A Grip on Sports: The road to Pullman is paved with good intentions, though tonight’s game between the region’s WCC teams could use a better route

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Is there a basketball game going on in Pullman tonight? Have any importance around these parts? Wonder how crowded U.S. Highway 195 will be around, I don’t know, 4 p.m.? Too bad it isn’t four lanes both ways. As the Beach Boys once sang, wouldn’t it be nice?

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• Like a lot of folks in this region, I spent about a decade commuting – though that isn’t precisely the right word – between Spokane and Pullman. Actually lived in the city of hills for more than half that time. But had to make the drive at least once a week, for my family or for another plane trip to who-knows-where.

And, like a lot of you folks, I got to know the drive intimately. Where to go fast. Where not to. This curve. That passable straightaway. When to slow way down, thanks to the ice and snow that covered parts of it this time of year.

My trusty little Honda Civic seemed to be able to pilot itself back then, which was a god-send on those early Sunday morning drives back to Spokane after covering another Tony Bennett-orchestrated 61-59 win over a school that no longer has to visit the Palouse. Or one of Paul Wulff’s four-touchdown losses to, well, you pick the school. You would be right.

Those were the days. But they were also two decades ago. And here we are, ready to go back to those golden times, when eggs were actually available at Costco, for a midweek men’s basketball showdown between Gonzaga and Washington State.

And yet the ride back to Spokane, for alums of either school, may still be dicey – if not icey. The federal highway linking Washington’s land grant university and the second-largest city in the state is still not what it should be.

Tom Foley, a Gonzaga alum, wasn’t able to improve the road much, though he might have been able to if his position as Speaker of the House hadn’t been cut short. Neither of the next two local congress people, George Nethercutt and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, were either. And, heck, Nethercutt held degrees from both schools.

Now we put our hope for a safe, Colfax-avoiding – just kidding, who doesn’t love the adrenaline rush one gets as they drive through the Whitman County seat at 26 miles per hour? – four-lane thoroughfare in the hands of another Cougar alum, Mike Baumgartner, Mike Leach’s former teaching assistant and current crimson-wearing U.S. Representative.

Can he push through funding in a city that purports to be averse to sort of thing these days? Not sure. Just as we’re not sure who wins tonight.

• The equivocating concerning the latter can be attributed to a few areas.

There is no doubt Gonzaga, who enters the contest (6 p.m., ESPN2) at 20-7 overall and 11-3, is the demonstrably better team. They proved that in Spokane with a 13-point win a little over a month ago. And that was when the Cougars, 16-11 and 6-8, were playing better.

But tonight, Beasley Coliseum will be sold out. The WSU students will be in full throat, with their sections filled from the floor to the ceiling for the first time since Klay Thompson was on campus. I’ve witnessed that sort of raucous atmosphere before. And seen it help the Cougars win games they probably should not have. Not this year, sure. Or all that recently. Then again, there hasn’t been many of these types of games in the building over the past decade-and-a-half.

They are back, though. Will it fluster the visitors and boost the home team? Remember, Gonzaga is a bit of a different beast. The Zags are used to being the home team’s biggest game of the year. In every West Coast Conference facility. That experience can’t be understated. And the Cougars aren’t used to playing in such an environment, even if the majority of fans are in their corner.

Funny thing, though. The same conditions existed in Corvallis last month. Beavers vs. Bulldogs. And Oregon State prevailed. Yes, it took overtime. Yes, it was at the tail end of Gonzaga’s mid-conference slump. And, yes, none of that should matter in this one.

You know what does, though? You, me, your sister-in-law, heck even Baumgartner, once again get to experience this game. And will for the foreseeable future, even if our what’s-going-to-happen-in-college-athletics glasses seem to need a new prescription ever month or so.

This game? It’s one of many. We hope. A conference rivalry game between two schools less than 100 miles apart.

Though, driving back to Spokane for at least one fanbase will feel a lot longer.

Stay safe. And don’t forget to check your speed before you hit the Whitman County library.

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WSU: Greg Woods has the opportunity to experience this matchup in Beasley for the first time. I was blessed to cover a couple. It’s different. Different than when UCLA or Oregon or even Washington visits for a key game. Mainly because even Husky fans didn’t like making the trip to Pullman, preferring to wait to boo the Cougars until they were in Hec Ed. Despite our usual poking fun at the road between the schools, it’s been improved mightily in the past decade and GU fans will make the trip. A lot more than Arizona fans ever did. Greg has a preview highlighting the impact Isaiah Watts’ return has had for the Cougs. … Yes, I know it is late February. But football. Washington State announced the schedule for new coach Jimmy Rogers’ first spring practices. They begin March 1 in Pullman. The game will be played April 12. There will be an open practice in ONE Spokane Stadium on March 29. Greg has that covered as well. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, one has to wonder if the conference, when it begins play again in 2026, will have any access to the CFP. The Big Ten – the biggest villain here – and the SEC – OK, also a villain – are meeting today to divide up the spoils for that year and beyond. I wonder where the Big Two are going to draw their line of demarcation. Jon Wilner has more in the S-R. … Washington’s men need DJ Davis to be more aggressive. … I also wonder how Mick Cronin is feeling about UCLA today. His Bruins blew a huge halftime lead and lost at home to Minnesota. He knew who was at fault. … Houston blasted Arizona State. … Colorado lost again. At least the Buffs won one Big 12 game already. … Boise State has two goals for the stretch run. … San Diego State routed Fresno State last night. … Colorado State didn’t rout Nevada, but the Rams won. … Utah State hosts San Jose State tonight. … My goodness, how far has Kansas fallen? I watched the start of the BYU game last night and was shocked how slow the Jayhawks looked. Disinterested on the defensive end as well. The host Cougars won by 34, matching the worst loss in the Bill Self era. … The Oregon State women have a different sort of weapon this season. … An organized group of women players, including former WSU star Charlisse Leger-Walker, are trying to talk to college athletics power brokers. They’ve had no luck. … In football news, Colorado has hired a new defensive line coach.

Gonzaga: Yep, the Bulldog players know. Tonight’s atmosphere will be rocking. Theo Lawson talked with them about it. … Theo also has his key matchup, looking at the teams’ point guards.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana and Montana State only have one game this week. Against each other. … Northern Colorado’s men are lamenting their recent play. … Sacramento State seems all in when it comes to rising to the FBS ranks, no matter the cost. … Montana State has to replace two more assistants.

Whitworth: The Whitman/Whitworth battles over the years in men’s hoop have been something. Usually brutally physical and competitive. This year, though, the Blues have not done well in conference. The Pirates? They already clinched the conference’s regular season title. No matter Tuesday night. Whitman prevailed at home 79-63.

Preps: There have been some surprises in the District 6 basketball playoffs. Case in point, the success of the Central Valley Bears’ boys. They were a .500 team during the regular season. Tuesday night they reached the District 3A title game with a 61-59 home win over North Central, who played its regular GSL season in the 2A league. Dave Nichols was there and has this coverage. … Dave also has a roundup of the other District playoffs, which included another upset, the Ferris girls (9-14) eliminating host Gonzaga Prep (15-8) 57-50. … Finally, Dave has this story on the Northport basketball program, which has had to play every game on the road since early January due to a flooded gym.

Mariners: Luis Castillo had no problem with the M’s exploring trades. It’s a business. … Edgar Martinez seems to have reached Julio Rodriguez on a deep level. … The real workouts have begun. … The new Mariner broadcast crew has a chance to be really good. … I am a huge advocate of computer-assisted umpiring on balls and strikes. But of course MLB will screw it up with half-measures and risk aversion. If it costs me my beloved strike zone box I may just give up watching on TV. … Then again, the owners will try to get a salary cap in 2027, the players won’t budge and there could be another lockout. That would just be another nail in the game’s coffin.

Sounders: The 2025 season begins tonight in Guatemala. A CONCACAF Champions Cup match. There are at least three keys to Seattle’s season. The roster is a mix of veterans and younger players. As is the best starting 11.

Storm: Management finally talked about Jewell Loyd and her allegations, which led to her trade. About time.

Seahawks: Mike Macdonald is on this Athletic list of younger NFL decision makers.

Kraken: The 4 Nations tournament final tomorrow night in Boston may well be decided by who has the better bench.

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• I have a commitment tonight. The DVR better work. Until later …