Sure, the occasional cram session can get a college student through a tough test once in a while.

To be at your best, however, you need to put in the study hours days in advance. That’s exactly what the players on the Hawaii men’s basketball team intend to do this week in preparation for Saturday’s showdown against Western Athletic Conference leader Utah State.

Seventh-place UH (12-8, 3-5 WAC) hopes the momentum of its three-game winning streak, some extra prep time and a raucous Stan Sheriff Center crowd will add up to a victory over the Aggies (18-2, 7-0), ranked No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

USU, the three-time defending WAC regular-season champion, must contend with San Jose State tomorrow before its arrival in Honolulu. As fortune would have it, UH has a bye tomorrow, its first of the WAC season. UH coach Gib Arnold intends to put that extra time and energy to good use.

"I wish it was like this every game. One game a week is pretty nice," Arnold said. "(USU) is the exact opposite of us in that, that team and that coaching staff have been together so long, they know their stuff tremendously well and run it very well. For us, another day or two to prepare for that should help."

During the first half of the WAC schedule, USU and SJSU had roughly a week to prepare for the Rainbows. UH was coming off short rest in both of those instances, but performed well nonetheless. The ‘Bows, fresh off a fifth-place finish in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, nearly stunned the Aggies in Logan, Utah, on Dec. 29, falling out of the 74-66 loss only in the final minute. Then last Saturday, UH held off the Spartans at the Sheriff with some stout defense after beating Fresno State two days prior.

"It’s definitely a first, but I think it’s a big advantage," senior point guard Hiram Thompson said of the extra days. "You got the whole week to kind of rest and get ready, and also prepare a lot for the team that you’re playing. We’re excited about that."

The UH scout team — Davis Rozitis, Jace Tavita, Pi’i Minns and Dominick Brumfield — devoted most of its practice time yesterday to poring over USU footage and will offer the rotation players a pop quiz in the form of a scrimmage today, Arnold said.

If there’s a WAC team to be grateful for extra time to scout against, it’s USU. Stew Morrill’s team boasts a plethora of plays, signaled via flash cards from assistant coaches, and runs them to near perfection. Arnold said the scout team went over nine of the Aggies’ primary halfcourt sets. Each set offers several options in the form of screens.

"We’re gonna know what their tendencies are," said junior guard Zane Johnson. "We know they’re going to grind us down to the 5, 4 seconds on the shot clock to get a shot in. They’re not going to take a shot unless it’s a good shot."

Coaches, players "All In"

UH is promoting Saturday’s game as "All In Against the Aggies!" and is reminding Manoa students that they get free admission to all home games. The UH coaches plan to go from door to door at UH dorms and apartments throughout the week to get the message out.

"We’re trying to talk to as many students and just let them know that we’re their team and we’re playing for them," Arnold said. "We want them to be a part of the growth of this team, and truly build a program."

There is also a "Bud Light Backcourt Tailgate" outside of the Sheriff Gate B from 5 p.m. until the 7 p.m. tipoff. Tickets are $20 each and include a barbecue dinner, two beverages and live entertainment. Members of the team will attend for the first half hour. Tickets are available by calling Peggy Abella at 484-4339 or e-mailing her at peggy.abella@anheuser-busch.com.