A Grip on Sports: Three basketball games, a passing and a beginning make for a pretty big Tuesday

A GRIP ON SPORTS • A couple of games. Four thoughts. How does that math work? Don’t ask me. When we took this gig, we were assured there would be no math.

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• Bad news. For the second consecutive day, we found coffee grounds in our coffee. It might be time for a new Keurig. Or maybe some sort of newfangled brewing system. And now we have you wondering. Is that part of his four thoughts? We’re not telling. You will have to count.

When it comes to sports, our first thought is we can’t be in two places at one time tonight. Unless we figure out how to access the multiverse.

An NIT rematch is on tap in Pullman tonight (8, ESPNU). Washington State, quite possibly the hottest team on the West Coast at the end of the regular season, will host Eastern Washington, the hottest team in the nation from late December through February. The winner moves on to face either Oklahoma State or Youngstown State.

Right now, the move-on part of it isn’t important. What is? A chance at revenge. Or another chance to make noise in the NCAA’s second-tier tourney. Depending on what color of red your uniform is.

If it’s crimson, you would love to repeat last year’s double-digit run through the early rounds of the tournament. The Cougars made mincemeat of its first few opponents and earned a trip to New York. Repeat the run this season and they end up in the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, site of the NIT’s final four in a new world order.

If your uni is just plain old Eastern red (PMS 187 for you Pantone fans), then tonight’s game is a chance to show the early season blowout at the Arena – WSU won 82-56 by hitting 15-of-30 3-point shots – was a fluke. As was the three-game, end-of-season losing streak that dashed its NCAA hopes.

A win tonight and the 18-game win streak is proven to be the true measure of the year.

• If you live in Spokane, you don’t have to drive to Pullman for high-level basketball. You can head to Lewis and Clark High for The Spokesman-Review Basketball Showcase. The two games feature the best girls and boys players in the Inland Northwest, regardless of class. That’s pretty special.

The S-R’s Dave Nichols has been trying to put this game on for a while, but the pandemic made it impossible. Now it can go on. The girls’ game, a new era of the long-running Jack Blair Memorial Game, begins at 5:15 and the boys, named in honor of longtime Cheney coach Denny Humphrey, at 7:15.

• We’re feeling old today. And a little sad. Dick Fosbury, an average Joe who revolutionized a sport, died Sunday at age 76.

If you don’t recognize the name, you probably recognize his inventive way of clearing the high-jump bar. After all, it’s called the Fosbury Flop.

When Fosbury was a high school athlete, he couldn’t get to the heights he yearned for using the typical scissors high jump form. So, he decided to try jumping over the bar backward. No one else had done it that way. It worked.

And now everyone does it.

We first saw Fosbury jump in 1968, when our father took us to the Olympic Trials at Lake Tahoe. We were smitten. Here was a person who was told no, did it his way anyhow and won a gold medal. Set records. Was the best in the world.

Read his obituaries. His attitude never changed. He lived his life like he jumped the bar. His own way.

• Our last thought is simple. And it has nothing to do with coffee. The Seahawks seem determined to fix their defense. They are spending $51 million to bring former Denver Bronco tackle Dre’Mont Jones into the fold. That’s important.

Not just because Jones is one of those players who can supply middle pressure in passing situations and run-stuffing on other downs, but what he represents: A significant capital outlay in free agency to fix a weakness.

The Hawks in the past decade or so have mainly done that when they feel they are close to being a Super Bowl contender.

Makes you look forward to the fall, right? Yep, the NFL knows what it is doing.

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WSU: Tonight’s NIT game is the subject of Colton Clark’s preview. There is also an Eastern preview below. … The series loss to Washington State dropped Oregon State in the baseball rankings. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college basketball, Jon Wilner fills out his bracket. He picks UCLA to the title game. … We can pass along other picks as well, just to confuse you as you fill out your bracket. … UCLA has won an NCAA title or two. But what’s it like to lose? … In the NIT, Oregon hosts UC Irvine on Wednesday. We’re rooting for the visitors. … Colorado will face Seton Hall. … The transfer portal is open and Utah has already lost a guard. … Arizona has a seven-man rotation. That can work as long as everyone stays healthy. … Arizona State faces Nevada in first-four game tomorrow. … On the women’s side, Washington hosts San Francisco in the WNIT. … Oregon hosts North Dakota State on Friday. … Colorado is in the NCAA tourney. … As is Utah, which was just a dream not too many years ago. … Stanford seems to be in the NCAAs every year. … In football news, Oregon’s new president is a Big Ten guy. Does he want to go back? … ESPN will televise the Colorado spring game. In Prime Time? Sort of. … Oregon State held its pro day. … Arizona State has begun spring practice. … Arizona is just about ready to. The Wildcats have a lot to get done. … The Ducks’ strength coach received a big raise.

Gonzaga: Basketball is a game that build familial relationships. The five on the court have to play that way to be successful and those who coach them need the same to survive the long season. Which brings us to Jim Meehan’s story on GU assistant Roger Powell and Grand Canyon head coach Bryce Drew. … The final Associated Press poll was released yesterday. Theo Lawson shares the news the Zags finished ninth. Our take? Five of the top nine schools are from west of the Mississippi. Thought all the good hoop was played in the East. … Jim Allen has this preview of the women’s first-round foe, Mississippi. … If you collect trading cards, you can now buy Gonzaga ones. Quinn Welsch has all the particulars in this story. … Kelly Olynyk is still plugging away in the NBA. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Santa Clara is making another appearance in the NIT. The Broncos host Sam Houston State on Wednesday night. … San Diego is hosting a WNIT game.

EWU: As we mentioned in the Washington State section above, Dan Thompson has a preview of tonight’s NIT game in Pullman from the Eastern point of view. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Idaho State has lost players to the portal but welcomes a big one back. … The Montana men’s basketball team has motivation for next season. Again. … The Griz began spring football Monday with a player saying goodbye.

Preps: Dave’s final preview for tonight’s Showcase game tells the story of Jack Blair and why Ron Adams named his all-star game for his friend. … Dave also has a roundup of Monday’s prep action. … A Ferris grad earned All-American honors at the NCAA Division II indoor championships. That news leads off the latest S-R local briefs column.

Mariners: Remember the name Bryce Miller. He will be in an M’s uniform in the not-too-distant future. … So will Harry Ford. The catcher hit a home run in England’s big win yesterday. … Cooper Hummel is making a push for the final roster spot.

Seahawks: The signing of Jones is a big deal. We promise. … Cody Barton is leaving. …. It’s too bad the Hawks couldn’t keep Shelby Harris to team him again with Jones. They did well together in Denver.  

Kraken: Seattle’s penalty kill killed its chance against the Stars. The Kraken lost 5-2, despite another point from Vince Dunn.

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• Try as we might, we can’t seem to talk anyone in our household to join us in a spontaneous adventure. Spontaneity doesn’t seem to run in our genes. We’re a bit disappointed. What good is retirement if you can’t jump in the car and just take off once in a while? Until later …