As far as the University of Hawai'i-Manoa men's basketball team is concerned, the only place tonight's exhibition game against Hawai'i-Hilo will not count is in the official record.

"There's no way we can accept losing this one," junior forward P.J. Owsley said. "Yeah, it's an exhibition game, but we have to win it to set the tone for the season."

The Rainbow Warriors will host the NCAA Division II Vulcans tonight at 7 o'clock in the Stan Sheriff Center. The result and statistics will not count for either team. Still ...

"You play every game to win," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "Ideally, you want everybody to play. But I'm not going to put guys in just to put them in. We're playing to win first."

As proof, Wallace will start a veteran lineup tonight, even though he said one of his goals is to see how his new recruits perform.

Matt Gibson will start at point guard, Matt Lojeski at shooting guard, Bobby Nash at small forward, Ahmet Gueye at power forward, and Stephen Verwers at center.

Lojeski and Gueye were starters on last season's 17-11 team. Gibson and Nash both received medical hardships last season, but were starters at one time or another for the 16-13 team in 2004-05.

Verwers is the only one from that group without starting experience, and that's because he redshirted last season due to transfer rules.

"It helped me a lot to be here last year, even though I didn't play," the 6-foot-10 junior said. "I got to practice, and sit and watch the games, so I feel like I came into this year way ahead of the other new guys."

The Vulcans do not have any players taller than 6-7 this season, so the 'Bows will have a distinct height advantage. Gibson, at 6-5, will be Hawai'i's shortest starter.

"We're still fighting for playing time, so this game is important, no matter who it is," Verwers said.

Wallace said guard Dominic Waters, forwards Owsley and Riley Luettgerodt, and center Todd Follmer would be the first players off the bench.

Owsley, Luettgerodt, Follmer, point guard Todd Lowenthal and forward Alex Veit are the new recruits for the 'Bows.

"I'm looking forward to playing in that arena for the first time," said Lowenthal, the only true freshman on the roster. "I'm sure there's going to be some nerves, but once the game gets started, I think we'll be fine."

Owsley added: "I think we're all excited just to play against somebody besides ourselves. A game situation is different from practice, so we're ready."

Wallace was concerned during the preseason practices that his new recruits would not learn the schemes quick enough to be ready for tomorrow's exhibition. But after last night's practice, Wallace declared the 'Bows to be "as ready as we can be."

"I think they know enough," Wallace said of his team. "We wouldn't be ready for (UNLV) right now, but we still have a week for that."

Hawai'i's first official game will be at UNLV on Nov. 10.

Hawai'i-Hilo head coach Jeff Law was an assistant under Wallace for eight seasons prior to taking over the Vulcans in 1998.

Law said the schemes he uses with the Vulcans are different from the ones he used with Wallace and the 'Bows.

"There was a time when I did maybe 60 percent of what Riley did," Law said. "But I soon realized that I'm not going to have the 7-foot center and the 6-5 shooting guard on the Division II level."

The Vulcans return two starters from last season's 16-9 team, but only one — 6-5 forward Justin Dobson — will be available tonight.

NOTES

Freshman guard Marquez Jackson — who was recruited to Hawai'i for football, but joined the basketball team prior to this season — is also in his first year with the 'Bows.

Fans who attend today's Hawai'i vs. Hawai'i Pacific women's exhibition game at 4 p.m. can stay for the men's exhibition game. Tickets for the women's game are $8 for adults and $6 for senior citizens (students are free). However, fans who attend the women's game must then move to an unoccupied seat in the upper level for the men's game.

Purchases of the lower-priced women's tickets must be made before halftime of the women's game. After halftime of the women's game, tickets will be sold at the men's prices. Fans who already have men's tickets can enter at anytime during the women's or men's game.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.