A Grip on Sports: This weekend is a sneak preview of sorts into our near-future without the NFL dominating on TV

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Yes, there is a little about this column every day that reminds even us of Groundhog Day. The movie, which you may or may not watch today, not the event in Pennsylvania. By the way, Phil didn’t see his shadow. That means an early spring. If a rodent is to be trusted.

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• According to groundhog analytics, he’s not. He’s only right 40% of the time. Which roughly corresponds to our success-rate with college hoop picks. In our defense, though, we have a little more on our plate than a marmot.

Like trying to figure out what to watch this weekend.

After all, there is no pro football on TV. That hasn’t happened since we were able to wear white and not earn a tsk, tsk from a haughty fashionista. Oh, sure, the Pro Bowl is scheduled on Sunday (noon, ABC) but that’s not a game.

That’s a celebration. And a way to add a few bucks into the players’ pockets. Good for them. Bad for anyone needing one last football fix. That has to wait a week.

In pro football’s place we offer … golf? Not the game itself as much as the views of Pebble Beach. It’s one of the prettiest courses in the world, though nothing is as pretty as Jim Nantz, who lives on the course, wants us to believe. Still, wind, rain, waves, rocks, Cypress trees and rich dudes trying to fade a 7-iron into a stiff breeze. What’s not to like? If this is your bottle of chardonnay, you can watch Saturday and Sunday (10 a.m., Golf Channel, noon, CBS, both days).

For the rest of us there is a full slate of college basketball. The Saturday schedule is packed, with many in this area focused on the final game of the night on ESPN, Saint Mary’s at Gonzaga (7:30). Or, if your closet tends to have a crimson (or purple) tinge, the 6 p.m. showdown from Hec Ed, with the red-hot Cougars trying to hand UW another loss (Pac-12 Networks).

But there are games of national interest as well. The ones that stand out to us? Well, there is No. 17 Utah State at San Diego State (12:30 p.m., Fox), fourth-ranked Houston at No. 8 Kansas (1, ESPN) and No. 7 Duke at third-ranked North Carolina (3:30, ESPN) and fifth-ranked Tennessee at No. 10 Kentucky (5:30). Then again, maybe we should start at 9 a.m., when No. 1 UConn visits St. John’s (Fox). Could Rick Pitino’s latest team pull the upset and jumble the rankings again? Seems worth checking out anyway.

So does Sunday’s best game, when second-ranked Purdue rolls into Wisconsin to take on the sixth-ranked Badgers (10 a.m., CBS). Can anyone keep Zach Edey off the free throw line? Let’s ask Northwestern coach Chris Collins. On second thought, maybe not.

At least he was entertaining. In the post-NFL world, which arrives before Punxsutawney Phil’s predicted spring, that’s important.

• Many games you might want to see aren’t available on cable TV’s usual suspects. Or even a variety of streaming services. If you want to watch many Big Sky or WCC contests, having ESPN+ is a must. We’ve found that out the hard way over the years.

But now we’re pretty locked in. And, after some fine-tuning from our Interweb provider, we’re finally able to watch without that little circle making an appearance about every 30 seconds. Mostly.

We watched much of the Gonzaga women’s win last night. A little bit of Eastern men’s loss at Montana State – we know the Eagles can shoot better than that. Thought about catching up with the Idaho men and viewing Alex Pribble’s first experience in Missoula as a head coach than thought better of it. Who wants to watch such agony?

You know what we mean. The Vandals shot six free throws. All game. Montana? Uh, 23. Not to say it wasn’t warranted – we didn’t watch, remember? – but it does look like many a game we have watched over the years in Dahlgren.

And, yes, we’re still bitter about one loss 40 years ago. Have we mentioned we are Sicilian? Life-long grudges are locked into our DNA.

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WSU: Games with Washington have enough baggage without an extra piece of luggage or two. But there are some headed to Alaska Airlines Arena on Saturday. At least for the Cougars. Greg Woods delves into all of the extra ramifications of the game. … The women host Colorado tonight though it’s only on Pac-12 Mountain as far as we can tell. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, there were games last night. In Los Angeles, UCLA was able to hold off Oregon State 71-63 as the Beavers went cold down the stretch. … Oregon, despite missing Nate Bittle again, handled USC fairly easily, 78-69, as the Trojans continue to fade down the stretch. … No. 11 Arizona ran California out of the gym early and kept on the pressure in a 91-65 victory. … Stanford got stronger as the game wore on and wore down Arizona State in Tempe. … Utah and Colorado match up Saturday. … In football news, recruiting never ends. Jon Wilner passes along this West Coast update in the Mercury News. … Washington picked up a long-armed linebacker from San Jose State in the portal. He talked with Christian Caple. … Speaking of talking, some of the social media talk about kids who have used the portal has been downright nasty, according to John Canzano. We try to avoid it. … Oregon may have picked up a great weapon in the portal. … Seven Oregon or Oregon State players are on the Senior Bowl rosters Saturday. … Colorado will play its spring game April 27. … Arizona is raising ticket prices for football and basketball as it deals with a budget crisis.

Gonzaga: History can weigh heavy on the present. Or be a motivator. Both happening at once? Sure. It’s the case with the men this season, as Jim Meehan, who has been around for much of the Zags’ incredible run, documents this morning. … Theo Lawson has this story on Graham Ike up for a national award and another on Drew Timme suffering a broken foot, ending his G-League season. … As we mentioned above, the women rolled at San Diego, but that was expected considering the Toreros have yet to win a conference game. Greg Lee has all the details in this story.

EWU: It was not a good Thursday in the Eagles world. The men couldn’t hit an outside shot – they were 2-of-18 beyond the arc – and fell 70-60 at Montana State, while the women couldn’t hang on at home, losing to the Bobcats 62-61. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the best game was in Greeley, where Northern Colorado topped Idaho State’s men in double overtime. … The Idaho State women, led by former Ferris High standout Kacey Spink’s double-double (11 points, 10 assists), defeated the visiting Bears. … Weber State went into Flagstaff and edged Northern Arizona’s men. … The Lumberjack women won at Weber. … In football news, details are available concerning Bobby Hauck’s new contract with Montana.

Idaho: We delved into the men’s 73-70 loss in Missoula some above. The women also fell to the Griz in Moscow, 79-68. Both results are contained in this S-R story.

Preps: It’s a busy day for those who love high school sports. We offer Madison McCord’s feature on Central Valley’s Beard brothers, a trio that help the Bears’ wrestling program succeed. … There is also this story on Lake City High’s success in girls basketball this season. It comes from Liam Bradford. … Dave Nichols has the usual roundup as Washington begins its basketball playoffs.

Seahawks: The Hawks’ hiring of Mike Macdonald gave them a win this week. After all, going from the oldest to youngest coach in the NFL in a few weeks certainly epitomizes starting over. That’s something Dave Boling delves into in his column today. … Now comes the hard part. Finding the right pieces to ensure success. One area that needs addressing? Offense. And the offensive coordinator. If the Ryan Grubb rumors prove true, then no moving expenses would be needed. … The Seahawks’ ugly loss to Baltimore in November may have sown seeds that led to Macdonald’s hiring. … Don’t expect Macdonald to try to fill Pete Carroll’s shoes. Literally, we mean. … Questions? We pass along answers.

Kraken: Danish hockey is pretty good. One Seattle player is proof of that – and part of the sport’s royal family in the country.

Sounders: Seattle added more veteran depth to its roster.

Storm: The WNBA’s free agent period began yesterday. Seattle went big by going small, signing point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, the former Notre Dame standout turned perennial WNBA All-Star.

Olympics: The U.S. marathon trials race will be held Saturday in Orlando. Former Shadle Park High runner Nick Hauger will be there, trying to make the Olympic team. Dave Cook checked in with him and has this story.

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• Be honest. You’re going to miss the NFL after the Super Bowl is over, right? Watching the Hawks come this close and lose? Watching the RedZone? Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift? Bill Belichick grumbling? Some coach punting on fourth down when he shouldn’t, and then going for it when it’s not bright? Someone breathing on the opposing quarterback and getting a roughing call – and then your quarterback getting blown up late and crickets? Or will you miss most of all that 47-yard field goal at the horn that would help your team win – and cover – fading wide right? No, not that. Not again. Until later …