Who's it gonna be?

In previous years, teams in the nine-member Western Athletic Conference were secure in the knowledge that everyone has a chance to make a timely run through the WAC men's basketball tournament and qualify for the 65-team NCAA field.

No longer.

Somebody's getting left home from Reno, Nev., come tournament time in March. The league decided to eschew the play-in game for the bottom two teams this season, meaning the ninth-place finisher after 16 games of WAC play is done for the year.

Hawaii (7-6) will do whatever it can to avoid that fate starting today against Idaho (7-4) in the WAC opener for both teams at 7 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH follows against Boise State (9-4) on Monday.

It'll be a tough road, even at home. The Rainbow Warriors were picked to finish last in both the preseason coaches and media polls. No WAC team posted a losing record in nonconference play, and each is stocked with senior talent; eight of 10 players on last year's WAC first and second teams returned. Third-year coach Bob Nash is aware that every league win is more important than ever.

“;Certainly trying to hold home court is going to be very important for anybody in the WAC,”; Nash said. “;Then if you can steal some on the road, that's gonna be huge as well. I think we're just trying to get better as a team, and not to put pressure on our players, but they have to understand that each game that slips away, means that you lose out on the opportunity to go to the tournament.”;

UH battled myriad injuries and other problems in an up-and-down nonconference portion of its schedule - no player started all 13 games - but is mostly healthy again. Forward Roderick Flemings should be back in action despite some swelling in the sprained right knee that caused him to miss the last two games. Point guard Hiram Thompson suffered a minor concussion in the Diamond Head Classic and sat out UH's last game against Northwestern State as a precaution, but is cleared again.

“;(The WAC games are) extremely big this year, seeing that everybody doesn't get to go to the WAC tournament,”; said Flemings, who slipped behind guard Dwain Williams for the team scoring lead. “;We gotta start off good, definitely gotta win these two home games seeing that it's going to be hard to win on the road.”;

The Rainbows and Vandals split their home-and-home series last season, each winning handily on their home courts. UH will again try to limit a UI attack led by senior point guard Mac Hopson, a preseason All-WAC pick.

Coach Don Verlin's team is efficient in transition, is skilled at pick-and-rolls with its bigs and uses drive-and-kick options from Hopson. Nash stressed getting back in transition in yesterday's practice.

Former UH guard Kareem Nitoto had great success frustrating Hopson in a 71-49 blowout in Honolulu last February. But Nitoto is gone, transferred to UC Riverside, and Hopson has a new running mate in senior transfer Steffan Johnson, a talented shooter and former All-Big West Conference guard at Pacific. Kashif Watson is another capable scorer.

“;They're going to be a handful to handle them,”; Nash said. “;But we're just going to have to man up and play good, solid defense, control the boards and run our sets.”;

Thompson will be the main man in charge of limiting Hopson, but UH will rely heavily on help defense, too.

“;He likes to penetrate and create for others, so if I can just contain him outside those areas where my teammates have to help … just stop his push,”; Thompson said. “;Kareem contained him really well; hopefully my teammates can help me out too.”;

BOISE STATE (9-4)

Coach: Greg Graham (eighth year)

2008-09 finish: 9-7 (tied for third), CBI first-round loss to Stanford

Top players: F Ike Okoye (14.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg), G La'Shard Anderson (12.2 ppg, 3.8 apg)

Scouting the Broncos: BSU rides a four-game winning streak, all at home, but Broncos played at home just once in their first eight games. … One loss at Taco Bell Arena, to San Diego, making BSU 52-10 there over last three-plus years. … BSU played five teams from the Big Sky Conference, going 4-1. … Kurt Cunningham, last year's WAC leader in field goal percentage, is second this season at 64.5 percent.

FRESNO STATE (7-7)

Coach: Steve Cleveland (fifth year)

2008-09 finish: 3-13 (ninth)

Top players: G/F Paul George (16.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg), F Sylvester Seay (15.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg)

Scouting the Bulldogs: FSU scores fewest points in WAC at 67.4 per game, but is league's toughest to shoot against at 39.1 percent field-goal percentage allowed. … Bulldogs lead conference in steals at 8.3 per game, led by George's 2.8 per game. … Point guard Steven Shepp is tops in assists at 5.0 per contest … FSU led league in home attendance for six straight years at Save Mart Center. … Former BYU coach Cleveland faced former team for first time on Dec. 12, losing to Cougars 72-67.

HAWAII (7-6)

Coach: Bob Nash (third year)

2008-09 finish: 5-11 (eighth)

Top players: G Dwain Williams (15.6 ppg, 89.4 percent FT), F Roderick Flemings (15.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg), F Petras Balocka (10.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg)

Scouting the Rainbow Warriors: Played top three teams from Mountain West Conference at Stan Sheriff Center, losing by double digits to BYU, New Mexico and UNLV. … Just one road game so far, a loss at UC Irvine. … Three straight 20-point games from Williams a first since Matt Lojeski in 2007. … Flemings led WAC in scoring at 17.9 ppg at this time last year. … WAC's top offensive rebounding team (14.8 per game) but worst defensive rebounding team (22.2). … UH is 0-2 in WAC openers under Nash and is 1-3 on national TV this season.

IDAHO (7-4)

Coach: Don Verlin (second year)

2008-09 finish: 9-7 (tied for third), CI.com second-round loss to Pacific

Top players: G Mac Hopson (13.2 ppg, 4.5 apg), Steffan Johnson (11.6 ppg, 42.9 percent 3FG)

Scouting the Vandals: Last year's win over Drake in inaugural CollegeInsider.com tourney was first postseason game since 1990 and postseason win since 1982. … Nine conference wins were most since joining the WAC. … Verlin, a former Utah State assistant, guided team to first winning season since 1998-99. … After starting 4-1, Vandals are 1-3 against Division I competition. … Dec. 3 win over No. 25 Portland was first win over a ranked team since 1982. … UI is getting 22.5 points per game from its bench, up from 16.1 last year.

LOUISIANA TECH (12-2)

Coach: Kerry Rupp (third year)

2008-09 finish: 6-10 (tied for sixth)

Top players: G Kyle Gibson (21.6 ppg, 89.4 percent FT), C Magnum Rolle (12.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.7 bpg)

Scouting the Bulldogs: Tech is off to its best start since 1990-91, with only losses at New Mexico and at Arizona. … Bulldogs are 5-0 at home and are on a five-game winning streak. … Gibson ranks 16th nationally in scoring and first in free throws made (101). His scoring average is up five points from last season. … The 6-11 Rolle is No. 24 nationally in blocks per game. … Forward Olu Ashaolu is coming off a 21-rebound game vs. Houston. … NBA legend Karl Malone is in his second season as LaTech's diector of basketball promotions, and the floor in Thomas Assembly Center is called Karl Malone Court.

NEVADA (8-5)

Coach: David Carter (first year)

2008-09 finish: 11-5 (second), CBI first-round loss to UTEP

Top players: F Luke Babbitt (19.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 90.5 percent FT), G Armon Johnson (17.0 ppg, 4.8 apg)

Scouting the Wolf Pack: UNR is 7-0 at Lawlor Events Center. … No. 14 nationally in field-goal percentage at 49.7. … Sixteenth nationally in scoring at 82.8 points per game, up from 70.6 last year. … Pack nearly won at No. 9 North Carolina before falling 80-73. … Scored 112 points against Houston, highest in WAC this season. … Babbitt, Johnson and Brandon Fields (14.8 ppg) rank in top 11 in WAC scoring, and Johnson is a Cousy Award candidate for the nation's top point guard. … League's top rebounding team (39.9 per game) has out-rebounded eight straight teams. … Carter, a former Pack assistant, is only newcomer among WAC coaches.

NEW MEXICO STATE (7-6)

Coach: Marvin Menzies (third year)

2008-09 finish: 9-7 (tied for third)

Top players: G Jahmar Young (20.5 ppg, 88.5 percent FT), G Jonathan Gibson (19.0 ppg, 44.2 percent 3FG), F Wendell McKines (16.0 ppg, 10.7 rpg)

Scouting the Aggies: Young and Gibson are top scoring tandem in WAC and have both gone for over 1,000 career points. … Young is third nationally in free throws made at 92. … Aggies yield most points in league at 80.8 per game (including two 100-point games allowed), but lead in 3-pointers made (8.2 per game) and attempted (23.8). … McKines is averaging a double-double in three games since becoming academically eligible after the fall semester, but Aggies' other top frontcourt player, Troy Gillenwater, is still academically ineligible. … All five starters returned from last season.

SAN JOSE STATE (7-5)

Coach: George Nessman (fifth year)

2008-09 finish: 6-10 (tied for sixth)

Top players: G Adrian Oliver (20.7 ppg, 44.7 percent 3FG), G Justin Graham (10.8 ppg, 4.6 apg), F Chris Oakes (9.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg)

Scouting the Spartans: Behind Oliver, SJSU is WAC's most efficient 3-point shooting team (40.2 percent), good for 28th nationally, but Spartans have fewest treys made in league (66). … Oliver's gone for 30 or more points three times this season … Oakes leads league in rebounding. … Graham owns school single-season steals record of 51 in 2008-09. … SJSU has won four of five, including a home-and-home sweep of UC Irvine, but hasn't had a winning team since 1993-94. … Spartans are hunting for their first top-four finish in the WAC.

UTAH STATE (10-4)

Coach: Stew Morrill (12th year)

2008-09 finish: 14-2 (first), NCAA first-round loss to Marquette

Top players: F Tai Wesley (14.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 58.5 percent FG), G Jared Quayle (12.4 ppg, 4.5 apg, 91.5 percent FT)

Scouting the Aggies: Defending champs had a 37-game home winning streak snapped by Saint Mary's, 68-63, on Dec. 5. …. Aggies have won four straight. … Quayle is WAC's top free-throw shooter (No. 14 nationally) as USU ranks No. 3 in country at the line (78.2 percent). … Stingiest team in the league at 60.2 points per game allowed is also best in assists (16.4 per game) and rebounding margin (plus-7.1). … The school from Logan hasn't had a losing season since 1992-93 and is 78-66 on the road under Morrill.