A Grip on Sports: What do you know? People are already talking about a college basketball game between local teams that doesn’t happen until Saturday
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Human-to-human communication is still important, right? Even if that communication isn’t, as it’s been for thousands of years, always face-to-face? The answer is yes to those of us who have to come up with a column subject about 350 times a year.
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• You know something no one has talked about in a long time, face-to-face or utilizing some sort of rectangle-shaped contraption? The Washington State vs. Gonzaga basketball series. Mainly because for two schools to have a “series” they have to, you know, actually play each other.
That hasn’t happened between the Catholic school on the banks of the Spokane River and the land grant university some 75 miles south in the hills of the Palouse for a long time. Nearly a decade.
Yep, the last time the schools played was Dec. 2, 2015. In Pullman. A 69-60 Zag victory, the 11th time GU had won in the 14 times the schools have played since the turn of the century.
How long ago was that? Kyle Wiltjer led the Bulldogs with 22 points. Ooh, that was a long time, and about seven-levels of athleticism, ago for Gonzaga.
Want a few more look-at-the-tree-rings notes about the game? Ernie Kent was Washington State’s coach. Domantas Sabonis, a nine-year NBA veteran, grabbed 14 rebounds. And 8,209 people nearly filled the Beasley seats.
Those Zags, a season away from losing their first NCAA title game, would go on to finish 28-8 and be eliminated in the Sweet Sixteen by Syracuse.
The Cougars, 4-0 entering the GU game? They would win just a handful of games from there, finished 9-22 and a woeful 1-17 in the Pac-12.
Mark Few decided playing Washington State, with Kent in charge and little chance for improvement, wasn’t worth it anymore. The series ended and hasn’t been resurrected. Until a weird confluence of circumstances occurred and it is back – as a conference battle.
Why bring up that old game now? A good friend, a Gonzaga alum actually, stated out loud Monday night he thought WSU would give the Zags a test. (He also mused about betting the over, but that’s neither here nor there.) What interests me is the teams don’t actually play until Saturday. And each have West Coast Conference games – more on that in a second – prior to the matchup.
Then I checked the schedule. No wonder. Gonzaga hosts 4-12 USD on Wednesday night. If the Toreros, carrying a 311 NET ranking, aren’t the worst team in the WCC (and on the West Coast), then maybe Pacific is. And guess who is in Pullman on Thursday night? Yep, Pacific, bringing with it a 5-13 record and ranked 308 in the NCAA’s metric.
In other words, both teams Saturday should boast 4-0 conference records and stand atop the WCC standings when they meet.
The Cougars boast a NET ranking of 66, making this a Quad 2 game for the host Zags and a Quad 1 for WSU. Those designations are important for both, and one reason why Washington State and Oregon State’s addition has been beneficial to Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, USF, Santa Clara and any other WCC men’s team expecting (the Zags) or hoping (everyone else) to make the NCAA tournament.
When WCC commissioner Stu Jackson offered the Cougars and Beavers a spot to land in their two gap years, he probably didn’t have any idea the duo, heck-bent to rebuild the Pac-12, would be as good as they have been this season. Or that they would poach the Bulldogs, but that’s a column for another time.
Anyhow, WSU was an NCAA participant last year, but the Cougs were in the midst of a Pac-12 breakup-fueled transformation that cost them coach Kyle Smith (to Stanford) and much of their roster (all over). The Beavers? They were 13-19 last season, and last in the final edition of the 12-team Pac-12.
Still, OSU’s NET ranking of 165 last season was better than all but four WCC schools. And, with all the Pac-12 breakup money coming in, the Beavers seemed positioned to rebound. They have.
David Riley’s hiring by Washington State has meant the Cougars’ run of success hasn’t ended either, thanks in large part to the infusion of talent he brought with him from Eastern Washington.
It was a good deal for the two remaining Pac-12 schools – and for the WCC – when Jackson offered the safe harbor. It is an even better one today.
After all, it gives people something to talk about it. All week.
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WSU: Football, and the all-important roster rebuild, is still the talk of the town in Pullman. Greg Woods has another story on another couple players following Jimmy Rogers from South Dakota State. … It seems as if the Nick Rolovich saga has come to a conclusion. A Federal judge in Spokane has ruled WSU’s firing was justified and threw out his lawsuit. Nick Gibson has all the particulars in this story. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the journey California’s new quarterback took to Berkeley is an interesting one. Jon Wilner delves into it in the Mercury News. … He also delves into the non-call in Arizona State’s Peach Bowl loss to Texas. Our opinion is simple. It was as egregious a missed call as we’ve seen in a long time. … John Canzano has a mailbag we can pass along. … Washington welcomed 29 new players to campus but that doesn’t mean the recruiting is done. It never stops. … Oregon lost a couple key players to the NFL draft and another to the portal. … The TV ratings for the Rose Bowl were sky-high. … Will Oregon State go sky high with its assistant coaching salaries? … Where will the Colorado stars land in the NFL draft? … USC has added a JC running back and a well-traveled quarterback who was once a highly prized UW recruit. … How does the UCLA quarterback room look? … Arizona State’s offense will be better next year with Jordyn Tyson coming back. … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, Fresno State continues to add from the portal. … Boise State continues to add to its stadium’s amenities. … Colorado State lost another player to the portal. … In basketball news, Oregon stayed in the AP top 15 despite the huge home loss to Illinois. … Utah State is finally ranked in the AP poll. … The Oregon State women host red-hot USF.
Gonzaga: The newest Associated Press men’s basketball poll was released yesterday and the Zags moved up one spot to 18. Jim Meehan has the story. Funny thing. GU leapfrogged UCLA (at 22) after the Bruins lost at Nebraska. … The Zags, however, remained behind the Bruins in Wilner’s Best of the West men’s rankings. WSU stayed 10th.
EWU and Idaho: Around in the Big Sky, Montana State’s quest for an FCS title ended in the first half last night when the Bobcats fell behind by 18 points. Yes, they rallied behind Tommy Mellott, but North Dakota State handed the Bobcats their first loss with a 35-32 victory. It is the fourth time NDSU has knocked Montana State out of the postseason since 2018. … In basketball news, Idaho State swept Northern Colorado, with the men winning in Greeley and the women holding on in Pocatello. … Northern Arizona swept Weber State as well.
Indians: Jim Price has an obituary for Lenny Randle, the former Spokane and Mariner player who died last month at 75.
Seahawks: Why should Hawk fans be encouraged by the 10-7 season. Dave Boling has the answer in this column. It has to do with Mike Macdonald’s response to it. … The most visible one? Macdonald fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb yesterday. … Who might replace Grubb? … And does the change help the franchise reach its goals? … Yesterday was locker clean-out day. … The Hawks have some free agents they will have to deal with.
Kraken: Seattle lost a home game to New Jersey 3-2 Monday night.
Mariners: If you were holding out hope the M’s would fill one of their gaping holes in the lineup by making a trade for the Dodgers’ Gavin Lux, forget about it. He went to the Reds yesterday.
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• This column may be a little late tomorrow. Late night tonight. The family returns at midnight. Staying up that is hard for me but well worth it. How I respond in the morning might be questionable, though. Until later …