Several GU-related items around the net this morning.

—Sounds like Will Foster will make the roster of the D-League Idaho Stampede in Boise. Foster on his GU days: “There was a lot of frustration. It's a great program, but I found out I didn't fit into their system.” Stampede coach: “We're not developing Shaq here.” Ex-GU assistant Leon Rice (now at Boise State): “Will is all about potential. He oozes with potential.”

—Interesting scores of GU opponents (EWU-Hawaii) and ex-Zag coaches (Monson vs. Rice, 49ers vs. Broncos).

—Gonzaga is expected to return to the Maui Invitational in 2013, along with Arkansas, Baylor, Cal, host Chaminade, Dayton, Minnesota and Syracuse. GU won the 2009 event with victories over Colorado, Wisconsin and Cincinnati.

—A reminder to follow me on Twitter (Twitter.com/SRjimm) because everything on this blog ends up there, as well as numerous other items (such as Adam Morrison making a serious comeback.).

The Maui News had a couple of nice photos — one a Zags team gathered on the court after the victory on the front page, one of Rob Sacre hoisting the trophy on the front of the sports section and another of Cashmere Wright’s last-second runner in mid-air on an inside page.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I’ve checked in for my flight, bought the appropriate souvenirs and just need to finish off this day after post, following GU’s 61-59 win over Cincinnati in the championship game of the Maui Invitational..

Take a look below.

Usually games this physical have players in shoulder pads and officials throwing flags.

Gonzaga fought past Cincinnati 61-59 on Wednesday to win the Maui Invitational. My unedited game story is below. Looks like we picked the wrong night to have early deadlines for Thursday’s Thanksgiving paper!

Anyway, read on, and check back tomorrow for a day after post.

Last day of the Maui Invitational and Gonzaga has made it to the championship game for the second straight time. GU lost to UConn in the 2005 title game.

Read on for more.

Gonzaga put it all together to knock off Wisconsin 74-61. Read on for my unedited game story that will run in Wednesday’s S-R and check back tomorrow morning for a day-after post.

Gonzaga defeated Wisconsin 74-61 on Tuesday night to advance to the championship game of the Maui Invitational. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Matt Bouldin’s 18 points. Steven Gray added 15, Robert Sacre 13 and Elias Harris 12. Demetri Goodson just missed giving the Bulldogs a fifth double-figures scorer. He had nine points. 

The Bulldogs led by as many as 13 in the first half before taking a 43-33 lead into the break. Wisconsin made a couple of runs at GU, closing within six with 9 minutes left. Bouldin canned a jumper when his defender backed off to restore the lead to eight.

GU continued to answer Wisconsin baskets as Rob Sacre had a three-point play and Demetri Goodson made a pull-up 8-footer in the lane. Goodson’s bucket started a decisive 8-0 run that gave GU a 71-56 lead.

The Bulldogs will face Cincinnati, which thumped Maryland 69-57, for the title Wednesday.

Game story in about 90 minutes.

We’ll combine a brief look back with a glance ahead. Read on.

Gonzaga overcame a woeful first half as guards Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray led a second-half comeback that resulted in a 76-72 victory over Colorado on Monday in the first round of the Maui Classic.

Gray scored a career-high 27 points and Bouldin had 12 of his 21 points in the final 6:31. The Bulldogs trailed 40-29 as the Buffaloes made seven 3-pointers.

More in about 2 hours.

Tipoff in about 15 minutes at the Lahaina Civic Center, which had exactly three people sitting in the stands at 11:30 when they opened the doors to the public. Now it’s about two-thirds full, mostly with Zag followers. Mark Few wasn’t kidding when he said it’s a small, no-frills gym. It seats about 2,400 and makes St. Joe’s gym look palatial.

Gonzaga nearly cracked the new Top 25 polls, but finished 26th in A.P. and 28th in ESPN/USA Today. Meanwhile, Maui participant Vanderbilt made both polls and Maryland moved up to 21st and 22nd, respectively.

In the 10 o’clock hour, CU was on the floor shooting for a good 20 minutes before GU arrived. It’ll be interesting to monitor the team’s perimeter accuracy with an unusual backdrop (one end has a 50-foot Hawaiian mural; the other has a string of banners and advertising signs.) When the Buffaloes were warming up, GU’s first three players to step onto the floor were 7-5 Will Foster, 7-0 Rob Sacre and 6-11 Andy Poling, probably just a coincidence but it underscored the size differential. That’s probably GU’s biggest priority in terms of executing its game plan.

Check back later for the game story.

There are benefits to being up at 3 a.m. — good parking at the airport and the fact that it led to a late afternoon arrival in one of the prettiest spots on the planet: Maui.

I started writing this tournament advance at Sea-Tac — where I saw UW coach Lorenzo Romar and WSU assistant Jeff Hironaka in the C concourse, about 20 minutes apart — continued typing away during a short layover in Portland and then finished it off here in Maui.

UPDATE: CU coach Jeff Bzdelik won’t coach the Buffaloes in Maui because his mother has fallen ill. He left Maui on Sunday to fly back to Chicago. Steve McClain will coach CU in the tournament. He also filled in for Bzdelik in CU’s season opener.

The unedited version is below.