“Sibling rivalry” is about to take on a whole new meaning for Hawaii basketball guard Quincy Smith.

Brothers in hoops occasionally get the opportunity to play on the same college team, if separated by a few years or less. Others might go off to far-flung schools, never to cross paths.

On the rarest of occasions, they’ll end up on teams within the same conference — and then it’s on.

Smith’s younger brother by two years, Kendall, is the starting point guard for UH’s road opponent Thursday, Cal State Northridge.

“It’ll be fun. Like a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” UH’s Smith said.

Twice, if you include the rematch on senior night in Honolulu on Feb. 27. But this matchup at the Matadome has been a long time coming; the brothers have never played against each other in any officiated game, be it youth league, high school or AAU. Go figure that CSUN (9-16, 4-7) is the only Big West team that first-place UH (20-3, 9-1) and its senior co-captain known as “Q” have yet to face.

First as kids then during recent offseasons, they settled on pick-up games in the backyard and at the local rec. Their contrasting styles — the defensive grinder Quincy and the offensive-minded Kendall — always meant an interesting matchup between two explosive players from the Bay Area.

When they would agree to play, anyway.

“You know, he never really wanted me to hang out with him when we were younger,” said Kendall, a 20-year-old junior who transferred from UNLV to play for coach Reggie Theus. “The battles that I did pick with him on the basketball court I took very seriously because, (him as) the older brother, I enjoyed his company, I enjoyed being around him, but I was the little brother, so he never really wanted me around him and his friends. … I would try to definitely take it to him in our little pick-up games, because he never used to let me hang out with him.”

As starting members of their college teams’ backcourts, there is a strong possibility they will match up head to head at various points in the game.

“Those dudes are ferocious going against each other, so this has been going on for a long time, some years now,” said their father, Kirkland Smith, a former player at San Jose State. “I told them, ‘You guys go out there and play hard, but don’t act a fool,’ because they will get into it. I’m sure whoever scores first, especially if they match them (mano a mano), I guarantee he’s not going to just turn his head and run downcourt. There will be a look, a sneer, a comment, it’ll be something.”

Kendall, at 6 feet 3, has a couple of inches on Quincy, at 6-1. Quincy, 23, has the edge in experience.

“I’d like to see him do well. Obviously I want to play well,” Kendall said.

UH coach Eran Ganot acknowledged it will be “special,” and even said he will include his Smith in scout preparation.

Ganot has firsthand knowledge. As a player at Division III Swarthmore, Ganot went against his twin brother, Asaf, with conference foe Franklin and Marshall.

“I do remember we didn’t talk. We were captains, too,” Ganot said. “We may have shook hands. We were crazy. We were both pretty determined. It was unique.”

The Smiths expect about 50 friends and family to make the drive or flight down from their native Antioch to Southern California.

“We jokingly said we were going to get some North- ridge-Hawaii shirts made with pictures on (alternate) sides,” Kirkland Smith said. “I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to root for both of them. But I tell you this, any kid makes a shot, I’m clapping. Some people might think I’m crazy.”

The intensity of game day might be one thing, but the brothers have been supportive of each other all season. They’ll message each other before and after games, offering tips and tactics about mutual conference foes.

Both Smiths have endured college hardships. Kendall was effective as a UNLV freshman but said he mutually parted ways with the Rebels after his role was marginalized early in his injury-hit sophomore season, and is battling to get a year of eligibility back from the NCAA. Quincy is having what he called a “near-perfect senior year,” but that’s on his third coach in three seasons while UH has been slapped with NCAA sanctions for a past regime. Meanwhile, Northridge just banned itself from the 2016 postseason for academic reasons, meaning it is ineligible for the upcoming Big West tournament.

“That’s my little brother, so I always had to look out for him,” Quincy said. “I watch all his games when I can, follow his stats, make sure he’s going good, try to talk to him. Kind of going through a hard time, wins-losses wise. He’s playing good basketball, but their team’s not really winning. So just trying to keep him motivated, help him out a little bit.”

Kendall said he tries to take in the tips, especially on the defensive end, calling his brother “if not the best defender, one of the best defenders in the conference.”

When Kendall became eligible at the semester break, he made an immediate impact, winning Big West Player of the Week. In league play, he is fifth in scoring at 16.2 points per game and keys the Matadors’ attack in the open court.

UH’s Smith is enjoying his finest season in Manoa while emerging as a team leader. He earned a starting job at the off-guard spot in the preseason and has complemented point guard Roderick Bobbitt. Five times in the past eight games, he’s scored in double figures, raising his season average to 7.9. He is second in BWC steals at 1.9 per game, behind only Bobbitt’s 2.3, and is fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.8.

Quincy is actually out-shooting Kendall in 3-point percentage, 32.4 to 28.2, thanks to a recent surge of confidence. Ganot lauded his shot selection and chalked it up to seeing success feed into itself.

His struggles at the free-throw line — 40 percent — are mitigated by all else he brings to the table.

The siblings struggled to find unkind words to say about each other.

“I just love his encouragement and the confidence that he gives as an older brother,” Kendall said.

Just don’t expect it on Thursday.