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A GRIP ON SPORTS • Today is Selection Sunday. This week? The best TV-sports watching week of the year. Any news that isn’t NCAA tournament related better be disposed of quickly before it gets overwhelmed by the juggernaut.
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• Might as well admit it, though. There seems little in the way of drama connected to today’s bracket reveal (3 p.m., CBS). Too many of the 68 men’s bids are headed toward the SEC. About a fifth of them. Which is appropriate in one way. Every time someone starts blathering about the “historic” nature of the conference’s season, everyone should take a drink.
Don’t make it an adult beverage, though. Value your liver’s health. Please.
That the conference may grab 37% of the available at-large berths, now that’s a problem. The SEC may just leave just 24 spots for everyone from the ACC – not that it matters – to the Big 12 – it does – to the Mountain West – even more important.
Heck, it matters a lot financially to every conference that doesn’t have a “power” designation. That’s because “power” has become synonymous with “rich” in college athletics’ new lexicon. That means every other one is middle class to poor. And could really use the windfall that is an extra tournament spot.
• Would you rather be rich or lucky? Myself, I always figured many of those who are the former have experienced a lot of the latter. In the case of the Gonzaga men’s basketball team this season, it’s true.
As Theo Lawson examined in this morning’s S-R, the Bulldogs have been as unlucky as any Mark Few-coached team ever. And that’s bad luck for their seeding. Which, as Few has emphasized many times over his stellar quarter-century run, seeding often impacts a team’s chance to make a long tournament run. And, like his favorite band, The Eagles, proved, the long run is how you earn the big bucks.
Theo delves into the nuts and bolts of the seeding today in a straightforward manner, outlining the issues the Zags supply for the committee. We opined about the committee’s decision yesterday. Shared our thoughts. And will do so – certainly – again tomorrow. After the bracket is set.
• OK, enough of that. What else is happening? Another NCAA bracket reveal, sure. The women’s tournament will be announced at 5 p.m. on ESPN. But there won’t be a local team in the field, which dampens our enthusiasm a bit. They are headed to the secondary ones, and Greg Lee tries to discern each of the spots for Gonzaga and Washington State.
• Can’t forget the all-powerful NFL either. Unless it happens at, say, 12:47 p.m. Thursday afternoon, when we’ll be knee-deep in first-round upsets, buzzer beaters and Cinderella stories, the news the Seahawks have signed a competent interior offensive lineman probably will make us stop and take notice.
All the moves John Schneider has made this week, up-to-and-including changing quarterbacks and bringing Cooper Kupp back to the Northwest? They haven’t addressed the franchise’s biggest need. No offensive line, no offensive production.
• Yesterday’s news the Mariners will give the ball to Logan Gilbert on opening day was important. In a symbolic way. The franchise is acknowledging the ascendance of its young guns on the starting staff.
Gilbert should have been the choice last season. But Luis Castillo was handed it one last time. Not this season. Gilbert or George Kirby were the logical choices. But Kirby’s injury ended that debate and made it easy on Dan Wilson.
Maybe next season there will be a debate beforehand that includes those two, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller.
If that’s the case, then the Mariners will have had an “historic” season. Whatever that means.
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WSU: We mentioned Greg’s story about the local women’s teams postseason destinations. Both the Cougars and Gonzaga expect an invitation to the NCAA-run WBIT. Maybe even one or both may host a game as well. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, we could pass along all the predicted brackets for you this morning, but why? The real one will be out soon. … Jon Wilner takes a look at the selections from a West Coast perspective. … Arizona made it to the tournament title game in its first Big 12 season. Then it ran into Houston, which has been the conference leader for both of its two seasons. … What seed will Oregon receive? … Are California’s and Stanford’s basketball programs “national brands” after a year in the ACC? Cal’s athletic director contends that’s true. Their home attendance would beg to differ. … Colorado started the Big 12 schedule slowly. And that didn’t change until near the end of the season. … Colorado State won the Mountain West tournament title Saturday, blasting Boise State in the final and putting the Broncos on the bubble. … Washington’s women have hopes of making the tournament due to five special wins. … Oregon should also hear its named called. … Oregon State doesn’t have to wonder. It is in. In what may have been Scott Rueck’s best coaching job. … UCLA is expected to be a No. 1 seed. … In football news, Oregon has a veteran team. But in some ways it doesn’t. … Oregon State’s defense showed its DNA yesterday in Corvallis. … Colorado is learning from two new coordinators. … We can pass along a spring preview of Arizona’s defense. … The Pac-12 we all knew may be gone but its dominance in the Olympic sports popped up again Saturday. The Oregon women won the NCAA indoor track team title and USC won the men’s for the first time in 53 years.
Gonzaga: It’s lucky for us all that Jim Meehan, Theo and Dave Boling are around. Especially this morning. Jim leads it off today with a couple stories on Ryan Nembhard’s season and its place in Gonzaga lore. He’s built his resume on assists, and he’s built about as strong of one as any Zag ever. … As we said, Theo looks at the Bulldogs (absence) luck this season and the conundrum they present to the selection committee. … Dave sees a possible long run the in the tournament for Gonzaga, and identifies the player most capable of sparking it: Khaliff Battle.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana State’s women await their NCAA assignment. They will do so together. In front of TV screens and cameras.
Preps: We can pass along the first big roundup from Dave Nichols’ first big Saturday of spring sports. Pretty blustery and wet out there yesterday.
Chiefs: Dave was in the warm Arena last night to cover Spokane’s stellar defensive effort in a 5-1 win over the Tri-City Americans.
Zephyr: Colton Clark had to be outside, as Spokane hosted the DC Power at ONE Spokane Stadium. Emina Ekic’s stoppage-time goal lifted the Zephyr to a 3-2 victory.
Seahawks: Where is the Hawks’ roster after Kupp’s signing? Bob Condotta has his thoughts.
Kraken: A hockey game made up of only goalies? Yes please. And have the guy who played Goldberg in “The Mighty Ducks” drop the first puck.
Mariners: We mentioned the Gilbert news above. Linked it there. And here too. … Castillo and Gilbert both pitched yesterday as the M’s played split-squad games. … Kevin Seitzer’s plan for hitting in T-Mobile appears in the S-R today. … As does two stories, one on the three ways the M’s offense could improve and the three ways it could regress.
Sonics: Slick Watts, who’s bald, headbanded adorned head could not overshadow his basketball abilities, died Saturday. He was 73.
Sounders: The players wore Sounders jerseys. And competed. But the group playing in St. Louis was not the team, or the coach (Brian Schmetzer was sick and stayed home), that is supposed to take the pitch. Seattle lost 1-0.
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• Ya, we were supposed to skip finger day today. But as our 10 digits are addicted to the exercise they receive each morning, they forced us to wake up early and put this column together. Habits are weird. Until later …
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When a lifelong heart condition became worse, Donny Jones, who lives near Seattle, knew by last June that he’d be heading to Spokane.
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