RAINBOW PLAYBOOK
San Jose State Spartans
Coach: Phil Johnson (1st season, 9-9).
Season: 9-9, 2-3 WAC.
Top players: Terrance Richmond, 6-2 junior guard (12.7 points per game); Ben Sanders, 6-5 junior guard (11.8 ppg); Will Trawick, 6-7 senior center (9.8 ppg, 7.8 rebounds per game); Michael Quinney, 5-10 senior point guard (8.3 ppg, 4.0 assists per game).
Interesting facts: The Spartans are coming off road losses to BYU and Utah ... Hawaii leads the series, 5-2. The Rainbows have won all four games since the Spartans joined the WAC in 1996 ... Johnson succeeded Wallace (on Wallace's recommendation) as head coach of Seminole J.C. (Okla.) when Wallace left in 1987 to join the Rainbows.
Keys to the game: Marquette Alexander leads Hawaii in scoring with 12.1 ppg and is averaging 5.5 rpg. Mike Robinson is second in scoring at 11.7 ppg and leads off the glass with 5.7 rpg ... San Jose State has shot better than 50 percent from the field five times, winning three of those games ... Wallace said 6-8 senior forward Erin Galloway, who has been down with the flu for over a week, made the trip and is feeling stronger. "He could play," said Wallace.
Tipoff: 5:30 p.m., HST, today, the Event Center, San Jose, Calif.
On the air: Live on KCCN radio (1420-AM).
WAHINE PLAYBOOK
Fresno State Bulldogs
Coach: Britt King (7th season, 81-86).
Season: 7-11, 2-3 WAC.
Top players: Tiffany Lewis, 6-0 junior forward, 14.2 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game; Jessie Farias, 5-6 senior guard, 6.1 assists, 2.7 steals per game; Connie Krueger, 5-10 senior guard, 9.8 ppg.
Interesting facts: Raylene Howard is eighth on the all-time UH scoring list and needs 53 points to move ahead of Ayesha Brooks. Howard tops the WAC in field goal percentage (.555 on 111-of-200). Lewis is second (.537 on 108-of-201) ... Lewis is the only WAC player scoring and rebounding in double figures ... FSU is 0-6 on the road.
Keys to the game: The Wahine (10-7 overall, 2-3 WAC) and Bulldogs match up fairly evenly ... Hawaii has to develop more team consistency with the pull-up or step-back jumper to take advantage of penetrating opportunities ... FSU plays a lot of man defense and likes to trap just inside half court. The Bulldogs have caused a lot of turnovers with this defense ... FSU shoots the 3-pointer well, led by Farias (30-of-73, .411) and Krueger (36-of-111, .324) ... The Bulldogs turn the ball over 10 times per game more than Hawaii ... Last week Fresno State upset BYU, 68-65, then lost big to Utah, 76-50. Which team will show up tonight?
Tipoff: 7 p.m., today, at the Stan Sheriff Center.
On the air: Live on KCCN radio (1420-AM).
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK
Stanford Cardinal
Coach: Ruben Nieves (9th season, 147-59).
Season: 2-1 overall, 0-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
Top players: Gabe Gardner, 6-9, Jr., OH, , (5.73 kills per game); Andy Witt, 6-6, Jr. OH, (4.45 kpg, 1.18 blocks per game); Dan Zhang, 6-6, So., MB; Brett Youngberg, 6-8, So., MB, (4.0 kpg, .567 hitting percentage); Brad Griffith, 6-5, So., S; Marcus Stkacel (6-5, Fr., MB).
Interesting facts: Gardner returns to the court after sitting out last season following his transfer from Southern Cal. He spent the past two summers training with the U.S. national team ... For the second straight season, the Kosty brothers will be on opposite ends of the court. Chris is a senior hitter for Hawaii, while John is the Stanford assistant coach ... Witt is six kills away from 1,000 for his career ... Stanford, ranked No. 8, leads the series with Hawaii, 22-18, but the Rainbows have won the last two meetings. The last time Hawaii won on Stanford's home court, however, was in 1995.
Keys to the series: Junior all-American Andre Breuer returns to the Hawaii lineup after missing four matches with a sprained right ankle. He is still not at 100 percent and may have trouble with his timing ... Hawaii will need to slow down Gardner and Witt as well as not allow Zhang and Youngberg to get hot in the middle ... Rainbow opposite Clay Stanley needs to find some consistency and senior setter Mason Kuo needs to regain some of the confidence he lost in the defeat to UCLA last week ... Both teams serve well. It may come down to which one makes the fewest errors.
First serve: 5 p.m. Hawaii time, today and tomorrow
On the air: Tomorrow only, live on KCCN radio (1420 AM).
