Just slap that "W" right into the Rainbows' record book, right?
Not so fast, says UH men's basketball coach Riley Wallace, whose 3-0 team takes on the 1-3 Hornets tomorrow night in the opener of the four-team Powerbar Invitational at the Special Events Arena.
"They're the kind of team that could give our team trouble," said Wallace. "If we go out there thinking that we're going to win and they get hot ... and they'll get their shots."
Hawaii plays Alabama State at 7 p.m., while McNeese State (2-2) takes on St. Mary's of California (2-2) in the nightcap.
The winners and losers play each other Saturday, with the Rainbows again getting the 7 p.m. slot.
UH opened the season with a 76-48 rout of Texas-Pan American, then took the United Airlines Tipoff Tournament title last week with an 80-68 victory over Detroit Mercy and an 83-64 rout of Portland.
St. Mary's might be the team to beat, if it gets past McNeese State. The Gaels lost by one point, 71-70, at Oklahoma State and beat UC-Santa Barbara, 94-86, in their last game.
"St. Mary's is a big ballclub and they've played a good schedule," Wallace said. "And McNeese always has good athletes - they've had two or three guys in the pros, including Joe Dumars.
"They can be pretty scary, but those two have to battle, so at least we get rid of one of them."
Former Kalaheo High standout Alika Smith has been hot for the Rainbows. He leads the team with a 21-point average, shooting 72 percent (23-32) from the floor, with 6-of-10 accuracy from 3-point land.
Anthony Carter, a newcomer from Saddleback (Calif.) Junior College, has been the catalyst for UH. The junior guard is averaging 16 points per game, and leads the team with 17 assists.
Alabama State's top gun is guard Darrick McGriff. The 6-foot senior is avaeraging 17.3 points per game.
St. Mary's has four starters averaging in double figures: guard David Sivulich (17), forward A.J. Rollins (16), forward Josh Unruh (14) - and 7-foot-3, 345-pound center Brad Milard is at 11 points and 7 rebounds per game.
McNeese is led by forward Rosell Ellis at 16 points per game and guard Robert Palmer with 15.
Still, Wallace isn't looking past Alabama State.
"This year we have guys who won't stand out there and shoot 30-footers all night," he said. "As long as our defense and rebounding stays intense, we'll be all right."