Zags travel to take on No. 2 Spartans tonight
SPOKANE — Gonzaga coach Mark Few was not particularly impressed with his young team’s sloppy play in a season-opening win over Mississippi Valley State.
The Zags (1-0) take a big step up in opponent quality today when they play at No. 2 Michigan State (1-0).
“They’re picked to probably make it to the championship game and battle for the national championship,” Few said of the Spartans. “To play them on their home floor this early is quite a task.”
The Zags and Spartans have met three times previously, in some memorable games. Gonzaga lost to Michigan State in a 1997 tournament in East Lansing. The teams met in the Sweet 16 in 2001, with Michigan State winning 77-62.
In 2005, they played in the Maui Classic, with Adam Morrison leading Gonzaga to a 109-106 triple-overtime victory.
The teams have another tie. Former Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote has retired to Spokane and is a Gonzaga season ticket holder and mentor to Few.
But that history won’t make much difference when the Zags play a team that has 12 returning lettermen from last year’s NCAA runners up. Starters Kalin Lucas, Raymar Morgan and Delvon Roe are back for the Spartans.
By contrast, Matt Bouldin is the only starter back from Gonzaga’s Sweet 16 team last year. Most of the Gonzaga roster is made up of freshmen and sophomores in what is the most inexperienced Zags team in recent history.
That showed in the 92-74 win over MVSU, when Bouldin, plus veterans Robert Sacre, Demetri Goodson and Steven Gray did most of the heavy lifting. Freshman Elias Harris started and contributed 18 points and 7 rebounds. The rest of the team did little despite considerable playing time.
“There was some good and there was some bad,” Few said.
Michigan State is the first marquee opponent for what is a typically tough non-conference schedule for the Zags, including Wake Forest, Duke, Illinois, Oklahoma, Memphis and Washington State.
Bouldin’s 22 points versus MVSU moved him into 20th on Gonzaga’s career with 1,191 points, just ahead of Josh Heytvelt.
