Rainbows would love to come home in first

To become the class of the league, you have to beat the class of the league.

The Hawaii men’s basketball team will try to challenge the established pecking order in the Big West Conference when it takes on two-time defending champion Long Beach State today.

If UH can somehow interrupt the 19-game conference home winning streak of Long Beach State, the Rainbow Warriors will return from their first Big West road trip with at least a share of first place.

The ‘Bows took their first conference loss on Wednesday, a 68-64 setback at UC Irvine. In the days in between, the team emphasized improved ball control more so than anything specific on Long Beach State.

"It’d be a real good start to the conference and to playing on the road," UH coach Gib Arnold said of what a win at the Pyramid would mean. "You know, we were close (at Irvine). It went right down to the wire. Had a chance to beat them, and let a couple turnovers get away. Even made a strong comeback. We never thought we were out, and the guys played to the final buzzer.

"I’d like to repeat that, if we can play that way again with that aggression. And then maybe play with a little more efficiency, we could have a chance to get a split here."

It won’t be easy. The Beach has style — just take a look at its palm-tree-emblazoned court — and substance, with what Arnold considers the most athletic 1-through-5 lineup in the Big West.

However, the 49ers had to come back from a 55-48 deficit with 11 minutes to play to keep their home streak going vs. Cal State Northridge 78-69 on Wednesday.

"We just don’t feel like right now we’re playing at the caliber we need to to compete for the league title," Long Beach coach Dan Monson said.

The 49ers lost quite a bit from their 25-9 NCAA Tournament team of a season ago, most notably two-time Big West Player of the Year Casper Ware. Sophomore point guard Mike Caffey (12.0 ppg, 4.1 apg) and senior forward James Ennis (17.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg) have picked up much of the slack.

The 49ers hoped Division I transfers Dan Jennings (West Virginia), Keala King (Arizona State) and Tony Freeland (DePaul) could fill the rest of the gaps. But King — the older brother of UH women’s basketball freshman Destiny King — and Freeland were not ruled eligible until Dec. 29. They’ve played four games with their new team, causing some recent chemistry issues.

Monson called it a "worst-case scenario."

"It’s been more than we bargained for," he said. "I’ve never had a midseason transfer, let alone two of them. We’re just behind as far as chemistry and fusion. They’ve been practicing with us, but it’s just not the same."

Still, there won’t be much UH can throw at this opponent that will set it back on its heels. Long Beach State had one of the most difficult nonconference schedules in the country. It has lost to then-No. 11 North Carolina, at No. 10 Arizona, at No. 4 Syracuse and at No. 7 Ohio State.

"We do it for games like this," Monson said. "Nobody in our league can replicate the size, rebounding and strength of Hawaii. But we’ve played against those teams. They remind me of an Ohio State, physically inside. We point to that with our kids. ‘Ohio State kicked our butt on the boards, we’ve got to listen.’ That’s why we play these games."

To have a realistic shot, UH will need solid production out of center Vander Joaquim (14.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and forwards Christian Standhardinger (15.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Isaac Fotu (10.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg).

The UH point guard situation remains in flux as Arnold has tinkered with ways to cut down on turnovers. Senior Jace Tavita started for just the second time in seven games at Irvine. He had four assists against five turnovers.

Ozren Pavlovic, a 6-foot-8 freshman, took a turn as the point guard for a few minutes in each half against the Anteaters, while freshman Manroop Clair played only two minutes.

"I felt a little more comfortable with (Pavlovic) out there with the size of their guards and how much ball pressure they applied," Arnold said. "He’s a guy I think can play the point for us and help us."