the logjam atop the WCC standings. … Former GU star Domantas Sabonis will miss the rest of the NBA season. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Saint Mary’s had to survive a fired-up Seattle University squad in Seattle. … USD has decided Steve Lavin will not return next season.
EWU: It’s a weird time for football staffing issues, but the Eagles face them. All thanks to Bobby Hauck’s “retirement” from the University of Montana. (The longtime head coach did that due to his contract terms, then moved on to Illinois as defensive coordinator.) Three Eastern staffers will be part of UM’s new staff and will have to be replaced. Dan Thompson has all the details in this story. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky and the FCS, Sacramento State is spending so much money to become an FBS school one could almost see it as malfeasance on the part of the school’s administration. … The Weber State men prepare to host the Montana schools.
Preps: The State wrestling tournaments are this weekend in Tacoma. As always. Madison McCord previews all of them but focuses on another Spokane wrestler, and another U-Hi wrestler from the Quintanilla family (Czar) as he tries to win his fourth consecutive State title. … Dave Nichols was at West Valley last night to cover the District 6 2B basketball. He has this roundup as the State B Tournament participants become clearer. … Dave also has a story catching up with the basketball fortunes of MODE Prep in Liberty Lake.
Chiefs: Dave’s final piece from Wednesday? It covers Spokane’s players in the 2026 WHL Prospects Game.
Seahawks: I almost spent today writing the top part of the column about yesterday’s big news. The Hawks are officially for sale. But I was too busy going through the couch cushions, hoping I could find enough loose change to make a bid. Wait, that’s Jeff Bezos. He can do that. And he’s the guy I’m guessing will buy the team. Hopefully, he will run it better than he did the Washington Post. … Whoever buys it will determine if the franchise continues to thrive as it did under Paul Allen and his sister. … The Seahawks did something nice for a young man.
Mariners: Mitch Garver is back. The free agent – last year’s backup catcher – signed a minor league deal Wednesday. He’ll compete for the same role he held last season, though there is competition. … Ken Griffey Jr. has a new assignment. He’s helping the World Baseball Classic. … Josh Naylor is a special guy.
Kraken: The Olympic break is winding down. The players are getting back into Seattle and getting ready to resume the NHL season.
Storm: If there is an WNBA season this year, Seattle will have a new coaching staff.
Olympics: Just how did Mikaela Shiffrin break through her Olympic fog? According to the Post’s Barry Svrluga, soon to be working somewhere else, she simply skied like Mikaela Shiffrin.
•••
• I wanted to give you an early heads-up. I won’t be here Saturday. Have to be at an event that starts before 8 that morning. Plan accordingly. Until later …