The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team was greeted in Champaign, Ill., by light snow and temperatures in the teens yesterday.

"The flight was smooth, everything was on time," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "But it's cold ... real cold."

The Rainbow Warriors will have two days to warm up for their first road game of the season tomorrow against Illinois.

The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. (Hawai'i time). It will be available live on television only to subscribers of the Big Ten Network (Oceanic digital ch. 248). It will also be broadcast via radio live on ESPN 1420 AM.

As if the cold weather was not enough, the 'Bows were also greeted by the news that Illinois had just routed Georgia, 76-42, yesterday afternoon.

"We didn't get to watch the game; it was on right when we got in after a long trip, so the timing wasn't right," Nash said. "But I followed it on the computer. It looks like Illinois played well, and we're going to have our hands full."

Hawai'i is 3-2, and on a three-game winning streak. The Fighting Illini are 7-1, with their only loss by two points to undefeated Clemson.

Oddly enough, the 'Bows arrived in Champaign yesterday morning, and the Illini did not get there until yesterday evening.

The Illinois-Georgia game was played in Chicago, which is about a three-hour drive from Champaign.

"It's a big concern of ours," Illinois head coach Bruce Weber said Thursday. "Normally, we take a day off on Sunday, but we're playing on Saturday, and so we're going to have to practice on Sunday to prepare for Hawai'i. I know they have a long flight, but they're going to be in (Champaign) before we are. It's a factor, but it's something you just have to deal with."

The 'Bows, however, spent much of yesterday recovering from the long trip. They departed Honolulu at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, and arrived in Champaign around 10 a.m. yesterday.

Nash said he allowed the players to rest for most of the day after they arrived at the hotel so that they could be ready for a two-hour practice last night.

Tomorrow's game will be played in Assembly Hall, where Illinois is averaging more than 14,000 raucous fans per game. Hawai'i was not allowed in Assembly Hall last night, but will get to practice in it tonight.

"They have state-of-the-art practice facilities here, so it really doesn't matter," Nash said. "We're more concerned with refining our offensive sets and working on the things we need to get better at. It's going to be a great atmosphere, so we really need to stay focused."