A Grip on Sports: The activities around downtown Spokane bloomed on Saturday like so many crocus and covered the area with colors from crimson to cardinal

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where were we? Oh, yes. Covering the goings-on over at the Arena. Watching all the commercials – and replays – in the men’s games. Wondering a few things about the Mariners. So, the usual.

•••••••

• Let’s spring right into it, shall we? And did you notice our seasonal reference there? Sorry, we’re starting to get a little punch-drunk by all the college hoops – and college hoops news. March madness, indeed.

We spent much of Saturday afternoon marveling at Paige Bueckers’ offense for UConn, Kennedy Smith’s defense for USC and the overwhelming support the NCAA women’s regionals are receiving in Spokane.

We spent much of the evening rooting for Texas Tech – hey, having a successful bracket in a friend’s pool makes for strange bedfellows – and then seeing it all slip away thanks to Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. going all Steph Curry on the Red Raiders. And on my formerly successful bracket.

Then we did all we could to avoid Duke’s dominance over Alabama just because, well, Duke.

Check in with the Mariners? Sure. Why not? Every time we switched the TV over to Root, the M’s were figuring out another way not to score what seemed to be an inevitable run. Thus, an inevitable loss occurred, 4-2 to the city-less A’s.

As we said, the usual.

Which brings us to Sunday. The day the SEC grabs another couple Final Four spots, unless two veteran coaches can will their teams – Houston and Michigan State – past the seemingly inevitable march of Auburn and Tennessee. And, no, this is not the college football invitational’s final four we’re talking about.

• Spokane’s downtown was buzzing yesterday, and not just because of the games at the Arena. Earlier in the day Washington State trucked all of its football gear up U.S. Highway 95 and held a workout at the still-new ONE Spokane Stadium.

The best part of the event? Seeing the kids on the field for the youth clinic that was part of the day in Spokane. Flipping through Tyler Tjomsland’s photo gallery, we lost count of the number of smiles we saw. And not just on the faces of the youngsters who were taking part in the activities.

The players seemed to be enjoying their selves just as much.

With all the demoralizing news from college athletics today, from the ins-and-outs of the transfer portal and the ever-growing importance of name, image and likeness economics in recruiting success, it’s easy to forget college athletes are still young men and women who are in the transition phase between late-childhood and the adult world.

It was nice to see the joy they received by the simple act of supplying joy to those wearing the same shoes they wore not too many years ago.

•••

NCAA Regionals: Yes, the Huskies scored 82 points in their Sweet Sixteen over Oklahoma on Saturday. But as Jim Allen tells us in his game story, a huge part of their offense was fueled by their defense. It forced the Sooners into 23 turnovers and led to a second-half blowout. … The evening’s second game was closer, though USC’s 67-61 victory over Kansas State was also fueled by defense. The Trojans, led by a couple of freshmen, pulled away late. Colton Clark has that story. … Today’s Elite Eight matchup – the winner earns a trip to next week’s Final Four – pits LSU and top-seed UCLA in what everyone expects to be a battle. A physical battle. Greg Lee has a preview of the noon game. … The highlight out of Birmingham, Ala., where the other two regionals are being contested? Cashmere’s Hailey Van Lith led her team to the Elite Eight. This time it is TCU and it marks the fifth time Van Lith, who has played at three schools, has been that far in the tournament.

WSU: Of course we can pass along coverage of the Cougars’ football practice in Spokane. Greg Woods headed north too and has this story, one that delves into what happened on the field and a couple off-the-field items as well. … And, as we mentioned (and linked) above, Tyler has a photo gallery. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, we want to pass along Jon Wilner’s Friday mailbag, starting off with an expansion question. He also has this story on the College Basketball Crown tournament – starting Monday in Las Vegas – and how it could change the postseason. … Oregon State is still playing, joining WSU, Boise State and others in the CBC. The Beavers, like the Cougars, will be missing a few portal-bound players. … What will Oregon’s roster look like next season? … We have a couple more stories to pass along concerning Colorado State’s new coach, Ali Farokhmanesh, who has deep connections to the region. And will lead the Rams into the Pac-12. … Colorado has a hole to fill on its roster. … UCLA filled its biggest one with New Mexico’s point guard. … One of Arizona’s best defenders is in the portal already. … Around the women’s game outside of Spokane, Utah’s best player is in the portal. … Stanford’s down year has one silver lining. The Cardinal won’t be losing players to the portal. … In football news, recruiting never stops. Not at Oregon. Not anywhere on the West Coast. And it’s not all high school players. … Christian Caple delves into Washington’s linebackers. … Deion Sanders signed a large contract extension with Colorado, possibly helped by his short flirtation with the Cowboys. … UCLA is ready to begin spring practice. … Arizona State opened practice to the public yesterday. … A lot of folks want to watch the new-look Arizona Wildcats these days. … Boise State mines defensive talent from all around the world. … San Diego State is trying to revamp parts of its culture.

Gonzaga: Though we didn’t write yesterday, we didn’t want to miss passing along Dave Boling’s column on Gonzaga’s rise to prominence and long stay there. It’s worth your time. … So is Theo Lawson’s story on Khalif Battle’s one year in Spokane. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Todd Golden celebrated Florida’s Final Four berth with Saint Mary’s friends Randy Bennett and Kyle Smith.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana is losing a women’s player to the portal. … Sacramento State has picked up the portal recruiting under new coach Brennan Marion.

Preps: Cheryl Nichols has a roundup of Saturday’s action. … John Blanchette has sad news today. Longtime CCS as well as Richland and Ferris high schools’ cross country coach Max Jensen has died at age 85.

Indians: We have another obituary to pass along. Jim Price shares this remembrance of Tommie Reynolds, who played and coached for Spokane when it was Brewers’ affiliate in the late 1970s. Reynolds was 83.

Velocity: The road was kind to Spokane yesterday. The Velocity routed host Greenville (S.C.) 4-0.

Mariners: In three games this season, the M’s offense has been imitating a car with an automatic transmission. No clutch. (Does that joke still work these days?) Last night’s 4-2 defeat seemed to fit. … Logan Gilbert is happy Cal Raleigh got paid. And is staying. And he seems ready to join him ­– if the front office makes an offer. … Bryan Woo seems to be the next Mariner starting pitcher ready to make a national impact.

Sounders: A late goal helped the Sounders earn a 1-1 draw with San Jose.

Seahawks: The NFL holds its spring meetings this week. There will be news. Here’s how Seattle fits in.

Reign: Seattle faces off with Angel City today.

Kraken: It’s official. Seattle will not be in the NHL playoffs.

Storm: Seattle holds the second pick in the WNBA draft. Will a coveted Notre Dame guard be available?

•••       

• We’re going to be busy the next few days. We will have a column on the women’s NCAA tournament’s Spokane visit in tomorrow’s paper as well as another one in Tuesday’s. And, as usual, we will be here. Get out early today. The sunshine is not supposed to last in these parts. Until later …