If it's a Monday, then it's time for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team to get back to work.

The Rainbow Warriors will host Louisiana Tech in a Western Athletic Conference game today at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Having already lost its conference opener against Boise State on Saturday, Hawai'i is already in a must-win position today.

"When it comes to conference, you have to put the last game behind you, whether it's a win or a loss," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "The (Boise State) game is behind us. We've certainly got our work cut out for us against a very good Louisiana Tech team, so that's what we're focusing on."

Monday night games have been good for the 'Bows this season, as they are 5-0 on Mondays in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Hawai'i is 8-5 overall. LaTech is 7-7 overall and 1-0 in the WAC after a 66-61 road win at San Jose State on Saturday.

"I think any time you can get a road win in any conference, it's a good win," LaTech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "I don't know how much it will help us (tonight), but it's a great way to start."

Hawai'i faded down the stretch of a 70-58 loss to Boise State on Saturday.

"A loss is always tough," Hawai'i point guard Hiram Thompson said. "But we've shown that we can bounce back from losses. All the mistakes we made in that game are correctable. The turnovers are something we know we can improve on."

The 'Bows committed 14 turnovers against Boise State, and are averaging 17.3 per game — the most among WAC teams.

"We have to take care of the basketball — that's going to be paramount in this game," Nash said. "(LaTech) makes you play a slow game, they make you play an ugly game, so every possession is valuable."

The Bulldogs are last in the WAC in scoring with an average of 63.8 points per game, but they are allowing only 65.9 per game. Hawai'i is averaging 68.6 points per game while allowing 66.4.

"We just have to focus a little harder than we did for Boise State," Hawai'i leading scorer Roderick Flemings said. "We let Boise's big men get too many easy shots on us. We can't do that again because Louisiana Tech has some real good big men."

The Bulldogs' seven victories are already one more than they had all of last season, when they finished 6-24 in Rupp's first season as head coach. They are turning it around with the help of a group of newcomers, led by transfers Magnum Rolle and Kenneth Cooper.

Rolle, a 6-foot-11 forward, transferred from LSU; Cooper, a 6-10, 260-pound center, transferred from Oklahoma State.

The Bulldogs often like to use Rolle at the top of their zone defense.

"They have a nice zone defense that they play because they have great size and great length," Nash said. "That's a big reason why teams are not scoring against them."

Cooper and Flemings were teammates at Oklahoma State during the 2005-06 season.

"It's funny how it worked out, we're both in the WAC," Flemings said. "He's a good rebounder, a big body. He'll be a tough matchup."

The top scorer for the Bulldogs is one of the returnees, Kyle Gibson. The 6-5 guard is averaging 15.8 points per game.

"We're still a work in progress," Rupp said. "We do have a lot of new parts, but as the individual parts get better and start understanding our schemes, we're collectively getting better."

Although the Bulldogs appear to have the size to match the 'Bows, Rupp is concerned about Hawai'i's aggressive style.

"I've been impressed with the way Hawai'i can get to the free-throw line and get inside for offensive boards," Rupp said. "We're not taking advantage of our size as much as we'd like to. That's been a downfall."

Hawai'i has out-rebounded its last 12 opponents.

The 'Bows lead the WAC with 370 free-throw attempts, despite a season-low 10 attempts in the loss to Boise State.

The same crew of officials that worked the Hawai'i-Boise State game on Saturday is scheduled to work tonight.

The 'Bows are led by Flemings, who leads the WAC with 18.2 points per game.

"We'll bounce back," Flemings said. "We always do."

Second-leading scorer Petras Balocka and reserve guard Lasha Parghalava were limited in practice yesterday due to injuries, but Nash said he expects both to be available tonight.

Louisiana Tech and Hawai'i represent the geographic extremes of the WAC, but the Bulldogs shortened the trip with a one-week stay in California.

LaTech lost at UCLA on Dec. 28, then stayed in California for the San Jose State game.

Regardless of tonight's outcome, the 'Bows will depart Honolulu tomorrow for their first WAC road trip of the season. Hawai'i will play at Idaho on Thursday, then at Boise State on Saturday.

"We already gave one up, so we definitely have to win the home games," Thompson said. "The road is always going to be tough, especially traveling from Hawai'i, so this is a big game."

NOTES

Former UH guard Dominic Waters scored 41 points, including the game-winning free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining in the fourth overtime, to lead Portland State to a thrilling 92-91 victory at Northern Arizona yesterday. Waters transferred to Portland State after his sophomore season at Hawai'i in 2007.