Last time Hawaii and New Mexico State met in the Stan Sheriff Center, UH center Davis Rozitis took five fouls in the first half and exited to a standing ovation.

The former Western Athletic Conference foes have gone their separate ways in league affiliation since that 2012 meeting, but Rozitis, a UH senior, is still around — and so is the staggering size of the Aggies.

UH (2-0) and NMSU (1-1) meet in an early Tuesday morning affair (12:01 a.m. start) to cap the 49th Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Rainbow Classic, a meeting that is also ESPN2-televised as part of the network’s College Hoops Tip-off Marathon. UH can win the round-robin tournament title outright with a defeat of the Aggies.

"Davis is definitely going to play a lot, and he’s going to play a lot the whole year," UH coach Gib Arnold said. "I hope he doesn’t foul out the first half. I’d like to keep him around for the end of the game this time."

Rozitis provided a spark off the bench in UH’s first two games, and his 7-foot size will likely be instrumental again. He, and 6-foot-8 starting forwards Christian Standhardinger and Isaac Fotu, will have to contend with a massive NMSU front line that includes 7-foot-5, 360-pound sophomore center Sim Bhullar. Its other main post player, 6-10 Tshilidzi "Chili" Nephawe, looks tiny by comparison.

Rozitis, UH’s tallest player, thought the largest player he’s ever gone against was 7-1.

"We gotta use our advantages," the 240-pound Rozitis said. "Up-tempo offense, stick to our defensive principles and use our quickness, ’cause they got the size and the strength. We gotta use our speed and agility. They also have to match up with what we do. It goes both ways."

UH (plus 16.5) and NMSU (plus 17.5) dominated the backboards in their first two games, but while the ‘Bows beat both Tennessee State and Western Michigan by double digits, the Aggies were uneven. They stumbled in their opener against WMU, 70-64, but rebounded nicely in a 70-55 defeat of TSU on Saturday. NMSU has looked to drive into the paint with its athletic wings and crash the offensive boards with its superior size.

Bhullar, the 2013 WAC freshman of the year, averaged 10.5 points and seven rebounds in those games, while Nephawe went for 14.5 and 9.5.

"He demands a double team," Arnold said of Bhullar, whose little brother, 7-3 Tanveer Bhullar, hasn’t seen action yet. "He catches it low. You gotta respect him. I think the key is to keep him from getting offensive rebounds."

Arnold indicated UH would try to match up man-to-man but might throw in zone as well. UH pressured fullcourt often in its first two games.

"With Gib, you don’t know what to expect," said NMSU coach Marvin Menzies, who’s known Arnold from early in their assistant coaching days. "He may do that (pressure) or he may fall back and play a zone the whole game. But we have enough in our arsenal where, whatever we see we’ll have something to go against it. Whether it’s successful or not, we’ll find out."

The "Davis Foul-out Game" went to UH, 91-87, but the Aggies got revenge and then some with a 115-73 beatdown of the ‘Bows in Las Cruces, N.M., in which then-freshman guard Daniel Mullings posted a triple-double of 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. NMSU followed it up with a 92-81 defeat of UH in the WAC tournament semifinals — UH’s last game as a WAC member before leaving for the Big West Conference.

Mullings is still around. He’s averaged 11.5 points so far coming off an All-WAC second-team year.

"He had a triple-double on us," Arnold said. "We know him well."

UH has participated in every year of the Tip-off Marathon since it started in 2008, going 4-1 in those games, including 3-0 with Arnold as coach.

"I love it. The crowd that comes out, they’re true fans," Arnold said. "Fun group. If you can be here at 2:30 in the morning, you’ve got the right attitude. It’s a little rowdier and it’s great for the students. It’s fun for our guys, we really like it. It’s different but it’s a lot of fun."

———

Read Brian McInnis’ Court Sense at staradvertiser.com/courtsense