The University of Hawai'i men's basketball doesn't necessarily want to hit the big one in the gambling city of Reno, Nev.

They just want one. As in one road victory.

The Rainbow Warriors departed Honolulu yesterday for Reno. They will play a Western Athletic Conference game at Nevada tomorrow.

The 'Bows are 0-4 on the road this season, and 0-8 all-time against Nevada in Reno.

"If you want to win this league, you have to win some on the road," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "Everybody's good at home. We're the ones who have to show we can do it on the road, too."

Hawai'i is 10-6 overall and in third place in the WAC at 4-2. The Wolf Pack, which was the preseason pick to win the conference, is 14-5 overall and 4-3 in the WAC.

The 'Bows beat Nevada, 73-69 in overtime, on Jan. 5 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"It always helps your confidence knowing you can beat a team," senior co-captain Deonte Tatum said. "But this is a different game. They're going to do things different and we're going to do things different."

For a change, Hawai'i could have a travel advantage over Nevada.

The 'Bows arrived in Reno around 5:30 p.m. (Pacific time) yesterday.

At the same time, the Wolf Pack was playing a road game at Boise State. Nevada defeated Boise State, 82-79, to snap a two-game losing streak.

But that also means Nevada will have only today to prepare for the 'Bows.

"It's crazy how the schedule is for everybody this year," Wallace said. "We've had our problems already and we got more coming up. Everybody's (upset), but you have to deal with it.

"And nobody has to travel like we do. We're coming all the way across that ocean. They're coming from Boise. So I wouldn't say it's to our advantage."

In any case, the 'Bows have shown improvement in each road game this season. The four road losses are by an average of 4.5 points per game, including a pair of three-point WAC losses two weeks ago.

"Those losses on the road made us better," Tatum said. "We've been getting better execution down the stretch in every game, even on the road. I think that helped us pull out some games at home. Now we have to continue working that way on the road."

The 'Bows met at the Stan Sheriff Center at 6 a.m. yesterday to board a bus for the airport. By the time they checked-in to their Reno hotel, it was around 6 p.m. (Pacific time).

"It's not so much the travel — that part we can deal with," Tatum said. "It's about being mentally tough in a gym that we're not familiar with. If we can get over that part, we'll pull out some wins on the road."

The 'Bows will also have to contend with reigning WAC Player of the Year in Nevada forward Nick Fazekas. The 6-foot-11 junior had his best game of the season against Hawai'i earlier this month with 37 points and 15 rebounds.

He had 25 points and 11 rebounds in the victory over Boise State last night.

"If he gets that again and we win again, I'll take it," Hawai'i senior forward Julian Sensley said.

After playing Nevada, the 'Bows will play another WAC road game at Utah State. The Wolf Pack and Aggies are the two highest-rated teams in the conference, according to most Rating Percentage Index (RPI) rankings.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.