What a difference a week at home makes.

Without playing a game, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team appears to be back in form and back in the thick of the Western Athletic Conference race.

"Even the practices are different — you can see they have more energy here than they do on the road," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "Everything's more comfortable for everybody at home, so you come out and practice hard because your mind is not on other things."

The Rainbow Warriors got some much-needed help on Wednesday when Fresno State beat Nevada and Utah State knocked off previously-undefeated Louisiana Tech.

Every team in the conference now has at least one WAC loss.

"I said at the beginning of the year that you could have three or four losses and still win the league," Wallace said. "That's looking more realistic now."

Hawai'i is 8-6 overall and 2-2 in the conference. The 'Bows will host Fresno State tomorrow. The Bulldogs are 9-6 overall and tied with Hawai'i for fifth place at 2-2.

"We mostly focus on ourselves, but we definitely watch the scores to see what the other teams are doing and to see where we stand," Hawai'i junior guard Matt Lojeski said. "We only have two losses, so we feel like we're right in it."

Based on the results so far, the key to WAC success may be winning all the home games and not losing all the road games.

Home teams are a combined 15-5 in WAC play so far this season, including 2-0 by Hawai'i.

Of course, that means road teams are 5-15 in WAC games, including 0-2 by Hawai'i.

"It's amazing what a difference being at home makes in this league," Wallace said. "We have the toughest travel, but its showing in other teams, too."

Fresno State, for example, lost at Louisiana Tech, 73-54, last Saturday. They returned to Fresno, Calif., and beat Nevada four days later, 87-77.

"I figured they would come out flat after getting blown out, but they come back and beat a very good Nevada team," Wallace said of Fresno State. "Now we know we're going to have our hands full."

Like Hawai'i, Fresno State is 2-0 at home in the WAC, and 0-2 on the road.

The Bulldogs are on a self-imposed postseason ban this season, so they will not participate in the WAC Tournament, NCAA Tournament, or NIT.

"They have nothing to play for, but that could work both ways," Wallace said. "If they find the motivation and really want to get after it, they can beat any team in the league."

Fresno State will bring perhaps the most exciting duo in the WAC in 6-foot-3 shooting guard Ja'Vance Coleman and 6-6 forward Quinton Hosley.

Coleman is averaging 17.6 points per game, and has made 44 3-pointers.

Hosley is averaging 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, and scored a career-high 35 in the victory over Nevada.

Lojeski played against Hosley last season when both were in junior college.

"He's real good; legit," Lojeski said. "He can do everything — score, rebound, pass."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.