Big Sky takes aim at cutting travel costs

Big Sky Conference men's and women's basketball teams will play league games on Fridays and Saturdays next season as members try to trim costs for the 2009-10 school year.

The conference also will not allow air travel for road trips of under 450 miles and is reducing the Big Sky volleyball and tennis tournaments to four teams instead of six.

"We have to work together as a league to help save," conference commissioner Doug Fuller said in a statement from the Big Sky spring meetings.

Basketball and volleyball teams on trips involving games at Northern Arizona will still play on Thursdays and Saturdays, giving teams a day off because of the long travel between Flagstaff, Ariz., and the other eight Big Sky campuses.

Traveling parties for basketball will also be limited to 17 — including players, coaches and administrators.

Big Sky officials hope the changes save about $415,000 — or $46,000 per school.