Hawaii Hilo is the undersized younger sibling that keeps coming back for more against big brother in the driveway. And the elder — in this metaphor, UH Manoa — keeps backing down little brother all the way into the garage door.

Manoa and Hilo meet for the sixth time in seven years tonight at the Stan Sheriff Center. It’s been a one-sided relationship, with UH winning the previous five over its Division II counterpart by an average margin of 26.4 points.

“It’s been good for our program. Not so much the scoreboard,” fifth-year Hilo coach GE Coleman said. “But it’s a good experience for the kids.

“The Rainbows are going to exploit our weaknesses. For us, that’s a good thing.”

Manoa is 20-2 all-time in official games against the local D-II teams, with its last loss to one coming on Dec. 14, 1985, to Hawaii Pacific, when HPU was HPC and was an NAIA team.

It is 9-0 against Hilo. But one of these times, little brother might prove he’s all grown up.

“It’s an experienced, spread-you-out team that can create some difficulties,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “And we’ve seen it. They’re coming off some big wins and they’ve played a tough schedule. … They’re playing well right now.”

Hilo, 8-12 in the PacWest a season ago, is off to its first 2-0 league start since 2010-11 (3-4 overall). One of those wins came against then-No. 22 (D-II ranked) Concordia, the top team in the West region.

The Vulcans also bested then-No. 19 Western Washington in an opening-week tournament in Bellingham, Wash.

There are myriad reasons why UH must be wary of a Vulcan eruption.

This is the fourth time in five years UH (5-2) is playing two D-IIs in the regular season; it topped Adams State 87-77 on Nov. 27. The Grizzlies of Colorado were in the game the whole way.

In a 72-60 win over Prairie View A&M on Wednesday, UH made more than two-thirds of its free throws for the first time this season (81.6 percent). It got season-high scoring from its two point guards, Drew Buggs and Brocke Stepteau, but a season-high 19 turnovers were a problem.

The ’Bows also recorded no steals, something that hadn’t happened since March 1990 against Long Beach State — ending a span of 822 games with a successful swipe.

UH must be wary of Hilo’s 35.6 percent shooting on 3s — nearly 10 percent better than UH’s anemic 25.7. And UH is shooting just 34.6 percent overall in the second halves of its past two games.

The senior guard tandem of Ryley Callaghan (17.4 ppg) and Trey Ingram (16.1) should give the Rainbows pause. In UHH’s frontcourt, 6-foot-7 Devin Johnson scores 10.6 ppg. Denhym Brooke, a former Kahuku player and a 6-8 transfer from defunct BYU-Hawaii, contributes 10.3.

Six-foot-6 UH freshman Samuta Avea was a Red Raiders sophomore when Brooke was a senior.

“Especially during practices we used to always go at it at Kahuku,” Avea said. “Being on opposite teams legitimately is going to be a lot of head-to-head.”

For its part, Hilo gets to use this game as an exhibition, seemingly lowering the stakes on one end.

Any risk of underestimating the Vulcans?

“You could think that, but we know we have to do day in and day out,” Avea said. “The coaches prepare us really well to come in and attack right away, straight out the gates.”

Hemsley to redshirt

Freshman forward Justin Hemsley will redshirt the season, UH coach Eran Ganot said this week.

“I feel like it would be best for me, and the coaches agree, just to take this year and absorb all the little things that I’m going to need to know next year, and just get myself better,” Hemsley said. “Next year, my plan personally is to be in the rotation.”

The 6-foot-5 Hemsley, out of Damien (Calif.) High, is the youngest ’Bow. He turned 18 at the end of October.

“I think it’s in his and our team’s best interest, short term and long term, for him to do that,” Ganot said. “We’ve had an open discussion with him and his family about it. Guys in the past we’ve had go through that (Drew Buggs, Jack Purchase) have really taken advantage of that. He’s already made a lot of strides, gained 10 pounds since he’s got here. … The future’s still bright there.”