The 6-0 Rainbow Warriors are off to their best start since the 1972-73 season. The 8-0 Golden Eagles are off to their best start in history.

"I'm not so much concerned about them as I am about us," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "We obviously didn't shoot it well (Monday night), so we need to get back to where we need to be or it could be a long night."

The 'Bows played perhaps their worst game of the season in a 54-45 first-round victory over Long Beach State on Monday; the Golden Eagles played perhaps their best game of the season in an 81-63 first-round win over Georgetown.

"I got to see a lot of that Hawai'i game, and I'm sure they'll play a lot better (tonight)," ORU head coach Scott Sutton said. "It'll be a very difficult game for us because Hawai'i is so good at home."

Hawai'i guard "Little Matt" Gibson won the state scoring title as a senior at Putnam City High. ORU forward Caleb Green finished second in the individual scoring race, but his Tulsa Memorial High beat Putnam City in the state championship game.

"It's crazy that we're meeting again in Hawai'i," Green said. "I didn't know he was at Hawai'i until about three days ago. He's a nice guard — he can play. It'll be fun to go against somebody from Oklahoma again."

Gibson said: "We had some good battles, but his team beat my team twice. I'll never forget that."

Green, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, is ORU's best post player. He is averaging 18.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, and had 26 points and 10 rebounds in the victory over Georgetown.

Gibson, a 6-5 sophomore, is UH's second-leading scorer and the top reserve. He scored a team-high 15 against Long Beach State, and is averaging 12.5 points per game.

"This will be our toughest game this year," Green said. "They're coming in to this game undefeated with a lot of confidence, but so are we."

Several other key players on the ORU roster played against Green and Gibson in the Oklahoma prep ranks.

"Of course it's going to be emotional," Gibson said. "Any time you see old friends, old rivals, you want to have a good game against them. But I'm not too worried about how I play. I'm more worried about getting this team to 7-0."

In what has become customary this season for UH games, the 'Bows will have a distinct size advantage.

The Golden Eagles start three guards — 5-9 Jonathan Bluitt, 6-1 Ken Tutt and 6-1 Luke Spencer-Gardner — alongside Green and 6-11 Matt Gastel.

The 'Bows will counter with three "big men" — 7-foot Chris Botez, 6-9 Julian Sensley and 6-8 Jeff Blackett. Either Sensley or Blackett will have to defend one of the ORU guards.

"We'll have to figure out a way to defend them, but they have to figure out how to defend us," Wallace said. "It'll be interesting."