UH tries to beat odds in Nevada

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	RADIO Hawai'i men at Nevada 4:50 p.m., 1420-AM

Just ask the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team, which has lost all six of its previous games against Nevada in Reno.

"This has been the toughest place for us the last couple years," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "But I don't know if the games before this were as big as this one. We're ready as we can be. The guys are fired up."

Against the odds, the Rainbow Warriors will roll the dice again today. The 'Bows and Wolf Pack are scheduled to play a crucial Western Athletic Conference game at 5 p.m. (Hawai'i time) at the Lawlor Events Center.

Hawai'i is 19-8 overall and in a three-way tie for second place in the WAC at 11-5. Nevada is 18-8 overall and also in that second-place tie at 11-5.

The winner of today's game still has a shot at the WAC regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed for next week's WAC Tournament at Fresno, Calif. The loser will fall out of championship contention.

"I don't have to tell the players how important the game is," Wallace said. "They know."

In Reno casinos — where wagers on college basketball games are legal — Nevada is listed as a 9-point favorite. And with good reason.

The Wolf Pack has not just dominated Hawai'i in Reno, it has dominated everybody this season. Nevada is 13-0 at home, with an average margin of victory in those games of 15.9 points.

"I wouldn't say we're unbeatable in this arena," Nevada head coach Trent Johnson said. "Humboldt State, which is a very, very quality Division II team, beat us here in an exhibition game. I think we've just been fortunate to play well at home lately."

Nevada is averaging 7,793 fans per home game this season — an increase of more than 1,000 from last season. A large crowd is again expected tonight for "Dream House Night," where one lucky fan will win a new house during a random drawing at halftime.

"The fan base has grown and now they expect us to win every game," Johnson said. "And that's a positive thing. There's a different atmosphere here now and our players are responding to it."

As if all that wasn't enough, the Wolf Pack is also seeking to avenge a 60-53 loss at Hawai'i on Jan. 5.

"Hawai'i came out and just beat us up pretty well over there," Nevada point guard Todd Okeson said. "They were real physical with us everywhere on the floor, so we have to match that. We've had some pretty rough practices getting ready for them."

The 'Bows had a rough practice themselves last night. In an effort to get his team prepared for the thin air in the high altitude of Reno, Wallace put them through several running drills.

"It's hard to suck in wind," said sophomore Julian Sensley, who will play his first game in Reno today. "In Hawai'i, you can take a deep breath and fill your lungs. Here, you take a deep breath and it burns."

The 'Bows will also have to deal with Nevada guard Kirk Snyder, a 6-foot-6 junior who leads the conference at 18.7 points per game.

"You have to be on him every second," said UH forward Phil Martin, who will likely defend Snyder. "He's all over the place; he's full of energy and he can do so many things."

Hawai'i can counter with the WAC's second-leading scorer, Michael Kuebler, who scored 23 in the win over Nevada last month.

"We probably can't run as much (today)," Wallace said. "So we'll have to be patient and run our half-court stuff and knock down shots."

Kuebler honored: Senior guard Michael Kuebler made history yesterday, becoming the first Rainbow Warrior to earn first team Academic All-America honors.

Kuebler was one of five players selected to the first team of the University Division.

"That means he's better than all the great ones we've had before," coach Riley Wallace said. "Because he's doing it in the classroom and on the basketball court."

Kuebler has a 3.67 GPA with a major in business administration. The other four players on the first team were Adam Hess (William and Mary, 3.53 GPA, finance), Chris Hill (Michigan State, 3.84 GPA, finance), Adam Mark (Belmont, 3.96 GPA, computer science) and Emeka Okafor (Connecticut, 3.74 GPA, finance).

Martin's fine: Senior forward Phil Martin said he is "ready to go" even though he is still nursing a sprained left ankle, and had a wisdom tooth pulled on Monday.

"It's way better than last week," he said of his ankle. "There's still pain, but I should be able to go long minutes."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.