Photo by Brad HornHawai'i's Matt Gibson warms up in the foreground while Nevada shoots before their game at Lawlor Events Center on Saturday.
RENO " The University of Hawaii's luck has been all bad when it comes to the center position this season.
The Rainbow Warriors lost 6-foot-11 Stephen Verwers for the season back in late December, and his replacement, 6-foot-8 P.J. Owsley suffered an injury to his kneecap and didn't make the trip this weekend.
The latest injury leaves Hawaii (6-3 in the Western Athletic Conference, 10-11 overall) with nine players for today's important matchup with Nevada (6-3, 14-8) at Lawlor Events Center.
The game tips off at 3:05 p.m., and will be seen nationally on ESPN2.
Hawaii coach Bob Nash said an MRI revealed that Owsley's knee is structurally sound. Nash said he didn't want his center cooped up in an airline seat for several hours, and that by staying home, he could get much better therapy.
Despite the injuries to the two big men, Nevada coach Mark Fox said Hawaii does present matchup problems for his team on the defensive end.
"Hawaii has been playing extremely well since the first game," Fox said. "I think they have won five of their last six. They shoot the three very well. Bobby Nash is a tough matchup at the four [power forward]."
Bobby Nash, a 6-foot-6 senior guard/forward, averages 15.6 points per game and shoots 37 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. He'll be a tough guard for either Marcelus Kemp or Demarshay Johnson.
Jared Dillinger shoots 43 percent from beyond the arc, while the always dangerous Matt Gibson shoots 32 percent from beyond the arc. Gibson leads Hawaii in scoring at 16.6 a game.
"Everything we do, it's basically perimeter oriented," Nash said. "We try to stretch the floor. We have guys that are versatile and can handle the ball. That's how we make plays.
"It [our lack of size] presents problems at the defensive end of the floor. We need to help on the posts inside. If we get there late, we'll have some problems."
Good ball movement beats traps and double-teams and Nevada dished out a season-best 24 assists on 35 baskets in the demolition of San Jose State.
"We have improved in the last month," Fox said. "We showed we understand how to play offense a little better. We played together. A lot of guys got the ball in the right spots to score (on Thursday)."
Off the bench, Ray Kraemer had a career-high 11 points and Lyndale Burleson added a season-high 10. The duo were a combined 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. Both played double-digit minutes, as the Pack is in the second leg of a five-game swing in 10-day span.
Hawaii, meanwhile, has been off since last Saturday and won't play again until Feb. 16 when it hosts Utah State.
Does Hawaii have an advantage today?
"I don't know," Nash said. "You stay sharp when you play, and when you don't, you never know what's going to happen. Even though it was a lopsided win, Nevada played a game and still stayed sharp. Being off, you can lose your focus."
NOTES: Nevada has won 33 of its last 36 at home, including eight of the last nine ..
Nevada has shot the ball well recently, eclipsing the 50 percent mark in four of its last five games ... Nevada has won 16 of its last 17 WAC home games ... This is Nevada's second appearance on ESPN2 this season. Nevada was drilled by then top-ranked North Carolina 106-70 in late December ... Nevada has topped the 80-point mark in four of its last six games and is 7-1 when scoring 80 points or more ... This will be the 23rd overall meeting between the teams, with Nevada leading the series, 13-9. This will be the 17th meeting as WAC opponents. Nevada has won the last four meetings and seven of the last eight, including a 77-59 win in Honolulu on Jan. 12. Hawaii is winless in nine all-time trips to Reno.