It will be a big game today when the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team hosts Oregon State at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"It looks like a good matchup on paper," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "We're big and they're big, so it'll come down to execution."

The Rainbow Warriors are 1-1 after a 79-67 home victory over Coppin State on Monday. The Beavers are 2-2, including a 75-47 home loss to Nevada on Wednesday.

"Our front line is the strength of our team," Oregon State head coach Jay John said. "But I expect it to be a good game. Riley always does a good job of getting his teams ready and being competitive."

Hawai'i is expected to start five players 6 feet 5 and taller: point guard Matt Gibson (6-5), shooting guard Matt Lojeski (6-6), small forward Bobby Nash (6-6), power forward Ahmet Gueye (6-8) and center Stephen Verwers (6-11).

"It doesn't matter what kind of team we play, big or small," Gueye said. "Whatever is there, we have to be ready for it. This is Division I basketball. All the teams are good if they are big or small."

Verwers started the first two games for the 'Bows, but Wallace said he is still contemplating a lineup change. "It'll be a game-time decision," he said of his starting center.

But even if Verwers does not start, the 'Bows will remain big. Seven-foot sophomore Todd Follmer and 6-8 junior P.J. Owsley are the top candidates to replace Verwers.

The Beavers will counter with a big lineup of their own: 6-3 Josh Tarver and 6-5 Seth Tarver at guards, 6-8 Marcel Jones and 6-10 Sasa Cuic at forwards, and 6-9, 258-pound Kyle Jeffers at center.

The Tarver brothers are freshmen, so John said the big trio of Jones, Cuic and Jeffers are considered the leaders.

"If our front line struggles, we struggle," John said.

Jones leads the Beavers with 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

"Marcel has a chance to be a very good player," John said. "He still has a lot of room for improvement, but he does have a lot of skills."

Hawai'i's first two opponents this season — UNLV and Coppin State — used shorter lineups.

"Our chemistry on defense needs to be there," Gueye said. "Our first two games we had to face quicker guys. The guards (for Oregon State) are also quick, but they have the big guys inside. This is going to be a tough game because we have to get ready for inside guys and outside guys."

For the Beavers, a trip to Honolulu has already been somewhat of a victory.

"It's been raining back home all this month," John said. "So it was an uplifting experience just to see the sun shining."

The 'Bows are scheduled to begin a four-game, 11-day road trip tomorrow. They will play three games at the Great Alaska Shootout, followed by a game at Santa Clara.

"This game is important because we don't want to take a loss with us on the road," Gueye said.