The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is on a break from classes this week, but it must still take an Ivy League test tonight.

The Rainbow Warriors will host the University of Pennsylvania in a non-conference game at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"You obviously have to be smart to get into that school," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "But they also recruit kids who are perfect fits for that system. That's why they're so good every year."

The Quakers are 3-4 this season, but the four losses have been against No. 1 Duke, No. 3 Villanova, Colorado and Temple.

The 'Bows improved to 7-3 after a lackluster 66-60 victory over winless North Carolina A&T on Tuesday.

"Wins are always OK, no matter what they look like," Wallace said. "I realized that when I woke up (yesterday) and saw that Nevada struggled the same way we did against a team from that same conference."

The 'Bows committed a season-high 21 turnovers Tuesday, and Wallace said he expects to face more full-court pressure from the Quakers. Penn is averaging 9.1 steals per game.

"Every team that comes in here now will try it against us," Wallace said. "If we continue to not make the passes we're supposed to, if our timing is off, we're going to continue to struggle. But if we run it the right way, we'll pick them apart."

The 'Bows will be healthier tonight with the return of reserve center Chris Botez, who missed Tuesday's game because of inflammation in the muscles near his rib cage. He will play tonight with a protective vest under his jersey.

"It only hurts when I take deep breaths," the 7-foot senior said. "I'm looking forward to getting back out there. It was frustrating to just sit there and watch the last game."

Tonight will be Hawai'i's fifth game in the past 10 days.

Penn's last game was Dec. 13, when it lost to Villanova. However, the Quakers have not exactly been preparing for Hawai'i the whole time.

Penn head coach Fran Dunphy said he gave his players time off for Christmas and to prepare for final exams.

"We have obviously some very bright kids who can do some high-level academic work," Dunphy said. "But when it comes to playing basketball, nobody cares. Unless we do a good job, nobody's going to appreciate the kind of people that we are or the kind of students that we are."

For the most part, the Quakers have done their part on the basketball court. Penn has won nine Ivy League championships under Dunphy since 1993, and is favored to win it again this season.

The Quakers are led by shooting guard Ibrahim Jaaber, a 6-foot-2 junior who is averaging 18.9 points per game.

NOTES

Junior guard "Little Matt" Gibson will miss tonight's game because he is still recovering from a staph infection near his chest. He has not played in the past eight games because of suspension and the staph infection. Wallace said Gibson might seek a medical hardship for this season if he is not cleared to return by next week. Junior guard Bobby Nash is already out for the season with a shoulder injury and will seek a medical hardship.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.