Rainbow Warriors chill out before road contests
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team packed its warm clothes — and one confidence-boosting road win — and traveled from San Jose, Calif., to Dallas yesterday.
"You're on the Mainland, but it's still not that easy," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said of the 3 hour, 40 minute flight. "But winning that first one sure helps."
The Rainbow Warriors beat San Jose State, 83-76, on Saturday to improve to 10-3 overall and 2-1 in the Western Athletic Conference. The 11-day road trip continues with games at Southern Methodist on Thursday, then at Louisiana Tech on Sunday.
In an effort to recover from any jet lag, and to adjust to the Central Time Zone, Wallace gave the 'Bows the day off yesterday.
"Travel days are long days," he said. "Plus we got a couple of extra days so we'll rest (yesterday) and then go after it hard the next couple days."
The 'Bows can expect a chilly reception both on the court and off.
Temperatures in Dallas are expected to dip into the 40s this week, although it was in the 60s when the 'Bows arrived yesterday.
SMU, which is 7-6 overall and 1-2 in the WAC, has hit its own cold spell recently. The Mustangs have lost three of their past four games, including conference road losses at Fresno State (54-53) and Nevada (84-74) last week.
Earlier this season, the Mustangs upset then-No. 17 Purdue, 60-59, and Texas Tech, 62-59.
What's more, two of SMU's non-conference losses were to national powers Wake Forest and Oklahoma State.
"They've played a tough schedule, so you know they'll be ready for anything," Wallace said. "But it sounds like there are some games they're up and ready for and some games they're not."
The Mustangs are led by sophomore point guard Bryan Hopkins, who is one of the most skilled players in the conference. The 6-foot Hopkins, who was the WAC Freshman of the Year last season, is averaging 16.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
"The biggest difference from last year is that he's the guy for them this year," Wallace said. "In the past, they've always had a feature guy they like to go to, and he's the one this year."
• Martin's back: UH senior forward and co-captain Phil Martin was hampered by back spasms and an upset stomach in Saturday's victory over San Jose State.
He traveled with the team yesterday and appeared to be fine, according to Wallace. Martin has started 83 consecutive games, a streak that dates to his freshman season.
• Stats: Senior guard Michael Kuebler continues to lead the WAC in scoring (19.8 points per game) and 3-pointers (2.7 per game).
As a team, Hawai'i ranks second in the conference in team defense, allowing 64.1 points per game. The 'Bows are also committing the fewest turnovers per game at 13.3.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
