Think the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team has problems?

Meet Fresno State.

The Rainbow Warriors and Bulldogs will play a Western Athletic Conference game tonight at the Blaisdell Center Arena. They are tied for fifth in the WAC standings at 2-2.

"It's big because we're at home," Hawai'i coach Riley Wallace said. "And you have to try and win all of your home games in this league."

The 'Bows have gone through their share of injuries already this season, but no team in the WAC has gone through the kind of adversity Fresno State has.

For starters, the Bulldogs are on a self-imposed postseason ban because the previous coaching staff violated NCAA recruiting rules. Fresno State will not even get to participate in the WAC Tournament in March.

"We don't talk about it," first-year head coach Steve Cleveland said. "It was a very, very difficult thing we went through with that postseason thing — hardest thing I ever did in 29 years of coaching."

Last week, starting guard Dwight O'Neil was suspended for academic reasons. He did not make the trip to Hawai'i.

Fresno State brought only nine players on this trip, including two walk-on players.

"There has been a lot of adversity," Cleveland said. "We have seven scholarship guys and a couple of walk-ons. That's what we're dealing with.

"It's tough sometimes to look down the bench for someone who can help us in this situation and that person is not there."

But the Bulldogs have not lost their bite.

They are 9-6 overall, including an 87-77 home victory over preseason WAC favorite Nevada on Wednesday.

"They've still got some really good athletes," Wallace said. "And they can all shoot it. They're dangerous."

The game will feature a contrast in size.

The Bulldogs start four players 6 feet 6 and shorter. The 'Bows start four players 6-6 and taller.

During practices this week, Wallace tinkered with the idea of starting 7-foot senior Chris Botez instead of 6-7 Ahmet Gueye at center, but said yesterday he will probably stick with Gueye.

"Both guys will play a lot anyway," Wallace said.

Hawai'i senior Julian Sensley attended Fresno State for a semester prior to enrolling at Hawai'i, but he said he no longer has any ties to the Bulldogs.

"All the players and coaches I knew there are gone now," he said. "In a way, it's just another game for me. But at the same time, there's still a lot of rivalry between Fresno and Hawai'i if you look back over the years."

NOTES

Former UH men's basketball player Clifford Sanchez will receive the Kane Fernandez Community Service Award at tonight's game. Sanchez is an associate educational director at the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center in Los Angeles. He also works with several other youth-related programs in southern California.

Sanchez played at Hawai'i from 1976-81 under head coach Larry Little. The award is named for the late Kane Fernandez, who was one of the original members of the UH Letterwinners Club.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.