The leader of the free world might not be coming to watch Hawaii today, but the Rainbow Warriors are still ready to throw a salute to the "Diamond Head-of-State Classic."

Indications were strong on Saturday that President Barack Obama will attend today’s 2:30 p.m. first-round game between Oregon State and Akron in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH faces Boise State, a former Western Athletic Conference foe, in the day’s last quarterfinal at 8 p.m.

Fans attending the early games of the day are encouraged to arrive early and expect increased security.

"I’m getting ready to get searched when I come in the back entrance," said UH center Davis Rozitis, of Latvia. "I mean, I hope I can take a picture with him. I heard he’s a big basketball fan, so I don’t think he would mind taking a picture with a 7-foot guy."

Said UH coach Gib Arnold, a Punahou alumnus like Obama: "I think it’s great. I’d love to have him in the Stan Sheriff, have our guys meet him. I think it’d be an honor. Obviously it’d be a neat deal for everybody."

This week, the Rainbow Warriors (7-2) were consumed with their own problems — namely, the task of getting past the Broncos (8-2) of the Mountain West Conference. Should UH do so, it will be its first appearance in the Diamond Head semifinals since the tourney’s inaugural year of 2009.

On paper, UH and Boise State are evenly matched. They are identical in points per game (86.4) and are remarkably similar in points allowed, rebounding, field-goal percentage and turnovers forced per game.

Boise returned all five starters from its NCAA Tournament team from March.

"It’s striking how similar we are in the statistical categories up and down," Arnold said. "We play at the same tempo. You see a lot of similarities in our programs. I really like how they move the ball. They don’t turn it over. Very good passing team, very good off the dribble.

"There’s no lack of respect for Boise."

Broncos coach Leon Rice — who came into his program at the same time as Arnold at UH — managed to win at the Sheriff in the coaches’ only other meeting here, in 2011. Arnold returned the favor at Boise State’s Taco Bell Arena later that season before the teams went their separate ways in conference affiliation.

"You’ve got two, I think, exciting styles, which makes for a good style of game," Rice said. "I think it’s going to be a high-scoring affair. I think both teams put points on the board. So from a spectator’s point of view, I think it will be a fun game to watch."

UH assistant coach Scott Fisher, who had the scout, said the key will be swinging the ball from side to side patiently for quality shots, allowing UH to get back on defense.

"They’ve got four guys out there who can really push it. They don’t have a point guard per se, they just go, and go coast to coast. We just have to stop those transition layups."

The Broncos’ guard tandem of Anthony Drmic and Derrick Marks (36.3 combined points per game) will be tough to corral, and guard Jeff Elorriaga thrives on 3-pointers in transition; he makes nearly four long balls per game at a 60 percent clip.

UH counters with a starting five all averaging double figures, led by forward Christian Standhardinger (18.4 ppg).

A look at the eight Diamond Head Classic teams: 

Akron Zips (5-2)
>> Conference: Mid-American
>> Key players: Sr. F Demetrius Treadwell (14.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg); Sr. F Quincy Diggs (12.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg).
>> Notes: Akron is looking to become second Mid-American team to win three straight regular-season conference titles. …. Zips arrive on a four-game winning streak and have won 27 of their last 32 going back to last season. … Treadwell goes by "Tree." … Coach Keith Dambrot coached LeBron James at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, and James now supports the Zips.
>> Coach Keith Dambrot: "Well, we have good depth. We have 11 guys that can all play. We’ve won a lot of games over the last nine years playing a lot of people. So the format is good for us. We’re used to it. … We’ve played in the MAC championship game seven years in a row. So we’ve played three and as many as five games to win that thing. So we’ve done it many, many times over the years, so we feel we’re ready for it."

Boise State Broncos (8-2)
>> Conference: Mountain West
>> Key players: Jr. G/F Anthony Drmic (18.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg); Jr. G Derrick Marks (17.7 ppg, 2.4 spg); Sr. G Jeff Elorriaga (12.9 ppg, .600 3PT%).
>> Notes: Broncos are the only team from the 2013 NCAA Tournament to return all five starters. … Drmic and Marks were the seventh-highest-returning scoring tandem nationally from 2012-13. … Elorriaga is fourth nationally in 3-point accuracy and ninth in 3s per game at 3.7. … Marks made 21 free throws vs. Idaho on Nov. 27, a school record. … Broncos had a 26-game nonconference home winning streak snapped by fellow Diamond Head Classic team Saint Mary’s on Dec. 14, 82-74. They could meet again on Monday.
>> Coach Leon Rice: "This is a unique school. … All our sports do such a good job of supporting each other. It’s really special that you get your football team (in Tuesday’s Hawaii Bowl) and your basketball team in the same spot for the holidays. Great for our fans. … That’s our once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing where they’re getting to go a bowl game and get to come watch us play and support us." 

George Mason Patriots (5-4)
>> Conference: Atlantic 10
>> Key players: Sr. G Sherrod Wright (16.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg); Sr. G Byron Allen (11.9 ppg, 4.3 apg); So. F Marko Gujanicic (11.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg).
>> Notes: George Mason started 4-0, but has dropped four of its past five. The Patriots haven’t played since Dec. 8, the longest layoff among Diamond Head teams. … Junior Anali Okoloji was suspended from George Mason’s previous game, against Oklahoma. He made the trip, but it’s uncertain when his suspension will be lifted for stepping on a South Florida player. … Senior forward Jonathan Arledge, a former starter, is done for the year with a back injury.
>> Coach Paul Hewitt: "So far we’ve gotten off to a pretty good start. We’ve had some unusual circumstances, as you mentioned. John Arledge not being with our team any longer. Missed a few games with an early-season suspension, and we’ve had some injuries. But this break has been good for our guys."

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (7-2)
>> Conference: Big West
>> Key players: Sr. F Christian Standhardinger (18.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg); Jr. G Garrett Nevels (14.2 ppg, .550 3FG%); So. F Isaac Fotu 13.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
>> Notes: UH is 6-6 in Diamond Head Classic games, with its highest finish in 2009 (fourth). … Rainbow Warriors’ current five-game winning streak is the longest under coach Gib Arnold, accomplished four times. A sixth straight win would be UH’s longest since eight straight to open the 2004-05 season. … All seven of UH’s wins this season were by double digits. The ‘Bows have topped 90 points three times this year. They average 86.4 points per game — 12th nationally.
>> Coach Gib Arnold: "It’s kind of the highlight of our preseason, obviously. We get seven outstanding teams that come in, and we get a to play great basketball on the island of Oahu. The fans love it. … Everybody is kind of buzzing about it right now. It’s actually a really fun time for us and for all the basketball fans here in Hawaii."

Iowa State Cyclones (8-0)
>> Conference: Big 12
>> Key players: Sr. F Melvin Ejim (18.7 ppg. 7.7 rpg); So. F Georges Niang (14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.1 apg); Sr. G DeAndre Kane (14.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5.8 apg); Jr. F Dustin Hogue (12.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg).
>> Notes: Iowa State has been ranked 17th in the past four weeks of the AP Top 25. … Cyclones lead the country in scoring at 90.9 ppg and assists (19.8). … Coach Fred Hoiberg, an Iowa State alumnus and former NBA player, earned the nickname "The Mayor" for his popularity, and has galvanized the Cyclones fan base as coach over the past four years … Five different Cyclones have topped 20 points this season.
>> Coach Fred Hoiberg: "I think it’s a great field. When you look at it top to bottom, I think there are teams — any team can beat any other in the field. You look at Saint Mary’s and what they’re doing right now, and had a great game with Boise here last week, and Boise played Kentucky very well in Lexington, which is an extremely difficult place to play. All the teams on our side of the bracket have had some very good moments this year. So I think top to bottom, it’s a great field."

Oregon State Beavers (6-2)
>> Conference: Pac-12
>> Key players: Jr. G Roberto Nelson (22.1 ppg, 4.4 apg); Sr. F Devon Collier (21.3 ppg, 9.6 rpg, .647 FG%); Sr. C Angus Brandt (13.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg).
>> Notes: Oregon State is second in the country in field-goal percentage (.537). … It’s the third straight year Beavers started the season 6-2. … Nelson and Collier are first and second in the Pac-12 in scoring, and 13th and 18th nationally. … Coach Craig Robinson is the brother-in-law of President Barack Obama (first lady Michelle Obama’s brother). … Oregon State has played in four previous tournaments in the state of Hawaii, including the Rainbow Classic, but never played UH in a tournament.
>> Coach Craig Robinson: "These kinds of tournaments give you an opportunity to get some good competition, some varied competition with teams that you wouldn’t normally be able to schedule. So this is ideal for us. We’re extremely excited about it. We feel good about our team. We feel like we have a chance of winning the tournament, not just playing well."

Saint Mary’s Gaels (9-0)
>> Conference: West Coast
>> Key players: Jr. F Brad Waldow (17.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, .626 FG%); Sr. G Stephen Holt (13.3 ppg, 5.3 apg); Sr. G James Walker III (11.3 ppg, .516 FG%).
>> Notes: Saint Mary’s has already played two Classic teams — Akron and Boise State, winning both games. … Gaels assistant Eran Ganot is a former four-year member of UH staffs under Riley Wallace and Bob Nash. … Saint Mary’s is the first team besides Hawaii to play in multiple Diamond Head Classics (2009, third place). … Gaels are one of four teams in country to have won 25 games in each of past six seasons (Gonzaga, Duke, Kansas).
>> Coach Randy Bennett: (Coming back to the Diamond Head) means we’re smart. The only one smart enough to get back in it so quick. No, really, it’s one of the highlights of our season. We’ll try to get back in it as soon as we can again. … It’s my favorite tournament. … We played in it, actually, when they had the Rainbow (Classic). That was just a great experience that I remember … To this day I have that trophy sitting on my desk."

South Carolina Gamecocks (2-5)
>> Conference: Southeastern
>> Key players: Fr. G Sindari Thornwell (13.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Jr. G Tyrone Johnson (12.0 ppg, 4.0 apg).
>> Notes: Only team in field without a winning record. … Coach Frank Martin won the 2011 Diamond Head Classic with Kansas State. He is 20-20 in neutral-site games in his career. … Gamecocks start three freshmen. Ten different players average 11.0 or more minutes per game … Two of the Gamecocks’ losses are to top 15 teams Baylor and Oklahoma State.
>> Coach Frank Martin: "We’ve got to be one of the youngest teams in the country. The whole intent and purpose was to prepare our team for reality when SEC play comes around. … (Two years ago with K-State) that tournament gave our team a chance to grow, to find confidence, to believe in itself."