Hawaii has an opportunity to stuff a festive statement into its ever-expanding stocking of impressive showings.

Lingering doubts about the Rainbow Warriors’ dramatic start to the season could be erased if UH knocks off the Colorado Buffaloes of the Pac-12 in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic third-place game at the Stan Sheriff Center on Christmas afternoon.

Coming off a disappointing — albeit thrilling — 80-79 semifinal loss in overtime to No. 11 Wichita State Tuesday night, UH can still achieve its highest finish in the six-year history of the ESPN-run eight-team tourney. The 1:30 p.m. game will be televised on ESPN2.

UH coach Benjy Taylor took over for the fired Gib Arnold in the preseason and has already led the Rainbows to wins over Pittsburgh and Nebraska. UH came within a defensive stop of its biggest victory since knocking off No. 4 Michigan State to open the 2005-06 season, but could not close the deal against the Shockers.

"We’re not going to sneak up on anybody anymore," Taylor said.

The ‘Bows certainly have the attention of Colorado coach Tad Boyle and the Buffaloes, who like UH decided to largely eschew practice on Christmas Eve in favor of the benefits of resting up.

"I want to make sure we’ve got a lot of energy and a lot of emotion ready to go for Christmas Day against Hawaii, because we’re going to need it," Boyle said.

"I’ll be anxious to see how many Hawaii fans come out on Christmas Day … the team seems to have captured the imagination of the people here now."

Past UH crowds for Diamond Head Christmas Day games have typically been smaller than a typical game, but like UH’s rowdy crowds in the annual late-night ESPN College Hoops Tip-off Marathon games, they can make up for it with fervor.

Most of the nearly 6,000 fans on Tuesday stayed to give the UH players a standing ovation after Mike Thomas’ desperation runner in overtime hit off the back iron and the Shockers celebrated on the court.

UH has largely played with determination and grit in the face of plenty of uncertainty surrounding a still-unresolved NCAA investigation. That Taylor would coach the team this season in the wake of Arnold’s termination in late October was far from a given, and Taylor still has no assurances he will coach UH beyond March.

"Everybody said we were going to lose this game and get blown out," Taylor said after the WSU defeat. "I said, ‘yeah, right.’ They said we were going to lose to Pitt. I said ‘yeah right.’ We just keep coming, working, staying humble. Work our tails off and stay together as a family.

"Whether it’s Chaminade, whether it’s Wichita State, we just try to go about our business the same way. (The players) really, really enjoy it, because not too long ago this all could have been taken from all of us. So, we’re excited. We’re having a good time. We’re enjoying this whole thing. And when you enjoy it, you play a lot better."

Some critical late-game mistakes undermined UH’s upset bid Tuesday — an ill-advised foul that helped the Shockers get the game to OT, a careless inbounds-pass turnover with under a minute left, and finally a missed box-out on the winning WSU putback — but Wichita coach Gregg Marshall made his thoughts on the matter known while fans still were making their way out of the arena.

"This is my 30th year in college basketball and I’ve known Benjy for a long time," Marshall said. "I remember watching him play at the University of Richmond. That’s where I went to grad school. What he’s doing with this team is amazing. They’re young, they’re hard to guard, they’re tough, they’re passionate and it starts with him. He’s very passionate.

"I mean they beat Nebraska, they beat Pitt, They could have easily beaten us tonight. That was just a shot in the air, who makes it, who doesn’t, the 11th-ranked team in the country. What is it going to take for him to get the job?"

Point guard Roderick Bobbitt has run the show effectively on both ends while forward Aaron Valdes continues to impress with substance in addition to his flashy dunks. Freshman Isaac Fleming showed his potential Tuesday in going for a season-high 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting and forward Stefan Jankovic has added another offensive dimension since becoming eligible two games ago.

Taylor said he might expand the rotation against Colorado after going just eight deep against WSU. Fleming and Jankovic fouled out at key moments. Center Stefan Jovanovic did not play at all.

"We have to play more people," Taylor said. "(Against WSU) I shortened it up a little bit. But we’ll need to play more people."

Boyle emphasizes defense and rebounding; CU is holding opponents to 38.7 percent shooting with a plus-6.4 margin on the boards. Prior to taking the head job in Boulder in 2010, Boyle coached Northern Colorado to an 81-75 win over UH in Tip-off Marathon game as part of a 25-win season in 2009-10.

He is going for his 100th win with the Buffs, which would be a program record for speed in reaching that milestone.

"I’m expecting that it’s going to be a true road game, which is good for us," Boyle said. "That’s what we need. It’s our last game going into conference play. We have to be able to handle it and deal with it, so this is a good opportunity."