#GoZags! Spokane’s weather forecast? 100pc chance of Zag Fever

SPOKANE

If you’ve noticed an unusual amount of blue and white moving through the River Park Square or felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to high-five a stranger in a Kennel Club jersey, don’t panic. It’s just the annual outbreak of Zag Fever, and the 2026 strain is particularly potent.

With the WCC Tournament currently turning Las Vegas into “Spokane South,” local social media has officially lost its collective mind. Here’s how the madness is breaking down:

Twitter is currently a digital museum of 1990s nostalgia. Every local sports journalist with a Wi-Fi connection is posting grainy footage of the 1994-95 “Breakthrough” team. You know the one, the squad that secured Gonzaga’s first-ever NCAA tournament bid under Dan Fitzgerald.

Fans are drawing frantic parallels between that historic roster and the current Graham Ike-led juggernaut. If 1995 was the “Big Bang” of Gonzaga basketball, 2026 is the “Supernova. There are mostly just side-by-side photos of 90s baggy shorts versus today’s “compression-everything” look. #GoZags is trending so hard that people in Saint Mary’s territory are reportedly muting the word “Bulldog” just to maintain their sanity.

Over on Instagram, the “Blue and White” lifestyle is less of a color palette and more of a personality trait. Local influencers are currently posting “What’s in my Vegas Carry-on” reels that are 40 per cent sunscreen and 60 per cent face paint.

We’ve moved past the era of mere fandom into Spiritual Bulldogism. Local coffee shops are serving “Tournament Toffee” lattes, and if your brunch photo doesn’t feature at least one item of Gonzaga merch, did you even eat?

Look, we all know the drill. We pretend to work while secretly keeping a “live score” tab open behind our spreadsheets. We tell ourselves we’ll stay calm, but the moment a three-pointer drops in the final minutes, Spokane’s decibel level rivals a jet engine at GEG.

Whether you’re a die-hard who remembers the ’95 run or a newcomer who just likes the vibes, one thing is certain… in Spokane, March is a lifestyle.

news@thespokanetimes.com