For old times' sake, the new shooters for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team would like to shoot down old Western Athletic Conference rival Brigham Young tomorrow.

Remember Tes Whitlock's ESPY-nominated desperation 3-point shot from the corner to beat the Cougars in 1995?

How about Trevor Ruffin's 3-point bank shot at the buzzer to beat BYU in 1994?

Well, here's something most Hawai'i basketball fans probably don't — or don't want to — remember: BYU beat Hawai'i, 60-59, on a 3-pointer in the final seconds at the Stan Sheriff Center on January 16, 1999.

That was the last time the 'Bows and Cougars met in Honolulu.

"They're going to be big and they're going to be good, just like they always were," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said of the current Cougars. "We obviously had some good battles with them in the past and we hope to have another one (tomorrow)."

The current Hawai'i players are perhaps too far removed from the "old WAC" to appreciate the old rivalry, but they do understand the importance of tomorrow's game.

"This might be the best team we see this year," Hawai'i junior guard Dwain Williams said. "From what I hear, they have a couple of NBA prospects and they can shoot the lights out, so we'll have to play a great game."

In truth, Hawai'i's new guards — Williams and Jeremy Lay — will have to improve their own marksmanship to keep pace with the Cougars.

As a team, Hawai'i is averaging 6.0 3-pointers per game, and has a .295 percentage from long range through its first three games this season.

While those statistics might seem modest, it is still an improvement from last season, when the 'Bows were one of the worst shooting teams in the nation. Hawai'i averaged just 3.5 3-pointers per game last season, and finished with a .283 percentage.

"Hopefully we'll improve as we go along," Nash said. "But not just shooting. We're trying to get better in all phases of the game."

Lay and Williams combined for 15 of Hawai'i's 18 3-pointers as the 'Bows went 2-1 in the season-opening Rainbow Classic.

Lay leads the team with eight 3-pointers, and has a .381 percentage from 3-point range.

"It's about shot selection," he said. "The percentages are going to go up once we learn to take only open shots. It's early in the year, and I think we got caught up in some of the games and forced some shots."

Williams leads the team in scoring with 17.7 points per game. He has seven 3-pointers, but is shooting for a .259 percentage from long-range.

"I took a couple of contested shots that I need to take out of my game," Williams said. "But I'm confident because for the most part, my teammates are finding me in open spots. Unfortunately, I just haven't been hitting like I know I can."

BYU is 2-0, with victories over Bradley and Idaho State. The Cougars were picked to finish first in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll, and are in the "others receiving votes" for this week's Top 25 polls.

The Cougars have a trio of dangerous shooters in 6-2 Jimmer Fredette, 6-3 Jackson Emery and 6-6 Jonathan Tavernari. They combined for 177 3-pointers last season.

Fredette, who was picked as the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year, is averaging 23.5 points per game this season.