Grammer: My daughter's coin doesn't stand a chance this season ... right?

In the 2017-18 season, it began as a bit of a joke.

I wanted to show people how hard picking games against the point spread actually is, and prove that even an expert like me (ha!) can't really do all that much better than a coin flip when it comes to picking games with the spread factored in.

What I didn't expect when I invited my then-8-year-old daughter, Jaedyn, to join me in making picks that season — me with my supreme hoops knowledge, her with a shiny quarter from her piggy bank that I probably gave her — was for her to beat me.

Yes, before the games were played, we posted every pick on Twitter for all to see. And much to your amusement, #TeamCoin started to gain some momentum. And then more. And by Mountain West Tournament time, I posted a picture of her cutting down the nets of a basket we had hanging from our closet door as she thoroughly beat me that season.

Final standings 2017-18

• My daughter's coin flip picks: 64-41-4
• My Grammer's Guesses: 60-45-4

To be clear, I actually did quite well that season. The randomness of my daughter's coin just did better.

And it wasn't just then.

In the past eight seasons, I believe she and her coin have beaten me five times.

But not again. Not this year.

I invite you to follow along once again throughout the season as I post our picks on X (formerly Twitter) before the first league game through the end of the regular season.

Watch as I show that coin who's boss!

And if she beats me this year, she's grounded until graduation.

Fortunately for me, for Wednesday night's Mountain West debut game — Air Force at San Diego State, with the Aztecs favored by 24.5 points — the coin and I had the same pick.

So the real competition begins Saturday with five new Mountain West hoops games on the slate.

Let's enjoy!

New injury reporting rules

On Wednesday, the Mountain West announced new injury reporting guidelines for men's and women's basketball, similar to those implemented this past season for football games.

The move is an effort to help "protect student-athlete privacy, reduce outside pressure on student-athletes for inside information, ensure transparency and promote competitive integrity."

The league went on to state: "This policy also addresses public confidence in fair play and the integrity risks associated with sports wagering."

The league says the player injury status submissions, required from each team 24 hours prior to every league game, are also part of its compliance partnership with IC360, a sports gambling watchdog firm.

The reports require a school to list players it knows will be "out" or "questionable" to play.

The lists get updated three hours before tipoff.

Saddle up. It's podcastin' time.

Episode 123 of the Talking Grammer podcast is with second-year Wyoming head coach Sundance Wicks, who has his Cowboys at 9-2 at the end of nonconference play and sitting at No. 53 in the NCAA's NET rankings — third best in the Mountain West as of Wednesday, behind Utah State (29) and Boise State (37).

The Cowboys were picked 9th in the preseason media poll but have taken on the fiery persona of their coach. The podcast is full of Wick's personality, and can be viewed on the Journal's YouTube page or listened to wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

NBA Pit stop?

During the pregame show of Tuesday's NBA Cup championship game played between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks, who happen to be coached by Albuquerque resident Mike Brown, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league is exploring future locations for the in-season tournament's title game, maybe even at college venues.

"We're talking with Amazon Prime about whether it makes sense to maybe go to some unique locations for the final game," he said on the NBA on Prime show. "They have suggested, for example, some storied college arenas so we're just looking at other ways we can do this."

Wednesday, on the Eye on College Basketball podcast, CBS Sports analyst Gary Parrish gave his list of five spots he'd like to see an NBA game played, including the Pit.

To be clear, no such discussions have been had with the NBA and any college teams yet and the Pit has been off the NCAA's radar for NCAA Tournament games for more than a decade because of structural limitations for a high-end broadcast needed for such a game.

Geoff Grammer can be reached at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or on X/(Twitter) @GeoffGrammer.