Cost-cutting Big Sky to play on Fridays, Saturdays, limit air travel

SALT LAKE CITY -- 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 will also 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.

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

The league announced last month that the volleyball schedule would go to Fridays and Saturdays and that additional changes were possible during the Big Sky's spring meetings this week in Salt Lake City.