"That's prime time in New York and the rest of the East," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "A lot of eyes will be watching this one."

Both teams are hoping to catch the attention of the NCAA Tournament's selection committee.

The Rainbow Warriors are 14-7 overall, including 12-1 at home, and 6-7 in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Panthers are 20-5 overall and have already clinched the regular-season championship of the Horizon League at 13-2. Their feel-good season is the subject of a feature article in this weekend's edition of USA Today.

UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said the game is important for both teams because "the only bracket that we bust is each other's."

"Who ever wins gets helped and who ever loses gets hurt" in the NCAA Tournament selection process, he said.

For Hawai'i guard Deonte Tatum and UWM forward Joah Tucker, today's game will end weeks of family hype. They are cousins who grew up together in Milwaukee.

"The whole family's been talking about it for a while now," Tatum said. "They're all going to be watching."

Tucker said he has not made any wagers with Tatum, except "bragging rights for the rest of our lives, basically."

But that is only one of several storylines. Among the others:

• Hawai'i junior forward Julian Sensley has declared himself "good" for today's game.

The team's leading scorer and rebounder sustained a sprained right knee against Boise State on Wednesday, but practiced with the first team yesterday.

"I'd say it's about 85 percent," he said. "It's still a little sore, but I'm going to play."

• UWM shooting guard Ed McCants is regarded as one of the nation's best 3-point threats.

He finished sixth in NCAA Division I last season with 104 3-pointers, and is ranked sixth this season with 81 3-pointers.

The 6-foot-3 senior leads the Panthers with 17.2 points per game, and made nine 3s in a game earlier this season.

"Ed McCants is a special shooter and he's really worked hard to become more of a complete player," Pearl said.

Wallace described McCants as "an NBA-caliber player."

• UWM is concerned about Hawai'i's size; Hawai'i is concerned about UWM's quickness.

The Panthers start three guards and two forwards, and no starter is taller than 6-7. Hawai'i's shortest starter is 6-4 Jake Sottos.

"They're huge," Pearl said of the 'Bows. "They're so much bigger than we are that keeping them off the boards is going to be a challenge."

But Wallace said of the Panthers: "They're not very tall, but every guy can jump out of the gym. Plus, they're quicker than we are, so I don't know if our size will mean that much. It's going to come down to execution."

• The Panthers feature a run-and-gun offense, while the 'Bows use a patient flex-motion game.

"If we're playing at our pace, we'll be getting up and down," Tucker said.

Tatum said: "They'll run every chance they get, so we have to be ready to stop it. It's going to be a fun game to watch."

• UWM flew more than 4,000 miles to get to Honolulu on Thursday. It was 14 degrees when they left Milwaukee, and 81 when they landed in Honolulu.

• Hawai'i has won 14 consecutive games against non-WAC teams in the Stan Sheriff Center.

"It's an opportunity to do something that's very difficult to do, and that's beat them here," Pearl said.

• The 'Bows are hosting a nationally televised game for the first time since Jan. 18, 1999.

"It helps the program, no question," Wallace said. "That's why I want our fans to show what we're all about."

• Around 2,500 tickets remain for what is being promoted as both "Sellout Saturday" and "Green-Out."

UH students can get in for free, and all fans are being encouraged to wear green shirts. Also, 7,000 "Spirit Towels" will be passed out for the fans to wave.

"If we get the crowd we want, it'll be something special," Wallace said.

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