Hawai'i, Tulsa set to renew rivalry
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
TULSA, Okla. — The names have changed, but the rivalry remains the same.
Within Western Athletic Conference men's basketball, the University of Hawai'i vs. Tulsa is still considered a big thing.
"I think that's what has been established over the last couple of years," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "We get fired up for them, and I'm pretty sure they get fired up for us."
The Rainbow Warriors will play the Golden Hurricane at 2 p.m. (10 a.m. Hawai'i time) today at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. The 'Bows are 14-4 overall and need a win to maintain pace atop the WAC. Hawai'i, Fresno State and Rice are tied for the conference lead at 6-2.
Tulsa is 7-10 overall and needs to win to get into the WAC title race. The Golden Hurricane is 3-5 in the conference.
"It's become a big rivalry for Tulsa," Golden Hurricane head coach John Phillips said. "We've had some great games with them. They beat us some, we beat them some. It's a situation where both teams enjoy playing against each other."
Fittingly, the all-time series between the teams is tied, 8-8.
However, several of the key players from the previous three seasons are no longer around. Former UH star Carl English, who tortured Tulsa seemingly every game, is now in pro basketball's minor leagues. Former Tulsa stars Kevin Johnson and Dante Swanson are playing professionally in Europe.
"It seems like we were going against those guys forever," UH senior Phil Martin said. "We're not going to see those familiar faces, but we've got some new faces, too. The thing is, we respect them and we know they're still a good team."
The game will feature the conference's two leading scorers in UH's senior guard Michael Kuebler and Tulsa's senior guard Jason Parker.
Kuebler leads the WAC in scoring with 19.7 points per game, and in 3-pointers with 2.8 per game. Parker ranks second in scoring with 18.7 per game, and his 3-point percentage of .439 would lead the WAC if he had more attempts.
"I didn't realize he was up there," Kuebler said. "I don't even look at my own stats, so that kind of stuff doesn't matter to me. Obviously, he's a good player so we have to try and stop him."
According to Wallace, Kuebler will probably not defend Parker. That task will go to the Hawai'i point guard tandem of Logan Lee and Jason Carter.
"We have to stop Parker because he's capable of scoring 30 or 40 if you let him," Wallace said. "We'll start out with Logan on him and see how that goes."
Parker is concerned about defense as well, although he was not sure which Hawai'i player he would defend.
"Hawai'i's flex offense is really complicated to guard," he said. "You really have to stay focused for 35 seconds each possession. They're such great passers, that's why they get layups and wide-open 3s."
The 'Bows went through a spirited two-hour practice yesterday at the Reynolds Center. It was capped by Jeff Blackett winning a half-court shooting contest featuring every player on the team, and supervised by Wallace himself.
"I want them to keep loose," Wallace said. "Because of the weather and stuff, we can't do too many things here. I don't want them to get sluggish just staying in the hotel."
Temperatures actually rose to 30 degrees yesterday, but snow is expected to fall today and tomorrow.
In any case, the 'Bows said they are not intimidated by the weather or the Tulsa fans nicknamed the "Reynolds Rowdies." Hawai'i won WAC Tournament championships in the Reynolds Center in 2001 and 2002.
"There seems to be some good energy in this place for us," Martin said. "The crowd gets loud and stuff, but that makes it a good atmosphere. Plus, we've played here so many times, it's like a home away from home."
Early start: Tulsa has been experimenting with weekend afternoon games all season. Today's game will be the third of five weekend day games at home for the Golden Hurricane.
"It can throw things off a little bit because we're so used to our routine of doing certain things on game day," Kuebler said. "But we shouldn't let it affect us. We need to be ready no matter what time it is."
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
