Bobby Nash already has the ornaments on the back of his head.

Now he'd like to light up the scoreboard to help the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team defend its Rainbow Classic championship.

The Rainbow Warriors will host Louisiana-Lafayette on the opening night of the 44th annual Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic at 7:30 p.m. today at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Ohio will play St. John's in the tournament opener at 5.

"We had 10 days to get ready for this," Nash said. "We're treating it like any other game, and we take every game seriously. But we know in the back of our minds this is an important one."

On the back of his head, Nash has some stars and "UH" shaved into his haircut.

"One of my friends did it," he said. "Something different."

But when it comes to the Rainbow Classic, the 'Bows would like more of the same. Hawai'i won last year's tournament for the fifth time in six years.

"Rainbow Classic is always a special time," Nash said. "There's no classes to worry about. It's all about basketball."

Hawai'i, which is 3-4, has not played since defeating Long Beach State, 61-57, on Dec. 9.

"We've had a lot of hard practices since our last game," Nash said. "It'll be nice to go up against somebody else besides our teammates."

Louisiana-Lafayette is 2-6, and came to Honolulu after a confidence-building 68-67 conference victory over Louisiana-Monroe Sunday.

ULL head coach Robert Lee said the Sun Belt Conference opener was played Sunday so his team could participate in the Rainbow Classic.

"It was the best thing that could have happened to us," Lee said. "We were on a (six-game) losing streak, but we won an important conference game and I think we all feel better coming here now."

Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash described the Ragin' Cajuns as "dangerous."

"The thing that jumps out at you is how athletic and skilled they are at every position," he said. "They like to go one-on-one, take you off the dribble."

The opening game for Hawai'i in the Rainbow Classic is always an important one. A victory assures the 'Bows of staying in the evening bracket. The loser drops to the lonely consolation bracket in the afternoons.

"You can't worry about that stuff," Bobby Nash said. "Just worry about this first game and hope it all falls into place."

The Cajuns are not taking the opening draw as an insult, according to Lee.

"We know how these tournaments work, and I understand the reason why we would draw the home team," Lee said. "But we play a lot of road games every year against quality teams. Being an underdog in a tough environment is nothing new."

Three weeks ago, the Cajuns lost at Tennessee, 98-70, before 19,401 fans.

ULL has struggled to find its shooting touch this season, as evidenced by its .376 field-goal percentage. By comparison, Hawai'i is at .437.

Lee said he is especially concerned about Hawai'i's ability to shoot well in the Sheriff Center.

"Hawai'i has been difficult to beat at home and in this tournament," he said. "And (Bobby) Nash and some of the other guys are such good shooters at home."

Nash leads the 'Bows in scoring and rebounding with 17.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

The Cajuns' top player is Elijah Millsap, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward. His last name should be familiar to Hawai'i fans.

His older brother, Paul Millsap, had several outstanding games against the 'Bows when he played at Louisiana Tech. He is now playing for the Utah Jazz.

"They're a little different," Lee said. "They both rebound the basketball well, but Elijah is a little smaller. They do play with the same tenacity, and we're hoping Elijah will have a game similar to what Paul used to have here to give us a chance."

One concern for Hawai'i is the status of starting guard Riley Luettgerodt, who returned to practice yesterday after missing the previous two workouts with a bruised thigh.

He will likely share time with Jared Dillinger, who has been working with the first team in place of Luettgerodt this week.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Make a difference. Donate to The Advertiser Christmas Fund.