If the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team wants to see the light of day when it comes to national prominence, today is as good a chance as any.

The Rainbow Warriors will host No. 4 Michigan State in a rare afternoon home game today at the Stan Sheriff Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. so the Spartans can attend tonight's banquet for the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

"It doesn't matter what time of day it is when you're playing a team ranked this high," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "We'll be ready. The time won't be a factor."

It shouldn't be a factor for the Spartans, either.

"We like to think we're ready to play anybody, any time," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "But we're certainly testing ourselves under adverse conditions, that's for sure."

The Spartans are the highest-ranked team to play Hawai'i since No. 2 Kansas was upset by the 'Bows in the 1997 Rainbow Classic. That also happened to be the last season that Wallace featured an up-tempo offense led by Anthony Carter and Alika Smith.

This season, with a slew of athletic big men, the 'Bows will test-drive a "transition" offense.

"It's funny how it worked out, because we're trying to do what Michigan State has been doing offensively," Wallace said.

The Spartans also are known for their up-tempo pace. They led the Big Ten Conference in scoring last season with 78.5 points per game.

"We condition all summer and our practices are real intense," MSU senior center Paul Davis said. "We're running almost the entire practice. It's tough."

Davis, who is 6 feet 11 and 270 pounds, is being hyped for All-America honors this season. He averaged 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last season, and was one of the key performers in MSU's run to the Final Four.

"He's their steadying factor in the middle," Wallace said of Davis. "You can look at him as the main guy because you have to stay in there and guard him, and that opens the perimeter for their guards."

The Spartans use a three-guard set, with high-flyers Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown on the wings, and Drew Neitzel at the point. Those three and Davis were starters on last season's 26-7 team.

"They like to push it because they have such great athletes," Wallace said. "They'll test you every time down, so we have to be ready."

But the 'Bows also want to run and gun. They scored what would have been a Sheriff Center record for points in a 110-55 exhibition victory over Hawai'i-Hilo last week (statistics from exhibition games do not count).

In an effort to keep pace with the Spartans, the 'Bows will start three forwards — 6-9 Julian Sensley, 6-9 "Big Matt" Gipson, and 6-7 Ahmet Gueye.

"Michigan State is a real athletic team from their point guard all the way to their center," Sensley said. "We're going to have to be on top of our game. Offensively, I'm not too worried because I think we can knock down our share of shots. We just have to make sure we stop them from getting too many easy ones."

Gueye may draw the initial defensive assignment on Davis.

"I like to go against bigger guys; it's a challenge," Gueye said. "And I don't think he can out-run me. I'm hoping our conditioning helps us."

Gueye's toughest task might be getting used to the atmosphere. He is one of five new recruits on the Hawai'i roster.

"The biggest crowd I played before was maybe 1,500," said Gueye, who is originally from Senegal and played the past two seasons at Salt Lake Community College (Utah). "I hear there's going to be 10,000 people (today), so I'm excited to see what that's like."

If the 'Bows do have an advantage, it might be depth.

Wallace is expected to rotate at least nine players into the game. In particular, the 'Bows will try to shoot down the Spartans from all angles.

Shooters Matt Lojeski, "Little Matt" Gibson, Bobby Nash and John Wilder are all expected to get significant time.

"We're going to be going against one of the best teams in the country, so we're going to have to bear down and really concentrate," Gibson said. "These are probably the best athletes we're going to see all year."

Today's game is being promoted as a White-Out, so all fans are being encouraged to wear white shirts.

Problem is, the Spartans also have White-Out games in East Lansing, Mich.

"We've seen it before; our home crowd is great at it," Davis said. "But it's not like the crowd (today) is going to be cheering for us. It's still a road game."

NOTES

About 1,500 tickets remain for today's game.

Anyone with a Hawai'i-Michigan State ticket stub will be granted free admission to the Hawai'i-Southern California women's basketball game, at 7 tonight at the Stan Sheriff Center. Otherwise, women's tickets cost $8 for adults; $6 for seniors (65-older); free for students ages 4 to 18 and UH students with IDs.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.