A Grip on Sports: Midnight came early this weekend, and not because of any time change, though we may be witnessing a real-time transformation in March’s madness

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Is it midnight already? Two rounds into the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the clock has already rung in a new day? Wow. No Cinderella, but one heck of a lot of pumpkins. And a bunch of spinless mice who pulled us all into this mess.

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• Did you know the NCAA’s hoop transfer portal opened this morning? You should. It’s part of why a bunch of strong-armed, rich basketball princes make up this year’s Sweet Sixteen and everyone else is outside, gowns in tatters and eyes filled with tears. For the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, only teams from rich, powerful conferences made the second weekend.

No George Mason. No Florida Atlantic or St. Peter’s. No Loyola Chicago or Sister Jean. And, most importantly around these parts, no Gonzaga.

How did this happen? And is it going to be the norm from here on out?

Let’s answer the second question first. No. Though it’s going be more difficult in the future unless changes are made. Changes the NCAA has no ability to make, not just because the Federal laws are not in the organization’s corner but also due to its makeup. All big bureaucracies default toward stagnation, unwilling to institute needed reforms and upset its well-rewarded status quo. Can you blame it, though, as far as the tournament – the best college sporting event – is concerned?

Yes, because the cracks have shown for years, though the NCAA’s dam was holding back every athlete when it came to freedom of movement and true worth. Instead of making incremental changes since 1985, the organization just kept patching up a framework that was antiquated for decades.

It finally burst. The over-stuffed portal and name, image and likeness chaos are the result. It’s possible, actually more like expected, for the big boys in football and basketball to buy the best players from the farm systems that are lesser programs, poorer conferences and lower competition levels.

The rich have stacked the deck to protect their wealth, which seems to be the American way in every aspect of the 21st Century.

But blaming an NCAA that no longer exists – it may not be better but it is different – doesn’t help fix it. Neither does, in reality, relying on Congressional action to build new ways to fence-in recently freed athletes. After all, Congress has trouble decided when to break for lunch. Finding consensus on a way to help here is nigh on impossible.

It’s why envisioning a change, a fix, sanity even, may also take vision as outworld-looking as the Webb Telescope.

And when have anyone outside the astrophysics departments on a college campus – or in the NCAA headquarters – ever had that type of vision?

Heck, the last decade has shown even schools with like academic interests, shared geographies and similar financial potential couldn’t find common ground to keep somewhat-sane conferences together.

Fixing the NIL and transfer portal messes? The answers agreed upon in the pending House settlement aren’t the long-term answer. They won’t even be short-term ones if you want to root for a Cinderella in future March Madness.

All the same underlying issues are going to continue to exist, albeit with an imperator’s seal that protects richer schools from over-the-top criticism.

• Another overlooked aspect of March Madness’ built-in big school bias? Seeding. And that’s the selection committee’s fault. The alarm was raised when the field was announced. It was quickly silenced by an anticipation for games. But the seeds of power domination were planted in a Dallas meeting room. Despite many instances of the committee ignoring its own data, power schools were given preferential paths to the second weekend. Others? Told the numbers don’t matter – unless it helps make a case for the chairman’s school.

Why the heck is there a seeding committee anymore anyhow? Why have it if all the group is going to do is take different data points and twist them into whatever direction they want to go?

Take the human factor out of it. Jettison the bias. Take every data point possible, factor them all in and use a formula for selection and seeding. Refine the parameters every offseason. Eliminate someone stepping forward after the fact to declare “I wasn’t in the room when that was discussed.”

There doesn’t need to be discussion. When the season begins, everyone will know where the stand. What they have to do.

Just do it.

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WSU: The Cougar women are finally beginning their postseason journey tonight in Pullman, hosting Utah Valley in the WNIT. Greg Lee has a preview of the game, which you can watch on ESPN+ starting at 6. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, one former Pac-12 school, Arizona, ended the NCAA hopes of another former Pac-12 school, Oregon, last night in a former Pac-12 city, Seattle. There is a certain symmetry there. And some familiarity, at least in how the Wildcats’ 87-83 win played out. The Ducks started hot. UA fought back. Each team made great plays and dumb ones – what was with the double dunk or whatever it was? In the end the true Blue Blood moved on to the Sweet Sixteen again. … Jon Wilner has his thoughts on the major conferences dominating the first weekend. … Colorado State was only a second away from making the Sweet Sixteen and being everyone’s Cinderella. But Maryland’s last-second shot went down and so did the Rams. … UCLA’s roster may just have to be rebuilt in the offseason. Did we mention the portal opens today? … An Arizona State freshman is heading elsewhere. … New Mexico had a shot at being the darling but couldn’t handle Michigan State’s strength. … Utah State is still sweating out its head coach’s future. … Around the women’s game, UCLA was tied at the half but the top-seeded Bruins rolled into the Sweet Sixteen. … A beat-up USC team hopes to join them today. … Oregon may have lost at Duke but the Ducks proved they belong in the tournament once more. … California didn’t have the best showing but being in the NCAA was a win in itself. … Former Cashmere High star Hailey Van Lith’s college odyssey continues, as she led TCU over one of her former schools, Louisville, and into the Sweet Sixteen. … In football news, recruiting never stops. Ask Utah. … Spring practice is starting at USC. … There are some changes going on in Tucson this spring.

Gonzaga: The basketball season isn’t over just yet. Not for the women. They continued their run in the NCAA-sponsored WBIT, taking to the road and dominating former Pac-12 member Colorado in the third quarter and overall. As Greg Lee tells us, the Zags’ 64-55 victory over former GU assistant JR Payne’s team means Gonzaga has a Thursday night third-round date in Minnesota. … It’s the day after the tough-to-swallow second-round loss to Midwest top seed Houston and that means it is time to close the books. Jim Meehan looks back at the nuts-and-bolts of the 81-76 Cougar win from the Bulldogs’ perspective. … Theo Lawson tacks another tact, seeing things through the eyes of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson. … Did you know two losses killed Gonzaga’s NET ranking and cost the Zags a higher seed? That what Wilner wrote in the Mercury News. Heck, if GU had won at Oregon State and at home against Santa Clara, it probably would have been a top-10 NET school. Wait, it was. Think a 27-6 GU would have moved up the NET and a seed line? Not when the committee put 24-9 Oregon, with a NET of 29, in a five seed. Other aspects seemed to be in play here… Elsewhere in the WCC, Saint Mary’s quest for another Sweet Sixteen will have to wait another year. The Gaels’ shooting woes continued and they were run out of the arena by Alabama, 80-66. … The Portland women joined the Zags in the third round of the WBIT.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Northern Arizona’s women squandered a large lead and lost in the WBIT.

Chiefs: Playoffs? Yes, playoffs. Spokane, the third seed, will open the WHL’s version this weekend. On the road. Not because Vancouver, which has a six next to its name, earned the right to host the openers. Nope. The NCAA women’s basketball regionals have the Arena booked. When they are over, the Chiefs get their home ice back. Dave Nichols has this preview.

Sounders: CONCACAF’s Nations League did not go well for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Mariners: Mitch Haniger will not be on the M’s roster this season. The organization went in another direction Sunday, cutting the veteran outfielder, eating his $15 million contract and solidifying the final few spots available for opening day. … We were the conductor of the Logan Gilbert-will-win-the-Cy-Young-Award train last season. It’s great to see we have gathered in a few passengers. … The M’s pounded out a win yesterday.

Reign: A milestone was reached in Seattle’s recent win.

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• I have other thoughts, more on-court related, concerning the lack of upsets. But they will have to wait. Or maybe I’ll keep them to myself. Not sure. Contrary to popular opinion in our house, I don’t share everything that pops into my head.  Until later …