Zags prepare to play at Indiana

Zags prepare to play at Indiana

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press Writer

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Business travel is never fun, even when you play for the No. 5 college basketball team in the country and fly charter everywhere.

After winning the Old Spice Classic in Florida on Sunday night, Gonzaga endured a tough trip home, guard Matt Bouldin said Wednesday.

The team's plane refueled in Kansas City, but didn't take off right away because fog was shrouding the Spokane airport. After hours of waiting, the players finally flew to Moses Lake and drove the 90 miles east to Spokane, Bouldin said.

"It was the worst ever," he joked.

Otherwise, the trip was pretty good as the Zags (5-0) beat Oklahoma State, Maryland and No. 12 Tennessee to win their first early season tournament since 2004.

The Zags showed in the wins that they had numerous dependable scorers, that Josh Heytvelt was fully recovered from foot surgery and they had plenty of inside help for him.

"We showed we could win against top teams," said Heytvelt, a senior who's averaging 15 points and 6.6 rebounds so far.

The high-powered offense also features Austin Daye (12.8 ppg), Micah Downs (12.8), Bouldin (11.4), Steven Gray (10.6) and Jeremy Pargo (9.6 points, 7 assists).

The next test is Saturday against Indiana in Indianapolis. It's the first time this season Gonzaga will play before a hostile crowd. The Hoosiers (4-2) are led by first year coach Tom Crean, and are not considered to be as strong as normal.

The last time these teams played was in the NCAA tournament in Sacramento on March 15, 2007, with the Hoosiers winning the first round game 70-57.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few has been pleased with his team, which hasn't been ranked this high since March 2006.

"On defense we've been better than in the past," Few said. The Zags are limiting opponents to 60 points per game.

Eight players are getting more than 12 minutes per game, a juggling job that Few said is not difficult to pull off.

"Our strength is our balance and versatility," he said. "We've got a lot of good players, but no great player like Adam (Morrison) or Ronny (Turiaf)."

Few expects Indiana to run complicated offensive sets, and figures the Hoosiers will want to perform well in front of a big partisan crowd.

Heytvelt, who is making nearly 66 percent of his shots, likes to play in front of hostile crowds.

"It's motivational," he said.

After Indiana, the Zags travel to Washington State next Wednesday, then play at Arizona. They will have been on the road a month when they play their next home game on Dec. 18 against Texas Southern.
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