Gonzaga not taking Mississippi St. lightly

Published 10:22 pm Saturday, November 13, 2010

SPOKANE — Gonzaga’s Robert Sacre insists the Bulldogs are not looking past Mississippi Valley State, their opponent in the season opener today.

But with a game at No. 2 Michigan State on Tuesday, it’s hard to believe the Zags are focused on the Delta Devils, who finished 7-25 last year.

“I think we need to focus on Mississippi Valley,” Sacre said. “Then focus on Michigan State.”

Sacre, a 7-foot post player who missed most of last season with a foot injury, is expected to be a key contributor for a Gonzaga team that is much rawer than usual. Four starters are gone from last year, leaving veterans Sacre, Matt Bouldin, Steven Gray and Demitri Goodson as the main returners from last year’s Sweet 16 team.

Most of the rest of the players have never played a minute of college basketball.

“They are going to be thrown into the fire here pretty quick,” said Bouldin, an All-West Coast Conference selection who scored 13.6 points and dished out 3.4 assists per game last year.

With such a young team, Gonzaga’s non-conference schedule that includes No. 9 Duke, No. 17 Oklahoma and No. 23 Illinois, plus Wake Forest, Memphis and Washington State, might look a tad ambitious.

“We have to prepare them for adversity,” coach Mark Few said.