Despite playing three games in five days, Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun insists that fatigue and conditioning will not be factors in tonight's showdown with Gonzaga.

"If you heard that Adam (Morrison) was going to another island, that's the only advantage I can think of," he said after his team's 79-70 victory over Arizona in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational.

"It's too early in the year. I think in a tournament like this fatigue should not be a factor. Michigan State, which has to play at 11, (after a triple-overtime game) I can see fatigue being a factor. But our fourth (game) in six days? That should not be a factor."

Calhoun's counterpart, Bulldog head coach Mark Few, has a slightly different perspective having survived a three-hour, three-overtime, 109-106 victory over Michigan State.

"We'll dig down deep and do whatever we have to do," he said.

Calhoun expressed confidence in the conditioning and the resilience of his squad. The Huskies overcame an off night by superstar forward Rudy Gay, who finished with a paltry 6 points on 2-of-10 shooting.

Five Connecticut players scored in double figures.

Senior center/forward Hilton Armstrong played 28 minutes and turned in 14 points and 8 rebounds on 3-of-4 shooting.

"I was just thinking that this is the end of the season and we're facing some difficult teams, I just stepped up," he said.

Calhoun said his players will be ready to run and handle the pressure Gonzaga will most definitely bring.

Gonzaga's Morrison, who scored 43 points last night, said he couldn't think about UConn just yet because the adrenaline of the Michigan State game had not worn off. He said he had no idea how tired he was.

"It's a big win but now it's a memory," he said. "We had a long fall this year with conditioning that coach put us through but this is why we did it. The adrenaline will push you through."

One school that is suffering from fatigue is Michigan State.

The Spartans are going to have to find a way to recover, physically and emotionally, from the triple overtime loss to Gonzaga.

And fast.

The Spartans play their fourth game in five days today when they meet Arizona in the 11:30 a.m. third-place game.

The contest tips off less than 18 hours after coming up short against Gonzaga.

"No practice tonight but they'll show up tomorrow," said Spartans coach Tom Izzo, while flanked by guards Shannon Brown, Maurice Ager and forward Paul Davis.

Four Spartans starters were sidelined for stretches by severe cramping during an 84-62 loss at Hawai'i Saturday. Davis missed the final 20 minutes of that game with leg cramps.

Last night, guard Shannon Brown started to cramp up so much he could barely play, Izzo said. Brown also missed time in the Hawai'i game because of cramping.

"I just kept begging him to go and he kept promising me he would," Izzo said. "That meant a lot to me."

Brown shrugged off the issue, saying he and his teammates would have enough energy for today's game.

"We always got something," he said. "But we just gotta get it out."

Arizona head coach Lute Olson didn't sound too thrilled about playing Michigan State, but said the fatigue factor may be in his favor.

"The other team played (15) minutes of overtime so I'd say it'd be to our advantage," he said.

TURIAF RECOVERING

Former Gonzaga forward Ronny Turiaf made the trip to Maui with the team as he continues to help out his former school while recovering from open heart surgery.

Turiaf, a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in June, underwent open heart surgery over the summer, and is still convalescing, said Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchack.

The Lakers retain the rights to Turiaf, meaning no other NBA team can sign him before the Lakers, but he has not signed a contract with the team.

MORRISON SETS RECORD

Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison set a Maui Invitational record with 43 points on 14-of-28 shooting in the Bulldogs' 109-106 triple overtime victory against Michigan State.

The previous record of 40 points was set by Loyola Marymount's Terrell Lowery during a game against Chaminade in 1990.

"I was confident," Morrison said. "I was getting good looks and just trying to get in my wheelhouse so to speak, which is mid-range jump shots.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.