A Grip on Sports: There is so much to watch on TV this weekend in the sporting realm, though there is also one odd absence
A GRIP ON SPORTS • What are we excited about watching this weekend? Of course we have our list. How about you? It’s March and March means college basketball is high-stepping toward its much-anticipated finales. We’re guessing hoops is high on your list as well.
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• Before we go any farther down this TV-paved road, we want to remind you of a big change coming Sunday at 2 a.m. Yep, Daylight Savings Time kicks in. Make sure to turn your clocks – if you have any in your domicile anymore – forward. We don’t want you to miss an hour of the Big South title game that morning.
After all, someone will be punching their ticket to, well, you know.
That’s what this weekend is in college basketball. All about the near-future. Either ensuring a spot in the Big Dance or improving prospects. With that in mind …
• Has there ever been a better Pac-12 women’s semifinals? In the final year of the conference and its tournament, these are the matchups today on the Pac-12 Networks: Second-ranked Stanford vs. 13th-ranked Oregon State (5 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) and fifth-ranked USC vs. No. 7 UCLA (7:30, Pac-12 Networks). The title game will be Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN.
By the way, if you are a fan of 15th-ranked Gonzaga, then you should be rooting for Stanford to defeat UCLA in the final. That would mean losses by the two schools behind the Zags in the NCAA’s NET rankings – and contenders to host the first rounds.
• There are no more Pac-12 men’s games that mean anything locally, after 18th-ranked Washington State spit the bit last night, couldn’t find the basket and fell 74-68 to visiting Washington. The Cougars needed to win and have fifth-ranked Arizona lose at UCLA to make Saturday matter. Neither happened.
The outcome? The Conference of Champions will disappear without the Cougars ever finishing on top the standings.
None of the conference’s final – not just this season but forever – regular season games will mean much, actually, other than a seed line or two next week. With Oregon losing at home to Colorado last night and Utah flailing and falling up the road in Corvallis, neither team is going to make the NCAA Tournament without winning the conference tourney in Las Vegas. It certainly looks as if everybody but Arizona and WSU are in that same over-filled cruise ship. Pretty sad.
The best games of the final regular-season Saturday? Probably No. 14 Kansas at top-ranked Houston (1 p.m., ESPN) or seventh-ranked North Carolina at No. 9 Duke (3:30, ESPN). At least ESPN added a half-hour in-between to ensure the ACC showdown wouldn’t start on the home of the first four minutes of every Gonzaga appearance, ESPN News.
Speaking of the Zags, their opponent in Monday’s WCC semifinal will be determined Saturday night (9:30, ESPN2) when USF plays tonight’s winner between Portland and Loyola Marymount (8:30, ESPN+).
• If you are hyped for another season of Mariners baseball – and who isn’t looking forward to them winning 54% of their games? – then this weekend isn’t for you. For some unfathomable reason, ROOT, which just happens to be owned by the franchise, isn’t televising anything from Arizona. Not today against the Cubs. Not tomorrow with the Brewers. Not Sunday vs. the Giants.
Radio, yes, at least on the weekend. But no TV.
• There are more Chiefs’ games on TV this weekend (6 p.m. Saturday, SWX) than Mariner games. Heck, there is even more Gonzaga baseball games (3 p.m. today, ESPN+ and 1 p.m. Saturday, SWX) than Mariner games. Nice job ROOT.
• What else is there to watch? The puzzle that is professional golf continues to become a bit clearer before the year’s first major next month in Augusta, with the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational (NBC on the weekend). Invoking the name of a popular drink to entice younger viewers seems smart. Meanwhile, us older folks will actually wonder what the father of the modern game would think of all the flotsam and jetsam golf is dealing with these days.
Of course, the interminably long NBA and NHL regular seasons roll on, though the Kraken’s game in Winnipeg today (4 p.m) is only available on ESPN+.
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WSU: We covered all the highlights of last night’s debacle in Pullman – 8-of-17 from the line? – above. Greg Woods was in Beasley, along with the season’s largest crowd (9,311), and has this game story. The loss cost the Cougars four spots in the NCAA’s NET rankings. … There is this coverage from the Times as well. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, Wayne Tinkle, who grew up in Spokane, is still plugging along as Oregon State’s coach. The Beavers shot down Utah in Corvallis last night. … As we said, Oregon’s 79-75 loss at home to Colorado is probably a dagger in the Ducks’ NCAA hopes. … The 88-65 Arizona win at Pauley clinched the regular season crown and sent the Bruins reeling into the future, even if it is not here just yet. … USC had little trouble with Arizona State, winning 81-73 … Stanford is 2-8 in its last 10 games after an 80-58 win over California in Maples Pavilion. That isn’t easing the pressure on coach Jerod Haase, who has lost the support of former star players. … The women’s tournament quarterfinals in Las Vegas included a 71-57 Stanford comeback win over Cal, UCLA handling Utah 67-57, USC holding off Arizona 65-62 and Oregon State rallying past Colorado, which once was ranked in the nation’s top five, 85-79. … In football news, we have a story from the S-R site we also linked yesterday on Michael Penix Jr. … Will some WSU games against the Mountain West schools end up on a Friday night? It’s possible. … Washington may have its best draft ever, and a friendly Rome Odunze will be a part of it. … The new UCLA coach signed a bargain contract. … There is one constant at Oregon State. … The NCAA clings to the past. That’s why it has such an uncertain future. … Finally, we’ve heard a lot about this 1974 ACC title game on podcasts recently, with the East Coast folks selling the idea it changed the NCAA Tournament forever. Yes it did. But only because no one cared about the West Coast back then. If they had, three years before, when USC, ranked as high as second, lost twice all season (both to NCAA champ UCLA) and still didn’t get to play for a title, would have fueled the expansion. Pac-8 treated poorly? No big deal. The ACC? Change everything!
Gonzaga: Awards are to be celebrated, right? But they also can be fire-fuel. As they seem to be for the GU men this week. Theo Lawson has more on the white board – no one has a bulletin board anymore – motivation. … Speaking of awards, Yvonne Eijim and Lisa Fortier are finalists for national ones. … We found this story from Gig Harbor on Brynna Maxwell.
Velocity: Spokane’s entry in United Soccer League’s League One will begin their inaugural season Saturday in South Carolina, facing the Greenville Triumph. Ethan Myers has a preview of that matchup. … Meanwhile, Justin Reed has the story of Luis Gil, who is expected to lead the team’s attack.
EWU: OK, more awards. We start with the women, with Jamie Loera not only winning the Big Sky Player of the Year award, but also the defensive one. And her coach, Joddie Gleason was named Coach of the Year. Two other Eagles were also honored. On the men’s side, David Riley shared the Coach of the Year honor with Northern Colorado’s Steve Smiley. Cedric Coward was a member of the first team and LeJuan Watts was the Freshman of the Year. Dan Thompson wrote both of those stories. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the all-conference honors were covered in-depth for Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado, Weber State and even Idaho State, where one of our former players, Ferris graduate Kacey Spink, earned a spot on the all-defensive team. … Northern Colorado’s women are sticking to their routine heading into the tournament. … Northern Arizona’s men would love to replicate last year’s tourney run.
Kraken: Vince Dunn was the victim of a vicious illegal hit in Calgary. Now the Kraken are also suffering from it.
Seahawks: With all the roster movement, the Hawks have salary-cap flexibility, sure. But how will they fill the gaping holes at safety, at tight end and other sports? Free agents and the draft.
Mariners: The M’s won again Thursday as Bryan Woo showed he may be a more-than-capable fifth starter. … As we said yesterday, the bullpen bucket is overflowing. … Ryan Bliss has been a revelation, but will still probably start the season in the minors.
Sounders: Another match, another injury. This time it is midfielder Pedro de la Vega. It’s a tough start for Seattle with key players in the training room and not on the pitch.
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• A long morning running down scores, historical facts and other minutiae. But it is what we love about sports. And this feature. Every day is different. Every day is fun. And every day is satisfying. Maybe we are a half-full type of guy after all. Nah. Until later …