‘Bows ready to run with the Rebels

In Pamplona, Spain, the Running of the Bulls is renowned as a rush of adrenaline for thrill seekers.

In Las Vegas, the Running of the Rebels is regarded in much the same fashion.

The Hawaii men’s basketball team will try to get up and down the floor with the 24th-ranked UNLV Runnin’ Rebels today in a hostile environment at the 18,500-seat Thomas & Mack Center.

"Man, there’s nothing like playing at Thomas & Mack, especially on a Saturday afternoon game," said UH senior point guard Jace Tavita, who played there as a sophomore at Utah."They’re nationally ranked. There’s going to be a lot of energy there. Their crowd is always big-time supporting to them. Just because they’ve got so much tradition. … I think everyone’s going to be in for a treat."

Loud, and fast. UNLV (4-1) of the potent Mountain West Conference averages 83 points a game, with six players scoring at least 9.2. Dave Rice’s team runs at every opportunity. The Rainbow Warriors (4-1) pick their spots in transition.

"They’re very, very athletic. Maybe the most athletic team we’ll play this year," UH coach Gib Arnold said.

The Rebels claimed a five-point New Year’s Eve win in Honolulu last year on the way to a 26-7 season and a second-round finish in the NCAA. But both teams have transformed significantly — and in both cases, for the better, Arnold believes. UNLV is coming off an 85-57 pasting of another Big West Conference team, UC Irvine, on Wednesday.

UH hasn’t yet been tested in a road environment, and won’t be again until Big West play in January. UNLV has averaged 15,613 fans in its first five games, all at home, numbers it hasn’t seen since immediately after its national championship season of 1990.

Talented true freshman Anthony Bennett, a McDonald’s All-American out of Vegas’ Findlay Prep, is a big reason for the uptick. The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 19.4 points to go with 7.8 rebounds.

"The crowds have been fantastic. Our opener against Northern Arizona, we had over 18,000," Rice said. "It’s been a big part of helping us build our program. The energy in the building is terrific. Our crowd has a lot of respect for Hawaii, and there’s great tradition in that rivalry. We know what a challenge it will be."

UH last won at UNLV in the 2003 NIT first round, 85-68. The Rebels have taken 10 of 12 meetings in the desert, and the last four in the series overall.

"I definitely gotta be using hand signals to call plays, because it’s going to be loud," Tavita said.

In scout preparation during their 10-day layoff from game action, the UH coaches made getting back on defense a frantic emphasis.

Offensively, the ‘Bows will try to try to work the ball inside to senior Vander Joaquim (15.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg), junior Christian Standhardinger (15.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and freshman Isaac Fotu (8.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg). Tavita is fifth in the country in assists per game at 8.0.

"If you run your offense and go inside, and shoot a decent percentage. … The difference between them taking it out of bounds and running their offense on a missed shot or a turnover is all the difference in the world," said UH assistant Scott Fisher, who scouted UNLV.

The battle down low could well be where this one is decided. Besides Bennett, junior Mike Moser (12.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg) also has to be respected.

On the wing, Katin Reinhardt (11.6 ppg) and Justin Hawkins (9.4 ppg) take 3s in bunches, while point guard Anthony Marshall sets the table. UH will need to match their production from Brandon Spearman (15.2 ppg) and Hauns Brereton (13.0)

Getting off to a fast start — and maintaining it — could be key for UH. The ‘Bows have outscored foes by 11.8 points in first halves, but have played them practically even after the break, allowing untimely comebacks.

"They are very athletic, and they are playing at home, so they’re going to be playing fast," Joaquim said. "We just gotta pick it up with them. We just gotta be ready to play."