Hawaii’s tour of the PacWest Conference rolls on.
The Rainbow Warriors face a local Division II opponent for the second time in a week when they take on Hawaii Pacific today at the Stan Sheriff Center. Like Tuesday’s 86-67 win over Hawaii Hilo, it counts as an official game for UH but as an exhibition for the visitors.
The Rainbows (6-1) have tried to maintain focus in practice as they’ve prepared for their second straight D-II opponent, in addition to upcoming final exams. This is UH’s last game before the nationally televised Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic begins on Dec. 22.
“Just taking every game like it’s our greatest game of the year,” guard Isaac Fleming said.
A potential lineup shakeup is in play, as point guard Roderick Bobbitt did not practice with the first team on Thursday and Friday. Last year’s national steals leader and top assist man in the Big West has struggled in the past three games, averaging just four points on 28.6 percent shooting with 3.3 turnovers.
UH coach Eran Ganot would not speak directly about Bobbitt’s role for today’s game, but said this time of year is ideal to try out different lineups to build depth later in the season.
“You’re still shaping your team and it’s an opportunity in practice to get better as a team,” he said. “But even guys who are playing well, playing a lot need to continue to progress.”
Fleming, who’s strung together three straight games of double-figure scoring, practiced with the first team in Bobbitt’s stead Friday.
“I would look at it as, I’m just filling in,” Fleming said. “Taking advantage of every opportunity that I get and making the best of it. So I’m just looking at it as me coming off the bench, but I’m starting. I don’t look at it no different; I’m just ready to play.”
Meanwhile, forward Stefan Jankovic is back in action from the sore back that kept him out of Tuesday’s 19-point win.
Only 2,154 people went through the turnstiles for the Hilo game, just 11 more than the crowd that turned out for the late-night College Hoops Tip-off Marathon game against Nevada.
UH also saw Chaminade in a preseason exhibition and played BYU-Hawaii in a closed-doors scrimmage.
Ganot cautioned that the Sharks (4-3) are a problematic foe.
“There’s been some forms of smallball a little bit in those (PacWest) games,” Ganot said. “And Hawaii Pacific is different. They’re big. They’re as big as we are. And they’re deep and they’re well coached, and they’ve played Division I teams. Coach Vord (Darren Vorderbruegge) is someone I have a lot of respect for.
“We need to be ready to play.”
HPU probably won’t be intimidated by whatever crowd UH brings to bear; the Sharks played a preseason exhibition in front of 11,000 at Wichita State, a 91-57 loss. They followed up with another unofficial game at D-I Missouri-Kansas City, and even led the Kangaroos by nine at halftime before falling 72-61.
The eighth-year coach Vorderbruegge thought the Wichita crowd might have been the largest ever to see an HPU game.
“I told my team today, that should help us,” Vorderbruegge said on Friday. “We’ve played in front of some decent crowds.”
HPU’s signature win so far was an 82-76 decision over Western Washington, then the 15th-ranked team in Division II, on Nov. 29. The Sharks are shooting a very respectable 35.9 percent on 3-pointers as a team, compared to 31.1 percent for UH.
“If we shoot the ball well we’re a competitive team, and if we don’t it’s a challenge,” Vorderbruegge said. “It’s been very streaky.”
The Sharks are led by three senior Division I transfers in guard Chauncey Orr (Bowling Green), forward Joel Feigler (Central Arkansas) and forward Luke Hager (UNC Wilmington). The 6-4 Orr leads HPU’s balanced attack with 15.7 points per contest.
After a 33-point outburst against Hilo, UH swingman Aaron Valdes raised his scoring average to 19.0, tops among Big West players.
The last time UH played D-II teams in back-to-back fashion was in December 1982 under coach Larry Little. The Rainbows lost the second of those games to Chaminade, 56-47.
HPU was the last D-II team to defeat UH. The former Sea Warriors won 79-69 on Dec. 14, 1985 as part of a 4-24 season for UH under Frank Arnold.
UH BASKETBALL
>> When/where: Today, 7 p.m., at Stan Sheriff Center
>> Who: Hawaii Pacific (4-3) at Hawaii (6-1)
>> TV: OC Sports
>> Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
