Just about everybody has a winning attitude going in to Las Vegas.

The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is no exception.

The Rainbow Warriors held practice yesterday at the Thomas & Mack Center in preparation for tonight's road game against UNLV.

"You can see how much the guys believe in themselves now," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "And that can make a lot of difference, especially on the road."

It was the first practice for the 'Bows since they upset then-No. 4 Michigan State, 84-62, on Saturday.

"When you beat a team like that by that many points, it's going to make you feel good," senior forward Julian Sensley said. "I'd say we're a lot more confident with that win under our belts."

The rest of the nation apparently took notice. The 'Bows received 96 points in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll released yesterday. It was not enough to put them in the Top 25, but it put them fourth among the "others receiving votes."

"We can't worry about that now," Wallace said. "It's nice for the program to get in there at anytime, but for this team, it's still too early."

The 'Bows will have to prove themselves again against a UNLV team that routed Long Beach State, 108-73, on Friday.

"We're still not real sure what we're like," UNLV head coach Lon Kruger said. "It's still early, but we have great workers with great attitudes and we had a good opening game, so it's very positive right now."

The Runnin' Rebels are once again running under second-year coach Kruger, which should make for a high-scoring game tonight. The 'Bows are also trying an up-tempo approach this season.

"It'll be a very quick game; they want to run up and down, and we'll try it, too," Wallace said. "They'll try to press and trap on defense, and then they do a little of everything on offense."

Sensley said: "In the past, we hated the teams that made us run because we weren't used to it and it made us tired. This year, we want to be the team to make the opponent tired."

Hawai'i went 3-9 on the road last season, and five new recruits are on their first trip as 'Bows this week.

"I feel it a little bit," said junior guard Matt Lojeski, who is one of the newcomers. "My calves were cramping up today and I don't know why. I just hope I got it out of the system today."

For UNLV, point guard Ricky Morgan, shooting guard Michael Umeh and forward Louis Amundson are all returning starters from last season's team that finished 17-14 and advanced to the second round of the NIT.

Umeh scored 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting in the victory over Long Beach State. As a team, the Rebels shot 58.9 percent from the field in the season opener.

"I think the second year is always more comfortable than the first," Kruger said. "The transition can be very difficult in the first year for the players and coaches, but I think we're closer to where we want to be this year."

Tonight's game is the first of a rare non-conference home-and-home series between the teams. UNLV will play at the Stan Sheriff Center on Dec. 6.

"There's a lot of family and friends between the two places, so it's a natural fit," Wallace said.

Kruger added: "People from Hawai'i like to travel to Las Vegas and people from Las Vegas like to travel to Hawai'i, so it makes sense."Lojeski honored

After getting shut out all of last season, it took the 'Bows only one week this season to receive a Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week honor.

Lojeski received the award after recording 20 points in last week's upset of Michigan State. The 6-foot-6 junior shot 7 of 11 from the field, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range.

"It's a good feeling, real good," he said. "But I don't expect things like that so it's not that big of a deal."

Lojeski started training camp as the back-up at small forward, but he is now the starting shooting guard.

"He's been a natural ever since we moved him out there," Wallace said. "He makes everybody around him better and he's catching on to our system faster than any of the other new guys."

Lojeski, who played at Eastern Wyoming junior college last season, said: "I think I'm starting to find my shot in the offense a little more. I'm learning more and more about the offense every day, just where to go and what to look for."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.