One of Riley Wallace's annual holiday concerns is avoiding a letdown from his University of Hawai'i men's basketball team.

But he usually waits until after the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic to worry about it.

This season, Wallace is worried going into the eight-team tournament.

"I didn't like our two practices (Sunday and yesterday)," he said. "That's not a good indication. We're the kind of team that has to play with full energy every game or we'll get beat."

The Rainbow Warriors will host Loyola Marymount today at 7:30 p.m. Colorado State will play Western Michigan in the tournament opener at 5 p.m.

Hawai'i is the four-time defending champion of the Rainbow Classic. The 'Bows usually start their Western Athletic Conference schedule after the Classic.

But because of some schedule shuffling this season, Hawai'i opened the WAC on Saturday with a 69-59 victory over Utah State. The 'Bows have spent the past two days preparing for the Lions.

"We worked really hard for Utah State and the guys were fired up for it because it was a big game in the WAC and everything," Wallace said. "But we have to be just as ready for this one."

The 'Bows are 4-2, with all four wins at home. The Lions are 3-6 under first-year head coach Rodney Tention.

"Their record doesn't indicate what kind of team they really are," Wallace said of LMU. "They've played a tough schedule and they had some injuries. But I know they have a lot of good athletes."

At stake is a spot in the coveted evening sessions on Thursday and Friday. The losers of the first-round games are banished to the lonely afternoon consolation sessions.

"The first game is just as important as the championship game," Hawai'i senior forward Julian Sensley said. "Nobody wants to play in the day games when there are no fans there. You always want to play the night games, especially if you're the home team."

Hawai'i is 16-2 in Rainbow Classic first-round games during Wallace's tenure as head coach of the 'Bows. The last time Hawai'i played in the consolation games was 1995.

"We're not even thinking about the consolation games," Hawai'i senior co-captain Deonte Tatum said. "I didn't even go to watch those games last year."

The Lions are working on even shorter preparation time than the 'Bows after beating Northern Colorado, 76-63, on Saturday in Los Angeles. LMU arrived in Honolulu late Sunday night.

"I think we have to concentrate more on what we have to do," Tention said. "It doesn't matter who we drew, it's going to be a good match-up. You got eight really good teams here."

The Lions have one of the best individual players in the tournament in 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward Matthew Knight. He is averaging 17.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He had 32 points and 18 rebounds in a loss at Long Beach State on Nov. 30.

"Matt has been very consistent for us," Tention said. "He's a very good, strong low-post player."

Wallace said: "He's kind of an unorthodox player — he's got a lot of different shots. But he's tough and he puts up numbers."

Both teams have injury concerns this week.

For Hawai'i, reserve guards Bobby Nash and "Little Matt" Gibson are doubtful. Nash has an injured right shoulder and Gibson's wound from a staph infection is still healing.

LMU left four players in Los Angeles because of injuries. Most significant, forward Daryl Pegram has two injured knees, and Adoyah Miller has an injured shoulder. Pegram was a starter last season, and Miller was a starter this season.

In any case, the 'Bows said they do not expect to disappoint their home crowd this week.

"We're at home, so it's pretty hard to have a letdown here," junior guard Matt Lojeski said. "If anything, the fans will help get us into it."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.