A GRIP ON SPORTS • It was sort of a quiet Thursday last night on the Spokane sporting scene. A calm before the storm, really. Read on.

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• Oh, there were a few things going on, from women’s basketball at Gonzaga to high school action around the area, but the major programs in our area were resting up. It’s going to be a big weekend. The Gonzaga men will welcome Arizona to the Kennel on Saturday for a nationally televised showdown. Both teams may be missing their big man in the middle, as the Wildcats will not have Kaleb Tarczewski (foot) and Gonzaga may be without Przemek Karnowski (back), who missed Wednesday game in Pullman. Whoever wins will have a leg up in claiming West Coast basketball supremacy this year, though the Zags still have to get past UCLA this month. The Bruins scored a huge upset win last night at Pauley, defeating No. 1 Kentucky 87-77. But basketball isn’t the only front-burner item this weekend. Nope. There are the state high school football championships Friday and Saturday, with Gonzaga Prep going for its first state big school title since the mid-1980s. And on Sunday night Washington State will find out where it is heading for its bowl game, ending a couple weeks of speculation. We’ll add our two-cents, saying we expect to see the Cougars in El Paso the day after Christmas – just because that’s about the worst scenario possible. But we are hoping they catch a break and end up in San Diego on Dec. 30 in the Holiday Bowl. The Cougars chances of staying on the coast probably rest with Stanford. If the Cardinal defeats USC, expect WSU to head to San Diego. If USC wins a Rose Bowl berth, Stanford will be in the Alamo and Oregon more than likely will be the Holiday Bowl’s choice. No matter what, we’ll know the answer this weekend.

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• WSU: Though there weren’t any competitions in Pullman yesterday, it was decent day for the Cougars. It started with an extension to soccer coach Todd Shulenberger’s contract, continued through a commitment from a running back and finished up with the women’s basketball team winning in Boise. ... It looks as if the Las Vegas Bowl wants to pit local rivals Utah and BYU. ... There is an opening for offensive coordinator at Oregon. Whoever fills it will have some talent to work with. ... Two former WSU assistants, Chris Ball and Jeff Choate, have interviewed for the Montana State head coaching position.

• Gonzaga: The Bulldog women are not at full strength yet this season, but they were just good enough last night to get past Wyoming, 61-57, in overtime. Jim Allen has the story and Tyler Tjomsland the photo report from McCarthey. ... Nick Emery will miss just one game after throwing a punch. Seems to be sort of a BYU thing recently.

• EWU: What was Cooper Kupp thinking? Jim Allen lets you know today in this feature on the Eagle wide receiver’s decision to return to Cheney next season.

• Idaho: The Vandals are in the midst of raising money for a new basketball arena. Sean Kramer checks in with the people in charge for this blog post.

• Whitworth: As the Pirates prepare to begin Northwest Conference play, they are also waiting for their star guard, Kenny Love, to return to action. Tom Clouse has more in this story.

• Chiefs: A Spokane player has been selected to represent Austria in the World Juniors. ... Everett has had its share of losses this season, but the Silvertips have responded well.

• Preps: The Gonzaga Prep offensive line isn’t the biggest around, but the Bullpups’ has been really good. Greg Lee has more in this advance of Saturday night’s State 4A football title game. ... Speaking of Prep, defensive end/running back Evan Weaver is the TNT’s state player of the year. ... Almira/Coulee-Hartline is in tonight’s state 1B title game. And the Warriors expect to win it. Greg has more in this advance. ... Basketball is underway and we can pass along a roundup of Thursday’s action.

• Seahawks: So what do the Vikings do? They play a lot like the Seahawks. ... The Hawk offense is clicking. That’s fun. And Russell Wilson’s recent success has mainly come within the pocket, where center Patrick Lewis has stepped up and spoken up. ... The defense has to stay within itself and not, as Kris Richard calls it, ”go rogue.”

• Mariners: The M’s have been making so many changes, it is hard to keep track of them. One of the newest players, Nori Aoki, was introduced to the press yesterday.

• Sounders: The Portland Timbers expect to win the MLS championship this weekend.

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• One last thing. I didn’t know where to put this story on the firing of Washington rowing coach Bob Ernst, but I thought it was worth passing along. ... A quick heads up about tomorrow. There won’t be a post. I have some personal duties early in the morning that will preclude me getting to the computer and putting together the links and other items. Sorry. See you Sunday ...

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