ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Can the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team stay warm?

That's the big question today when the Rainbow Warriors play Hofstra in the first round of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.

The game is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. (Hawai'i time) at Sullivan Arena. It will be broadcast live on 1080 AM.

The 'Bows are coming off a 44-point blowout of Oregon State on Sunday.

But that was in Honolulu. This is Anchorage.

The benches at Dimond High School's gym told the difference yesterday as the 'Bows went through a two-hour practice. Sweatshirts, sweat pants, ski jackets, beanies and gloves were piled next to the water bottles.

"It's cold outside, obviously," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said of the below-zero temperature yesterday. "But we're staying inside. You can't let it affect you."

Geographically speaking, today's game will be as extreme as the weather.

The 'Bows are based in Honolulu and needed around 15 hours to get to Anchorage. The Pride is based in Hempstead, N.Y., and needed around 10 hours to get to Anchorage.

The game will also offer a contrast.

The 'Bows will start five players 6 feet 5 and taller. The Pride will counter with four starters 6-5 and shorter.

Most significant, Hofstra starts a trio of sharpshooting guards: 6-2 Carlos Rivera, 6-3 Antoine Agudio, and 6-3 Loren Stokes.

The trio is being hyped by the school with themes such as "in guards we trust," and "the nation's highest scoring backcourt." They combined to average 46.3 points per game last season, and are averaging 60.0 points per game this season.

"What makes them good is that they're all different," Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora said of his guards. "If we're going to have a special year, a lot will depend on those guys. But at the same time, it means others have to step up because everybody knows those three will be the focus of every team we play."

Hawai'i is no exception. Much of yesterday's practice focused on perimeter defense.

"If you're not ready to play defense against these guys, we're going to have a lot of problems," Wallace said. "Those guards are quick, so they're going to try and run and take us off the dribble. But they can also shoot the 3, so they're dangerous."

Hawai'i's trio of "big" guards — 6-5 Matt Gibson, 6-6 Matt Lojeski and 6-6 Bobby Nash — will have the responsibility of defending the Hofstra guards.

"They're going to put up a lot of shots, so they will make some," Gibson said of Hofstra. "We have to make sure we grab the rebounds when they do miss and make sure we run our own offense and make our shots."

Hawai'i sophomore Dominic Waters will also see significant action at point guard, and he said: "It's a good chance to see where we stand. This is a good team with some big-time guards, so it'll be a big task on our hands."

The 'Bows will be taller than the Pride at every position, and as Gibson was quick to point out, "they have to guard us, too."

Hawai'i will try to exploit the low-post, where 6-11 Stephen Verwers and 6-8 Ahmet Gueye will be defended by shorter players.

"If we can get some good buckets by (Gueye), it will open things up, and we have a lot of shooters," Gibson said.

Hofstra went 26-7 last season, but is 0-2 this season, with the two losses by a combined eight points.

"It was two close games, but we're not happy with that," Pecora said. "It's a marathon, not a sprint, that's what we have to keep in mind."

In any case, today's game will be the first of three in three days for the 'Bows.

"I love it," Waters said. "It's less practice and more games. This is a chance to prove ourselves against a lot of other really good teams."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.