HONOLULU – Mark Few knew the Maui Invitational would present a variety of challenges to his Gonzaga Bulldogs – tests that should be good for them not only as they plug away at a tough nonconference schedule, but potentially down the road in the NCAA Tournament.
HONOLULU – Something to keep in mind if you’re interested in rationalizing Gonzaga’s 73-63 loss to Purdue in the Maui Invitational on Monday: A bad early loss to the Boilermakers didn’t derail the Zags last season.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few has seen this before against Purdue, in person last year and on videotape this season. It wasn’t any easier on the eye Monday when the second-ranked Boilermakers handled No. 11 Gonzaga for the second straight season at a holiday tournament.
HONOLULU – It’s a lesson most of Purdue’s opponents in the Big Ten have learned over the years and one Gonzaga picked up after 40 minutes on Monday at the Maui Invitational.
The consensus was, when Gonzaga finally released its men’s nonconference basketball schedule, the season actually began in Hawaii. At the Maui Invitational. It would be, the story went, the Zags’ first big test.
