BOISE, Idaho — The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is trying twice as hard to get to get its first road win this week.

The Rainbow Warriors have been practicing twice a day for the past two days in preparation for today's Western Athletic Conference game against Boise State. The game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Mountain time (11 a.m. Hawai'i time) at the Taco Bell Arena.

The early start is part of the reason the 'Bows have been pulling double-duty. The Taco Bell Arena was not available during the afternoon hours, so Hawai'i opted to practice in a nearby YMCA gym.

"They said we can only practice (in the Taco Bell Arena) at night, but I wanted to keep to the schedule of the game," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said.

However, Wallace also wanted his players to "get a feel" for the Taco Bell Arena, so the 'Bows have had light practices in there the past two nights.

"It's a good schedule," senior co-captain Julian Sensley said. "We're practicing hard in the day, but then we get time to go back to the hotel and rest. And the shootarounds at night have been more fun than hard."

In an effort to keep the team's spirit up on the road, Wallace has been conducting shooting games during the evening sessions. Last night, the "Bigs" (forwards and centers) beat the "Smalls" (guards) in a game filled with trash talk from both sides.

"Just trying to keep it light," Wallace said. "Sometimes, when you have something negative on your mind, it affects the way you play, so we're trying to keep it all positive."

The negative is Hawai'i's 0-6 record on the road this season, including 0-4 against WAC teams. The 'Bows are 12-8 overall and 6-4 in the conference.

This trip got off to a rough start when the 'Bows had to spend Wednesday night in Seattle because of a canceled flight. Wallace said he let the players catch up on sleep on Thursday.

"We basically lost that whole night of rest (on Wednesday), so it's a good thing we left (Honolulu) early," he said. "I think we're caught up now. There's no excuses. We're not tired; there's no elements to hold us back. We just have to go out and execute."

By Boise standards, the weather has been nice — sunny and around 40 degrees during the day.

"It's kind of cool just hanging out, actually," Sensley said. "I think it makes a difference to get into a city early like we did this time. We've had a couple days to get adjusted and we're having a good time."

The only concern now for Hawai'i is the Broncos. Boise State dropped to 12-10 overall and 5-6 in the WAC after an 81-71 loss at Louisiana Tech on Wednesday.

"Our kids have bounced back all year," Boise State head coach Greg Graham said. "It was a tough loss (on Wednesday), but we can't look back at that one now."

Hawai'i defeated Boise State, 72-61, in Honolulu on Jan. 23. The 61 points was Boise State's lowest total in a WAC game this season.

"We have to be ready on defense again," Wallace said. "They like to run in transition, and they'll play with a lot more energy at home."

However, the crowd is normally not much of a factor. The Taco Bell Arena has a seating capacity of 12,380, but the Broncos have been drawing an average of just 3,623 per home game this season.

If there is an advantage for Boise State, it may be in the nets. Sensley said the thin nets probably help the Broncos run on opponents.

"These are like fastbreak nets — the ball goes right through, so you can grab it faster after a made shot," Sensley said. "The ones we got back home are thicker so the ball stays in there a little longer."

Boise State is most concerned about Hawai'i's size. At the game in Honolulu, Sensley and 7-foot reserve center Chris Botez combined for 29 points and 16 rebounds.

"They hurt us inside the last time," Graham said. "We just have to do a better job of containing some of Hawai'i's big guys, especially Botez and Sensley."

The Broncos are also looking for a stronger game from their leading scorer, 6-4 shooting guard Coby Karl. He is averaging 17.1 points per game, but got just 12 against Hawai'i last month.

"Coby's had a great season already," Graham said. "But for us to be a good team, he needs to play well."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.