UH out to prove worth

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i associate head coach Bob Nash calls Utah State guard Cardell Butler, above, "the most dangerous guy in their offense." He is averaging 14 points per game. Timber Ridge Photography TODAY: Hawai'i (19-11) at Utah State (25-3), 4 p.m. TV: Live on OC-16. Radio: Live on KKEA (1420 AM) NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT All Times HST Opening Round Yesterday Nebraska 71, Creighton 70 Today West Virginia (15-13) at Kent State (22-8), 2 p.m. Tennessee (15-13) at George Mason (21-9), 2 p.m. Troy State (24-6) at Niagara (21-9), 2 p.m. Boston U. (23-5) at Rhode Island (19-13), 2:30 p.m. Belmont (21-8) at Austin Peay (21-9), 3 p.m. Rice (22-10) at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (19-10), 3 p.m. UNLV (18-12) at Boise State (21-9), 4:30 p.m. First Round Yesterday St. Louis 70, Iowa 69 Michigan 65, Missouri 64 Today Purdue (17-13) at Notre Dame (17-12), 2 p.m. George Washington (18-11) at Virginia (17-12), 2 p.m. Temple (15-13) at Rutgers (16-12), 2:30 p.m. Drexel (18-10) at Villanova (16-16), 2:30 p.m. Florida State (18-13) at Wichita State (21-10), 3 p.m. Hawai'i (19-11) at Utah State (25-3), 4 p.m. Georgia (16-13) at Iowa State (17-12), 4:30 p.m. LSU (18-10) at Oklahoma (19-10), 4:30 p.m. Colorado (18-10) at Oregon (15-12), 6:59 p.m. TBA Nebraska (17-12) vs. Troy State-Niagara winner Tennessee-George Mason winner vs. Belmont-Austin Peay winner Boston U.-Rhode Island winner vs. West Virginia-Kent State winner UNLV-Boise State winner vs. Rice-Wisconsin-Milwaukee winner Second Round March 20-23 Quarterfinals March 24-26 Semifinals Tuesday, March 30 Championship Thursday, April 1

The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is 19-11 and has been one victory shy of a 20-win season for three weeks now. Despite stepping on their own feet for much of the late-season, the Rainbow Warriors were invited to the "Little Dance," otherwise known as the National Invitation Tournament.

Utah State — Hawai'i's opponent today in the first round of the NIT — is 25-3 and ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25. The Aggies are widely considered to be the best team not in the "Big Dance," or NCAA Tournament.

Guess which one is happy.

"We're not going to complain about a thing," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said after his team completed a 17-hour journey to get from Honolulu to Logan, Utah. "We weren't sure if we were going to get a shot at the postseason, but we're here and that's all that matters."

The 'Bows will play the Aggies at 4 p.m. (Hawai'i time) today in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum at Logan, Utah.

Despite the teams' emotional contrasts, they offer some similar styles on the court.

When Hawai'i has the ball

The Rainbow Warriors run a disciplined flex-motion offense that relies on solid screening, precise cutting and timely passing.

Senior shooting guard Michael Kuebler leads the team with 18.0 points per game. He emerged as the best shooter in the Western Athletic Conference this season, and his 87 3-pointers are two short of the UH single-season record.

Julian Sensley, a 6-foot-9 "small" forward, has created mismatches for opponents all season.

Forward Phil Martin is capable of scoring two or 20 on any given night. Center Haim Shimonovich can be an inside force when he's not in foul trouble, although he often is.

Jason Carter and Logan Lee share point guard duties. Carter is the up-tempo player; Lee is the slow-down player.

"You just need to cover every guy at every second," Utah State head coach Stew Morrill said.

The Aggies may be capable of just that. They rank No. 6 in NCAA Division I in scoring defense, allowing an average of 57.1 points per game.

"The main reason why they win so many games is defense," said UH associate coach Bob Nash, who is in charge of scouting opponents.

Utah State can employ a variety of defenses throughout the game.

"Our man-to-man is our base defense," Morrill said. "But we'll mix in some zone and (full-court) press if the situation is right."

Key statistic: Hawai'i is 32-0 over the last four seasons when scoring 80 points or more.

The 'Bows' best chance at success could be to run, but the Aggies have allowed only one opponent to break the 80-point barrier this season.

When Utah State has the ball

The Aggies' offense relies on equal distribution from all five players on the floor, and efficient shooting.

"We like to make it hard for our opponent to zero in on any one or two guys," Morrill said.

Cardell Butler, a 6-4 shooting guard, leads the team with 14.0 points per game, and is "the most dangerous guy in their offense," according to Nash.

Utah State's big men — 6-7 Nate Harris and 6-8 Spencer Nelson — contribute 11.9 and 11.0 points per game, respectively.

"What they try to do is get isolation in the post so their big guys can get easy shots close to the basket," Nash said.

As a result, Utah State ranks third in the nation with a .511 field goal percentage.

Hawai'i will defend the Aggies the way it defends everybody — man-to-man.

"It's the same thing (Wallace) has been doing ever since I can remember," Morrill said. "Maybe that's why they're so tough with it."

Morrill is especially concerned about Hawai'i's size. The 'Bows will start a frontcourt that stands 6-10, 6-9 and 6-8; the Aggies will counter with 6-8, 6-7 and 6-7.

Key statistic: Harris leads all NCAA Division I players with a gaudy .684 field goal percentage.

The 'Bows have had difficulty defending the low-post in recent games, as displayed by another Harris last week. Rice's Michael Harris scored 29 on 13-of-20 shooting in a victory over Hawai'i in the WAC Tournament.

Coaching

Wallace and Morrill were once rivals in the "old" WAC, when Morrill was head coach at Colorado State from 1991-98.

"There are a few things that are the same with both our teams," Morrill said. "But there are also some things we both do differently now."

Key statistic: Wallace's Hawai'i teams went 9-5 against Morrill's Colorado State teams, including victories in five of the last six meetings.

Intangibles

The Aggies have not been afraid to express their hurt and humiliation over the NCAA Tournament snub.

As Morrill put it: "There's a feeling here of being slapped in the face. That's something that concerns me because I'm not quite sure how we'll respond to it."

However, the Aggies are at home, where they are 15-0 this season, and 112-9 over the last eight seasons.

"Basketball is big here," Morrill said. "It's a rowdy atmosphere and the crowd here definitely has played a role in our success."

In contrast, Hawai'i is 6-8 away from home this season, and 3-10 all-time in postseason road games.

Key statistic: Utah State students got into home games free all season; today they will have to pay $4. School officials are concerned that the price could keep some of their best fans away from the game.

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