Business is picking up on the court

’Tis the season for playoff basketball.

With the girls high school season complete, and at the end of the day today the picture in the boys ranks a lot clearer headed to state, members of the area college team are still in the midst of their seasons.

And more importantly, locking down their postseason plans.

WITH ONLY two games remaining in the regular season, the task is simple for both the North Idaho College men’s and women’s basketball teams to get to the Northwest Athletic Conference playoffs.

Just win — once.

Now whether that’s today at Walla Walla or at home on Wednesday against Wenatchee Valley, both NIC teams appear to be locked into postseason bids.

The Cardinal men trail Walla Walla by one game for the East Region lead. Walla Walla is 11-3 in the East Region, with NIC at 10-4. Spokane and Wenatchee Valley are both 9-5 with Yakima Valley and Big Bend close behind at 8-6.

Walla Walla won at NIC 85-82 on Jan. 17 and could lock up the East Region title with a win today. NIC beat Wenatchee Valley 76-65 at Wenatchee on Jan. 24.

NIC’s women, who missed out on the playoffs last season, face a little tougher task today. The Cardinals take on Walla Walla, which has already locked up the East with a 14-0 record and has a 24-game win streak.

NIC (9-5 in conference) leads Treasure Valley by one game for third and Big Bend by two games for the final playoff spot. Columbia Basin, second in the East with an 11-4 record, has already clinched a postseason berth.

Should it come down to it, NIC will face a Wenatchee Valley team on Wednesday at home that the Cards beat 75-68 on Jan. 24 to lock up a playoff spot.

Teams in the East Region are not scheduled to play next Saturday, the final day of the regular season before the field and matchups are announced for the first week of the NWAC Tournament at Everett Community College, scheduled for March 8-9 (women) and March 10-11 (men). Semifinals and finals are the following weekend in Everett.

THE RETURN of the Seattle SuperSonics won’t be happening any time soon, but there’s a report that the NBA will be returning to KeyArena for a preseason game in October.

The game, scheduled for Oct. 6, will feature the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, includes former Sonic Kevin Durant.

Durant was one of the Sonics’ final first-round draft picks before the team left for Oklahoma City.

Sure, Durant is still loved in the Northwest. All you’ve got to do is take a look at Hoopfest in Spokane last year. When he appeared for the final round of games, the crowd went insane.

I’m sure that fans in Seattle will shower him with all kinds of love, because it wasn’t his fault the team left when it did.

Maybe, just maybe we’re a little closer to professional basketball in Seattle, since they’re willing to send two teams to Washington.

As for us, we’ll just tune into our playoff basketball locally.

That’s about to get pretty good anyway.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.