PORTLAND, Ore. — There's a belief among some sports fans if a team has too many days off between games, it's bound to get rusty, and with that, struggle to get back into game shape.

There's also a belief among some that states beating a team three times in a single season — twice during the regular season, and again in the playoffs — is just as problematic.

NAU point guard Josh Wilson and Lumberjack post Kyle Landry aren't among those people.

Wilson, Landry and the rest of the second-seeded Jacks (20-10) will have the opportunity to poke holes in both of those beliefs when they face No. 3 Weber State in a Big Sky Conference tournament semifinal today in the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.

NAU, which earned a first-round bye as the second seed, played its last game nine days ago when it trounced visiting Idaho State 76-53 in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Also, the Jacks swept WSU (16-13) this year. NAU beat the defending league tourney champs by 13 in Ogden, Utah on Jan. 25, then by three in the Skydome on Feb. 28.

Wilson , who leads the league in assists per game (5.43) and is second on the team in scoring (11.9 points per game), said the extra time off won't be an issue when it comes to today's game.

"I think it's enough time to heal (old injuries), but not enough time to really hurt you," he said. "We've been going at it pretty hard in practice so I don't think we've had time to get rusty.

"I think its all for the good."

Landry agreed.

"I think the time off is definitely better because it gave us more time to rest and prepare. That's why the (last) game against these guys was so important," said Landry, referring to the fact NAU clinched the second seed in the tourney thanks to the Feb. 28 win. "We wanted to get this bye and get a little extra rest

"They had to play an extra game and hopefully they're a little worn down."

Weber State advanced to the semis with a 65-49 homecourt win over No. 6 Montana State on Saturday.

As for completing a three-game sweep, Landry had a quick answer.

"I don't think it's harder to beat a team three times. Look at last year. They beat us three times. It's our chance to return the favor," he said.

Last season, WSU beat the Jacks 81-73 in Flagstaff, then 86-79 in their first meeting in Ogden. The Wildcats, which hosted the tourney last year, made it three straight over the Jacks with an 88-80 win in the tourney final.

"We really owe them, they stopped us from going to the NCAA tournament last year." Landry added.

NAU comes into the game as the hottest team in the league over the last five games. The Jacks came out on top in all of those games. The average margin of victory was 10.8 points per game.

"We look good," Wilson said. "We've got five wins in a row and had a good week at practice and we're just really excited about it. We should play well."

(1) Portland State vs. (4) Idaho State Today, 8 p.m.

The top-seeded Vikings can earn their first ticket to the league's postseason tournament final with a win over the Bengals in today's nightcap. PSU joined the league in 1996.

The Vikings (21-9) swept the season series, winning by 10 in Pocatello, Idaho on Jan. 13, then by 23 here on Valentine's Day.

In the latest win, PSU guard Deonte Huff finished with 20 points and six rebounds, while backcourt mate Jeremiah Dominguez tallied 18 points and five assists.

Key in the win was the Vikings' work on the glass, PSU pulled down 41 rebounds to ISU's 25.

The Bengals were led by 3-point specialist Austin Kilpatrick who hit four 3s and finished with 14 points. Fellow ISU guard Matt Stucki chipped in 13 points.

ISU (12-18), which advanced to the semis with a 67-65 win over fifth-seeded Montana in their first-round matchup in Pocatello on Saturday, will play in its first league tourney semifinal since 2004.

The Bengals were bounced from the bracket by NAU in that game, 91-72. The Lumberjacks lost by 12 to Eastern Washington in the final.

Semifinal winners will meet Wednesday in a nationally-televised game. The league tourney champ will earn an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

Keith Jiron can be reached at 556-2259 or kjiron@azdailysun.com.

BIG SKY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

MEN'S SEMIFINAL (2) NAU VS. (3) Weber State

Today, 5:30 p.m. (Portland, Ore.)

Radio: 930 AM (Pregame starts at 4:50 p.m.)

TV: Altitude Sports - NPG Cable Channel 4+59

Internet: www.krde.com