Monday, November 16th, 4:00 a.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) -- Honolulu, Hawaii. Television: ESPN. Home Record: UNC 0-0, Hawaii 2-0. Away Record: UNC 0-0, Hawaii 0-0. Neutral Record: UNC 2-0, Hawaii 0-0. Conference Record: UNC 0-0, Hawaii 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: College basketball junkies rejoice as the Hawaii Warriors and Northern Colorado Bears fill up an empty Tuesday morning with a special edition of the Hawaii Rainbow Classic from the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

As part of a special 24-hour run of college basketball, the annual Rainbow Classic fills the void that would otherwise be marked by infomercials and white noise, early, early in the morning on Tuesday. Both the Warriors and the Bears are off to 2-0 starts, with Hawaii getting the job done with victories over both Southern Utah (65-48) and McNeese State (73-65) in the first couple of rounds in this event.

As for the Bears, they too topped the same two foes in the last few days with a 101-73 triumph versus the Cowboys and a 73-51 victory over the Thunderbirds. This is the first-ever invite for Northern Colorado to the tournament, while Hawaii has a record of 74-61 and has won the event a total of 11 times, the most recent coming in 2006.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, this is the first-ever meeting.

Despite shooting only 1-of-7 behind the three-point line in the first half, UNC still managed to post a commanding 40-22 advantage against Southern Utah and then cruised to the 22-point win in the third game of the Rainbow Classic over the weekend. Will Figures was one of four players in double figures for the Bears with his game-high 20 points before fouling out. Hauns Brereton accounted for 13 points on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and 5-of-5 effort at the free-throw line, followed by Elliott Lloyd and Devon Beitzel who both tallied 10 points in the triumph. Through the first two games of the campaign Figures is averaging 19.5 ppg, thanks to 63.2 percent accuracy from the floor and an even more impressive 5-of-7 shooting behind the three-point line. Chris Kaba, the top man on the glass with six rebounds per outing, checks in with 11.0 ppg after coming off the bench in the first two games. The team is off to a quick start with an average of 87.0 ppg and an impressive 50.4 percent effort from the field.

Up by seven at the break versus McNeese State, the Warriors made it hard on themselves in their last outing as they made a total of nine field goals in the second half and missed on all nine chances beyond the arc in what turned into an eight-point win at home. Dwain Williams stepped up with 20 points, leading four UH players in double figures, while Roderick Flemings handled the action on the inside with his 14 points and team-best 10 rebounds. Jeremy Lay chipped in 11 points off the bench and Petras Balocka 10 and six boards. With Bill Amis now watching from the sidelines, the Warriors need other players to step up and fill the gap, something that Williams appears to have done just fine with his 18.0 ppg, although he is shooting just 37.9 percent from the floor. Trying to even out the shooting accuracy from the field is Flemings (18.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg) who has already knocked down 55.6 percent of his chances, which is almost as good as his 58.3 percent accuracy at the free-throw line through two game.

While it is still early in the season and the opponents have been rather soft, Northern Colorado has still shown signs of growth from a year ago, which is why the Warriors had better be on top of their game if they expect to notch their third straight win.

Predicted Outcome

Hawaii 69, Northern Colorado 66