Now comes the Saint Louis Billikens, and they could be the toughest challenge to date for the 'Bows.

"The biggest concern is the road," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "We're supposed to be good at home. Nobody knows what to expect on the road, so it'll be a challenge to see where this team really stands."

Hawai'i (3-0) will play its first road game of this season tomorrow at Saint Louis (1-3).

A Billiken is a symbol of good luck, but the Billikens have not had much this season. Their three losses are by a combined 11 points, including a seven-point loss in overtime.

"Our problem is simple — we're shooting the ball miserably," Saint Louis head coach Brad Soderberg said. "We're capable of being 4-0, but our shooting has not allowed us to win games."

The Billikens are shooting just 36.8 percent from the field, including 25.4 percent from 3-point range. They are averaging 55.0 points per game, and have not scored more than 63 this season.

In contrast, Hawai'i has scored at least 66 points in its three games this season, and is averaging 69.7 per game.

"It's been kind of like a contagious disease," Soderberg said. "But I'm confident that we will get better. I'm calling it a slump for now because I've seen some of these guys make those same shots in practice that they're not making in games."

The Billikens have a reputation for playing games at a slow pace, but Soderberg said they have a new scheme this season.

"We brought in a freshman point guard who plays like a jet, and we're trying to take advantage of that," Soderberg said. "We're not trying to control the tempo so much like we did the past two years. We're trying to score as many as we can; we're just not putting the ball in the basket."

The point guard is 5-foot-9 Dwayne Polk, who is averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 assists per game.

The top players are seniors Reggie Bryant and Izik Ohanon. Bryant, a 6-2 guard, led the team with 16.4 points per game last season and is averaging 13.0 this season. Ohanon, a 6-9 forward, leads the team with 13.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

As bad as Saint Louis is shooting, its opponents are worse at 36.4 percent. Opponents are averaging just 55.8 points per game.

"We're defending and rebounding well," Soderberg said. "That's why I say we're capable of being 4-0."

Around 8,000 fans — including nearly 500 Hawai'i supporters — are expected to attend tomorrow's game in the spacious Savvis Center, which has a capacity of 20,000.

"It's too big for us," Soderberg said. "Even in our best games, we can't fill it."

The game will start at 1:10 p.m. (Central time). The Billikens have to play their weekend games during the afternoons because they share the arena with the NHL's St. Louis Blues.

The times for all of the Billikens games were set before the NHL players went on strike.

NOTES

The University of Hawai'i athletic department is allowing basketball fans to choose which color to wear for the Dec. 11 game against Saint Mary's at the Stan Sheriff Center. Fans can choose to make the game a "Green-Out," a "White-Out," a "Black-Out," or no color designation. To vote, visit hawaiiathletics.com and click on "Fan Poll."