Where rubber meets road

Five regular season games remain and it is now time “where the rubber meets the road” for Eastern Washington’s men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Eagle hoops are in the rarest of atmospheres this season. Both EWU teams are on top of their respective standings and poised to take tandem titles to the Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise, March 9-13.

The Eagle women, guided by Joddie Gleason, have worked their way back into a tie for the top with Northern Arizona following five straight victories.

Winners of four of their last five Big Sky games — and despite their first home loss last Saturday to Weber State — David Riley’s men still have a two-game lead over Northern Colorado.

Making it more interesting as the regular season winds down, each team faces their closest pursuers in those handful of remaining games.

The road, both real and figuratively, is rough and rugged for anyone residing in the vast expanse of the Big Sky.

In Gleason’s case, three of the five remaining games are at Reese Court where they have a 9-2 record and are 10-3 on the road.

Her Eagles, 11-2 in conference play and 21-5 overall, will look to establish a new program high for wins in a season with their battle for first with NAU on Feb. 22 at Reese Court with a 6 p.m. tip.

Winning in the Big Sky can be difficult enough any day, in anyone’s gym. But the rigors of road lend an added challenge — particularly when there’s a trip on the schedule to Flagstaff, Arizona or Greeley, Colorado.

That’s where the Eastern men embark for games against Northern Arizona on Feb. 22 and Northern Colorado on Feb. 24.

It’s one of the most daunting trips either team takes, and not just because of their opponents on the court.

The Eastern women split their earlier games winning in Greeley before losing in overtime at Flagstaff.

Logistically speaking these two games are both physically and mentally draining.

To get to Flagstaff is the easy part on the flight from Spokane to Phoenix. But then there’s two-plus hour bus ride — in good weather — gaining some 5,700 feet to go play at a shade under 7,000 feet above sea level.

Then it’s reverse things, travel back to Phoenix and head off to Denver and a mere hour ride to Greeley.

Provided snow doesn’t interfere?

Eastern broadcaster Larry Weir told of the Montana schools being greeted by roughly three feet of snow in FLagstaff and limping home with a single victory in the four games.

There are — or were — other variations of this trip in the past into the heart of the Rocky Mountains in winter.

Before Southern Utah left the Big Sky following the 2019-20 season, one trip went to Cedar City and then Flagstaff, or visa-versa. On that journey, many teams bussed between the two cities, Weir said.

Or they flew into Las Vegas, then bussed five hours to Cedar City at 5,800 elevation. But again, weather could also make that a pretty nasty trip, too.

Normally, the Montana trip through Missoula to Bozeman is a seemingly endless six-hour bus ride each way. But this year because of a scheduling quirk, the team flew to play MSU as part of a three-game in five-day stretch between Feb. 1-5. After the Montana game, Feb. 3, Eastern flew to and home from a game at Portland State.

This week the Eagle men will play twice “at elevation” with Greeley sitting at about 4,600, but maybe do so with the confidence of having won four of their last five there.

However, if history is any indicator, it’s a good chance that there should be some element of success on this trip. Over the past five seasons the Eagles have returned home with a 4-1 record against Northern Colorado and are 4-0 in Flagstaff.

Here’s to more of that history and a finish mirroring the successful seasons so far for both teams. And getting solid traction for the tournaments that lie ahead!

— Paul Delaney is a Free Press Publishing sports reporter and can be reached at [email protected].