Yes, Virginia, Zags expect Raivio

Barring any unforeseen setbacks, the Gonzaga Bulldogs should have their starting point guard back for Saturday night’s non-conference men’s basketball game against Virginia.

Junior Derek Raivio, who has missed GU’s last two games with a badly bruised hip and lower back, said prior to practice on Tuesday that he plans to be in uniform and available to play when the Zags and Cavaliers tip off at 5 in the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Raivio, who had not practiced since bruising his hip and back after taking a nasty fall during the first half of a 99-95 road loss to Washington on Dec. 4, said he worked out on his own Sunday and Monday evening and dealt with what little soreness remains.

Senior forward Erroll Knight, who has yet to play this season after undergoing two arthroscopic surgeries on his left knee, is not expected to be cleared to play against Virginia.

Morrison makes a splash

The editors at Sports Illustrated didn’t devote the entire cover of this week’s issue to Adam Morrison, as some had expected. But they did put a small insert of GU’s junior forward in the upper left-hand corner of the cover, which features Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander.

On the inside of this week’s issue, which hits newsstands today, is a lengthy story on Morrison written by SI college basketball writer Grant Wahl, who spent some time with Morrison and the Zags last week.

Morrison is also the subject of a story written by John Gustafson in this week’s issue of ESPN The Magazine.

In addition to gracing the cover of SI and the inside pages of ESPN, Morrison will appear as a guest on the Jim Rome’s “Rome is Burning” sports talk show today on ESPN. He is scheduled to appear at approximately 1:35 p.m.