Officially, Riley Wallace will go after his 300th victory as the University of Hawai'i-Manoa men's basketball coach Saturday when the Rainbow Warriors play No. 4-ranked Michigan State.

Unofficially, "I tell people we have never legitimately won a game in Hawai'i — at least according to those who leave," Wallace said. This is said with tongue firmly planted in cheek, of course. And not much of a smile.

You would think after 540 games (299-241) for Wallace and 26 seasons in the Western Athletic Conference for UH, the so-called "homer's paradise" reputation here would be a thing of history.

Sadly, it apparently isn't as two marquee games — one in basketball and another in football — over the next 10 days, each to be played with outside officials, say quite eloquently.

A chop suey crew will work the UH-MSU basketball game by request of the Spartans and a Pac-10 crew the Nov. 25 football game with Wisconsin by demand of the Badgers.

"I told them (MSU officials) that their brothers-in-law could work the game as far as I'm concerned," Wallace said. "Officiating won't win or lose this game."

Apparently that last statement isn't a widely held opinion to hear the whining and caterwauling that persists. Not after MSU football coach John L. Smith left here last year following a 41-38 loss claiming, "they got accomplished what they wanted to get accomplished."

That, along with Northwestern's bleating after a 49-41 loss, prompted Wisconsin's demand for a Big Ten officiating crew and finally got them a Pac-10 group for next week's game. Never mind that Chad Owens' 10 touchdowns over those two games was the real difference.

In basketball, Wallace said, "I've had Gonzaga, who we beat here in the NIT (1998) with officials from the West Coast, go home and say they got jobbed. Oregon said it one year, too.

"So, I tell people we've never won a game here, it has been the officials because by the time they (visiting teams) get home, they will say it was because of officiating."

The crew that will work the basketball game is less a slap in Hawai'i's face than football where it is egregious. In hoops, because of the number of games, officials commonly work several conferences. Some, such as the accomplished Ed Hightower, who has been part of 10 NCAA tournaments and will work Saturday's game, will officiate in six or seven leagues a year. Eventually, all may be "neutral" crews.

In football, crews are identified by conference almost exclusively. So, UH agreeing to dump a WAC crew in favor of a Pac-10 group is as disappointing as it is dangerous for the precedent it sets.

Of course, there is the opinion of UH football coach June Jones who, on his KKEA radio show Tuesday, said: "I don't care who refs the game; they're all bad."

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.