No secrets left

LAS CRUCES, NM » There won't be a lot of surprises when Hawaii and Utah State meet tomorrow in the Western Athletic Conference tournament at the Pan American Center.

The quarterfinal matchup will be the third between the fifth-seeded Rainbow Warriors (18-12) and fourth-seeded Aggies (21-10) this season, and coaches Riley Wallace and Stew Morrill have already matched up 18 times in their lengthy careers.

The teams even run several similar sets in their halfcourt offenses.

"We've gone through it a lot," said Wallace, UH's 20th-year coach. "We both know what each other's going to do, and we have to get the players to execute."

Hawaii handled the Aggies 69-61 on Jan. 29 in Honolulu. Utah State returned the favor by holding UH to its lowest point total of the season in a 58-50 win in Logan on Feb. 14.

"It should be fun, should be a good game," UH guard Matt Lojeski said. "They run some familiar plays and we're so used to playing them now. ... It's just going to come down to who executes better, who focuses better."

Hawaii is on a four-game winning streak and has gone 8-3 since starting the WAC season at 1-5. Utah State lost three of its last four, though the win came against regular-season champion Nevada.

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Nitty gritty time for basketball Rainbows

UH puts its four-game winning streak on the line vs. USU

LAS CRUCES, N.M. » Ahmet Gueye is one of the Hawaii basketball team's senior veterans, but this is something new for him.

This time last year, Gueye was stuck in Honolulu having just suffered a season-ending knee injury just before the final game. Now he's eagerly anticipating playing in the Western Athletic Conference tournament for the first -- and last -- time.

"I'm going to give everything I've got, I'm going to do everything I can," Gueye said after a UH practice at Onate High School in Las Cruces. "It's the last one, so hopefully it's going to be a long one."

WAC TOURNAMENT Hawaii vs. Utah State When: Tomorrow, 11:30 a.m. Where: Pan American Center TV: KFVE (Ch. 5) Radio: ESPN 1420-AM Internet: wac.tv

The first step for the Rainbows (18-12) in their quest for a postseason berth comes tomorrow in a quarterfinal game against Utah State (21-10) at the Pan American Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Hawaii time. The game will be televised locally on KFVE.

The Rainbows and Aggies split their regular-season series with each team winning on their home floor. The visiting team had a tough travel schedule prior to those games, making the trek across the Pacific the day before the games and having one practice to prepare.

That won't be a factor this time, though UH did arrive in town on Sunday, a couple of days earlier than Utah State.

Tomorrow's game also be the 19th all-time meeting between UH coach Riley Wallace and Utah State's Stew Morrill. Wallace, coaching his final WAC tournament this week, holds a 12-7 advantage over his close friend.

"I've always said it's hard to play friends, especially in this situation where he's do-or-die in terms of potentially his last game," Morrill said at his weekly press conference. "Once it's tipped up that will all go away and we'll both try to find a way to win."

The Rainbows lost in the quarterfinals each of the last three years, losing to New Mexico State last year when two shots in the final seconds wouldn't drop in a 58-57 loss in Reno.

Not being with his team gnawed at Gueye, who returned this season to lead the team in rebounding (8.3 boards per game) and finish the regular season second in scoring (12.3 points per game).

"Last year sucked so bad," he said. "We lost the last game on the last second, I was watching the game on TV and I was so disappointed. Now I'm here with these guys telling me I have to stay strong and keep thinking positive. That's what I'm doing every day."

Gueye closed the regular season by averaging 14.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in UH's last six games.

Fellow senior Matt Lojeski averaged 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in the same stretch and is coming off a 35-point night against Boise State.

Morrill is also wary of guard Matt Gibson's potential after seeing the junior put up 18 points in the second half of UH's win over the Aggies on Jan. 29.

"(Lojeski's) on a roll and he's a really good player, and capable of a lot of big nights. We've got to do something to get him stopped," Morrill said. "Ahmet Gueye is a load down low, and we've had to double him a lot, but Matt Gibson is kind of the kicker. When Gibson really has a good game, now you're in trouble because they've got three guys that can jump up and get 20-plus."

Although Lojeski shoulders much of UH's scoring responsibilities, his focus will be on the defensive end of the court as he tracks Utah State guard Jaycee Carroll, the WAC's scoring champion at 21 points per game.

"You don't have the energy you want on offense because you can't take a break on defense," Lojeski said. "You really have to focus."

Turnovers have been a recurring issue throughout the season for the Rainbows, who are committing a league-high 17.6 per game. And with each possession being magnified in tournament play, taking care of the ball will be a key for the 'Bows to advance.

"We know each other well," Gueye said. "They run a lot of the same plays we run. They run the flex the same way we do and they have an incredible player in Jaycee Carroll. We just have to come out strong and take care of the ball. Every single basket is crucial."