A Grip on Sports: In an unexpected twist, turns out all the consequences of the expanded WCC this season were intended
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s not often when both you and I discover what this column’s subject is going to be together, but that’s the case today. Let’s see where it goes, OK?
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• One of our favorite laws is one that has never been passed by any legislative body, red, blue or some sort of purple blend. But it seems to dominate within the body politic that controls every level of sports.
The law of unintended consequences.
Didn’t think I would go there, did you? For that, you can thank (or blame) in any order you want, Theo Lawson, the West Coast Conference schedule makers and Wayne Tinkle. Why’s that?
Theo had a story in the S-R this fine Wednesday morning, talking with Nick Daschel of the Oregonian about the Gonzaga men’s visit Thursday to Corvallis. At the bottom of the Q&A, Daschel mentioned the huge crowd Oregon State expects to invade Gill Coliseum.
And it started a pre-writing thought process that covered such subjects as varied as Larry Scott, USC, the SEC and Apple TV+. A mental dissertation I won’t bore you with on the Pac-12’s dissection and its upcoming rebirth. How the Beavers and Washington State landing in the WCC for a couple years has led to excitement in Corvallis and Pullman, an enthusiasm that seems to sit upon a three-legged stool.
One leg is new opponents. That is, in large part, dominated as are all things WCC, Gonzaga. The school is the conference’s flawless diamond, the clear jewel atop its tiara for a couple decades. But Saint Mary’s, Portland, heck even USF, hold some freshness that supplies both newcomers’ fanbases a transfusion.
The second leg? Both a rejuvenated Wayne Tinkle – he turned over last year’s underachieving roster – and new-kid-on-the-Palouse, coach David Riley, have found ways to win multiple out-of-conference games, allowing Beavers and Cougars everywhere to dream a dream of NCAA madness. Yes, the conference has a clear divide, with an exclusive neighborhood filled with tony villas, another of middle-class houses and, well, multiple homes in dire need of repairs. And though Washington State and Oregon State are only renting, they have enough income to find a place in the better part of town.
The stool’s key third leg is that aforementioned bottom third of the WCC. The Cougars’ inexplicable home loss to Pacific notwithstanding, the conference allows more deep breathes than the Pac-12 did. It’s hard to envision either the Beavs or Cougs going through long stretches filled with disappointing, maybe even soul-killing losses, as has happened in their not-too-long-ago past.
Tinkle’s program, which just a few years ago excited the region with an unexpected run through the Pac-12 tourney and a corresponding one to the NCAA’s Elite Eight, has a chance Thursday to kick the stool to the corner and sit down in a really nice Eames lounge chair.
A win over the 16th-ranked Zags would not only keep OSU within shouting distance of the conference top spot, but also send a notice the recent additions, both 13-5 overall and 3-2 in the WCC, are going to be tough outs in their gyms.
But there would be another of those nasty unintended consequences if that happens. The deeper a conference of the WCC’s stature gets, the less it seems the NCAA’s power players like to recognize it. There is a better chance of the SEC earning 16 bids than there is of the WCC getting three. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but not much of one.
The WCC’s national conversation has always revolved around one of two narratives. When Gonzaga and, to a lesser degree Saint Mary’s, thrive, it’s because the rest of the conference is a slum populated by folks that have no right breathing the same air as Power Conference denizens. When either school suffers a defeat to someone other than themselves, it is seen as proof they are not as good as their counterparts in, say, the Big Ten, whose recent losses at Northwestern or Minnesota are due to the conference’s depth of talent.
Come to think of it, the law of unintended consequences doesn’t apply here. The NCAA’s big boys always have every intention of walling off the tournament from members of the WCC and their ilk. No matter how many solid programs they add. It’s all about the money, right?
And, I guess, that’s where just about every column should begin.
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WSU: The pressures are no less intense among the women’s teams in local college basketball conferences. When the Cougars hosted Gonzaga recently, the matchup was part of a broader conversation about the past, the present and the future. A conversation Greg Lee delves into in his notebook this week. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, John Canzano looks at the litigation between the Pac and the MWC. … A former five-star recruit has left Washington’s program. … Head coach Trent Bray is going to serve as Oregon State’s defensive coordinator next season. … The middle of Oregon’s defensive line will have to be rebuilt. The NFL beckoned for every starter. … The Ducks did add the best offensive lineman to leave USC’s program. … Where do the experts expect Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders to land in the draft? … Cam Rising has left Utah but Kyle Whittingham won’t say why. He believes Rising has the right to explain himself. … A former Arizona defensive lineman has returned to Tucson after leaving in the portal. … In basketball news, one Oregon women’s player has a career that was built by hands-off parents. … The New Mexico men lost their first conference game and it came against an unlikely foe, San Jose State. … USC seems to have hit its stride after a rough Big Ten start. … San Diego State bounced back by topping Colorado State. … Boise State used hot 3-point shooting to top Wyoming. … Utah State is back on the road tonight in Las Vegas.
Gonzaga: We mentioned above, and linked, Theo’s Q&A with the Oregonian’s Daschel. We also link it here.
Idaho: A coach leaves. A new one is hired. Some players decide to leave, many following the old coach, others to unconnected places. Some players decide to stay. Others are enticed to join the program from other schools. That’s a scenario that’s played out dozens of times around the country recently. And it’s played out over the last month in Moscow with the Vandal football program. Peter Harriman tries to wrap it all up in this story. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Northern Colorado picked up a football transfer from Arizona. … UC Davis will start the 2025 season at the FCS Kickoff Classic against Mercer. … In basketball news, Northern Arizona’s men host Sacramento State tomorrow night.
Preps: Tuesdays mean basketball games. And more basketball games. Dave Nichols headed out to Mt. Spokane last night to cover the Wildcats’ double-dip with Central Valley. He has the coverage here. … Colin Mulvany has a series of photographs from the boys’ game. … Dave also put together a roundup of the rest of the GSL action as well as another one featuring smaller schools in the area. … Madison McCord checks in with a wrestling notebook that highlights changes coming to the sport’s postseason.
Mariners: Before we get to the let’s-add-depth trade Seattle made yesterday, we have to ask. Is it possible Ichiro could be the first position player to be a unanimous choice for the Hall of Fame? Oh, wait, we already mentioned the trade.
Seahawks: The offseason is here. Has been for a while. The Hawks have a lot to get done. … While that is happening, here is who you can root for, or against, this weekend – and beyond. There seems to be four decent games ahead this week with a chance for an upset or two. … Another possible offensive coordinator’s interview leaked.
Kraken: One thing we can be sure of recently? Seattle will fall behind in every game. Twice in the last three, however, the Kraken have rallied for wins, including last night in Pittsburgh.
Storm: It looked as if Seattle was going to let Gabby Williams become a free agent. That decision has been changed.
Sounders: One thing Seattle may have done in the short offseason is revitalize an offense that was getting a little long in the tooth. … Players have regained their health.
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• There are many days when long before I start the coffee brewing I know what I’m writing about. Today was not one of those days, as you probably guessed. Hopefully, tomorrow will be different. Better for all of us. Until later …