This is it.

Either the Hawaii men's basketball team figures out a way to do something it hasn't accomplished all season—win on the road—or the Rainbow Warriors' dismal season comes crashing to a halt in Moscow, Idaho.

Even should the last-place Rainbows pull off an upset over Idaho tonight and put a damper on the Vandals' senior night festivities, that still might not be enough for UH to avoid missing the Western Athletic Conference tournament. Tip-off is 3:05 p.m. at the Cowan Spectrum.

Because only the top eight teams in the nine-team league qualify this year, UH (10-19, 3-12 WAC) also needs San Jose State to win at Boise State, and Nevada to beat visiting Louisiana Tech in order for the Rainbows to make it to Reno, Nev., next week.

And while the BSU Broncos still have incentive to fight for the final seed in the tournament, less is on the line for SJSU; the Spartans are locked in at No. 6.

Of course, none of that matters if the Rainbows can't win a road game.

They're 0-8 away from the Stan Sheriff Center this season, and hung with Boise on Thursday for just a half before yielding a flurry of 3-pointers and losing 82-63 in a game that would have punched UH's WAC ticket.

UH hasn't gone winless on the road in a season since 1998-99—also the only other time the Rainbows missed out on a WAC tournament. It was a 16-team league then.

“;We got some seniors, it might be their last game, I'm sure they want to go out on a high note knowing that they didn't lose their very last game of college basketball,”; UH coach Bob Nash said. “;It's going to be very difficult against Idaho, saying goodbye to (their) seniors. And so they're going to be fired up to play. So it's going to be a battle.”;

The Rainbows practiced yesterday morning, then traveled from Boise, Idaho, to Moscow, Idaho—no easy trip. After the team flew to Lewiston, Idaho, from Boise, its bus broke down about 15 minutes from Moscow, delaying their arrival for about 45 minutes.

However, the Rainbows may have caught a break. Idaho guard Kashif Watson, the Vandals' second-leading scorer at 10.7 points per game, was suspended indefinitely by the team yesterday starting with the Hawaii game.

Watson scored 17 points in the Vandals' win over SJSU on Thursday night, and even had his three-quarter court shot at the halftime buzzer make No. 2 on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays that night.

He was to be one of five seniors honored tonight by UI (14-15, 5-10).

Without him, senior point guard Mac Hopson (14.4 ppg, 4.9 assists per game) will have to shoulder a greater load.

Idaho coach Don Verlin expects a battle similar to the 59-52 win his team managed in Honolulu on Jan. 2.

“;Well, I always anticipate a good effort from the University of Hawaii and a Bob Nash-coached team,”; Verlin said. “;They're always physical games, they're always hard-fought games, and I think this one will be the same way.”;

The Rainbows will need their seniors—Flemings (16.2 ppg), Petras Balocka (7.6 ppg, 8.0 rebounds per game), Paul Campbell (4.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 28 blocks), Adhar Mayen (7.1 ppg), and Brandon Adams (8.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg)—all to play well if they are to extend their season.

Flemings was held to six points and seven assists in UH's loss at BSU. Nash said after the game Flemings had an illness, but yesterday said that he was feeling better.

Verlin knows what the stakes are for Hawaii. But his team also has something to play for: Idaho can seal the No. 7 seed with a win, and avoid a first-round matchup with regular-season champ Utah State.

UH band going, anyway

No matter what happens with the UH men's basketball team, the UH pep band will make the trip to Reno, Nev., for the tournament and staying until its completion, a member of the band said.

The band will perform for the Hawaii women's basketball team, which will play its quarterfinal game on Wednesday. If the men qualify, they'll play on Thursday.

The band members fund-raised and paid their own way to Reno.