The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team played one of its better games of last season in a 93-78 victory at Long Beach State.

What will that mean when the Rainbow Warriors host the 49ers today at the Stan Sheriff Center?

Absolutely nothing.

"We didn't even look at that film (of last season's game)," Hawai'i senior tri-captain Riley Luettgerodt said. "They lost their top seven players from that team, they have a new coach, a new system. It'll be a completely different game."

In any case, both teams are in search of a much-needed victory. The 'Bows are 2-4; the 49ers are 2-5.

Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash is not so much concerned about the new-look 49ers as he is about his 'Bows.

"We've had five good days to get ready for this game," Nash said. "We need to run our offense a lot smoother and defensively, we have to increase our energy level. That's what we focused on the most this week. If we don't do those things, it doesn't matter what the other team does."

Long Beach State was one of the top-scoring teams in the country last season, when it averaged 80.5 points per game.

This season, under new head coach Dan Monson, the 49ers are averaging 61.6 points per game.

"They're a lot more defensive-minded," Nash said of the 49ers. "And they run a lot of offensive sets. It's not so much the run and let it fly like last year."

The 49ers went 24-8 last season, and won the Big West Conference championship. However, only four players returned, and none of them received significant playing time last season.

Long Beach State's 15-player roster features seven juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen.

"It'll be a tough task for us," Monson said. "We're very young and still kind of a work in progress."

But Monson has a reputation for building programs. He was head coach at Gonzaga from 1997-99, and started the Bulldogs' current run of success in NCAA Tournaments.

He was also head coach at Minnesota, where he guided the Golden Gophers to five postseason appearances in seven seasons.

"Coach Monson is the originator of what they still run at Gonzaga," Hawai'i assistant coach Larry Farmer said. "You're going to see a lot of different offenses and they'll go both man-to-man and zone on defense."

The 49ers are led by Donovan Morris, a 6-foot-3 junior guard who is averaging 14.1 points per game. He was a starter at Fresno State before transferring to Long Beach State.

"He's versatile — he can shoot the 3, but he can also put it on the floor and get to the rim," Farmer said after watching video of the 49ers.

The 'Bows also have a first-year head coach in Nash, but he inherited seven returnees from last season.

In last season's victory at Long Beach State, Luettgerodt scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed six rebounds, Matt Gibson had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Bobby Nash had 15 points and five rebounds.

"We can't look at that game to get us ready for this one," Bobby Nash said. "But the thing we can take from that game is the same kind of effort. We fought hard and came out with the victory, and we need to do that again."

In addition to studying the 49ers, the 'Bows have been studying for their academic final exams, which start tomorrow.

"Our test on the court comes (today)," Bob Nash said. "The question is, have we studied hard enough and are we ready to pass?"

Today's game will start at 5:05 p.m., so the players can get home early enough to prepare for the final exams.

After today's game, Hawai'i will not play again until the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic, Dec. 19 to 22.

"We want to have a good taste in our mouths for the next 10 days," Luettgerodt said. "So it's important for us to win this one and give us a good feeling heading into the Rainbow Classic."

NOTES

UH Alumni Association members can purchase two tickets for the price of one (maximum of six) for today's game. Alumni Association membership card required.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.