TUCSON, Ariz. -- Asked if Gonzaga would charter a plane to haul its players, band, friends and family to the West Regionals in Albuquerque, N.M., next week, Bulldogs coach Mark Few didn't pause.

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"Knowing us," he said, "we'll probably bus to Albuquerque."

Everyone around Few laughed, but he kept a straight face. A program that ran out of recruiting money during the early-signing period in the fall has to pinch pennies when and where it can.

It's also just as determined to slay a dragon or two whenever it gets the chance on a neutral court with neutral officials. Evening the playing field, Few called it. And the 'Zags did it again Saturday, defeating second-seeded St. John's 82-76 to advance to the Sweet 16 for a second consecutive year.

"It's something we've been trying to do," said senior guard Richie Frahm. "This is real special, for the team to be part of history. It's something to play against teams with history, but it's also cool to be part of history."

Few said he has been grateful for the respect and kind words that St. John's coach Mike Jarvis gave the Bulldogs on Friday and Saturday.

"But I still don't think," Few said, "that he wants to bring his team to Spokane."

Does anyone, now that Gonzaga has established itself as a national power for the second consecutive season?

Frahm torched Louisville for 31 points in the first round Thursday, but he settled for only 10 against the Red Storm's pesky defense Saturday. That defense helped St. John's storm to a 32-23 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half.

Until then, the 10th-seeded Bulldogs were antsy, tentative and inefficient.

"We certainly weren't focused," forward Casey Calvary said. "Sometimes, you get excited. You forget to box out, and you're just looking around. But we turned it around, and I think it says a lot about us that we're going back to the Sweet 16."

Gonzaga finished the half by cutting its deficit to 36-33, as Axel Dench, a 6-foot-11 senior from Australia, put in a couple of follow-up shots and Matt Santangelo sank a 3-pointer. The Bulldogs started the second half by continuing to exploit the inside game with Calvary and Dench, opening up the outside.

Santangelo, a senior, hit three 3-pointers in the second half, and Frahm, Ryan Floyd and even Dench sank long-range shots in the final 20 minutes to sink St. John's.

The 'Zags will play sixth-seeded Purdue in a West Regional semifinal on Thursday. The Boilermakers beat Gonzaga 83-68 in a preseason NIT game last year in West Lafayette, Ind.

"They beat us pretty bad," Santangelo said. "They're a very physical and strong team, and we'll have another test in that game."

And it's hardly occurred in an atmosphere that could be construed as level. Like they did a year ago, when they beat Minnesota and Stanford in Seattle before defeating Florida in Phoenix -- foes seeded seventh, second and sixth, just like now -- the 'Zags had the "neutral" crowd on their side all weekend.

More than 90 percent of the McKale Center crowd of 13,818 on Saturday got behind Gonzaga, which gives the upstarts from Spokane, Wash., even more adrenaline. Even Oklahoma fans, who had just watched their Sooners lose to Purdue, could be seen cheering on the Bulldogs.

"The fans really adopt us," Calvary said. "I think a lot of people like to root for the underdog, and we like it. We're a positive team, we don't fight and we don't talk trash. So we feed on that."

The Red Storm, especially guard Bootsy Thornton, got dose of that with 13 minutes left in the game. Thornton became entangled with Mark Spink after taking a shot, and before the dust settled Thornton had flashed a glare and some venom in taking a step or two toward Spink.

Boos cascaded down upon Thornton as if he had just tripped Santa Claus, and there were more boos as the Red Storm left the court after the defeat.

"It gives you another spark," Frahm said of the boost from the crowd. "But we can't rely on that."

It's enough that the 'Zags rely upon themselves when the real games begin in the middle of March. Dench and Calvary combined for 30 points and 13 boards, and Santangelo finished with 26 points.

Neither Santangelo nor Frahm sat on the bench for one second, and Barkley and Thornton also played every second for St. John's. Frahm, though, noticed that the Red Storm slowed a bit in the second half.

Coach Mark Few jumps into the arms of Mark Spink after Gonzaga beat St. John's.(AP)

The Red Storm's trapping defense was tenacious in the second half, but the Johnnies left some of their zeal in the locker room at the half.

"They got tired," Frahm said. "A lot of them bent over and grabbed their shorts. They were pretty effective in the first half, but in the second half we could go right around them. And then we were hitting our shots."

And before Few knew it, he was standing at center court with Santangelo, awaiting a post-game interview with a CBS reporter, as the crowd kept raining cheers down onto the Bulldogs. Gonzaga's pep band chanted "Sweet Six-teen! Sweet Six-teen!"

Marcy Few soon made her way down to the court, cradling Austin James, the couple's two-month-old boy. A.J. was perplexed at the lights, the sights and the sounds, and Mark hugged his wife and first child.

"That's so cute!" one fan said of the scene

Funny, that's just what the Bulldogs want opponents to think and say about them. They might look cute and cuddly, but just wait until the game begins.