The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team was reminded yesterday just how scary the road can be.

The Rainbow Warriors got delayed about three hours because of stormy conditions on a flight from Salt Lake City to San Jose, Calif.

The 'Bows eventually made it to San Jose for today's game against San Jose State, but only after some white-knuckle moments in mid-air.

"This is probably the second scariest flight I've been on in all my years, as far as the way the plane was moving with the wind and all that," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "The pilot definitely earned his money. We were moving. It got pretty scary."

The 'Bows hope the worst is behind them when they play San Jose State today at The Event Center. The game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. (Hawai'i time), and will be broadcast on ESPN 1420 AM.

Hawai'i is 4-9 overall and 0-1 in the Western Athletic Conference after an 86-80 loss at Utah State on Thursday. The Spartans are 6-6 and 0-1.

The 'Bows left Logan early yesterday morning and were scheduled to arrive in San Jose around 9:30 a.m. But the flight was diverted to Fresno, Calif., because of the bad weather, and the team did not reach San Jose until around 12:30 p.m.

Nash said the only flight he experienced with more turbulence came when he was an NBA player with the Detroit Pistons in the early 1970s. He said that was on a propeller plane during a snow storm en route to Buffalo, N.Y.

"I'll never forget that one," he said. "But this one was up there, too."

In any case, Nash said the delayed flight did not cause any problems with Hawai'i's preparation for today's game. He said the players had time to rest in the afternoon, and they practiced in The Event Center last night.

"We had a good practice, and the guys were in good spirits," Nash said. "We'll be ready."

Hawai'i has won the last nine meetings with the Spartans, including victories at San Jose in each of the last four seasons.

However, San Jose State appears to be improved this season. The Spartans already have more wins now than they had all of last season, when they finished 5-25.

"Just looking at them on film, you can see they're better," Nash said. "They got some size, they got some good athletes. It's going to be a tough game."

The Spartans rely on a balanced attack, with four players averaging near double-figure points. Justin Graham, a 6-foot-4 freshman, leads the team with 11.4 points and 3.0 assists per game. The Spartans also have size, with their five starters ranging from 6-4 to 6-9.

"This is not like the San Jose teams we've seen in the past," Nash said.

The 'Bows are 0-3 on the road this season, but Nash was encouraged by the performance at Utah State.

"I thought we played with poise and confidence, and we didn't let the game get out of hand against a very good team," he said. "Now we need to build off what we did there and bring it to San Jose."

If anything, the 'Bows seem to have found their shooting touch from long range. In its past three games, Hawai'i is 25 for 59 from 3-point range (42.4 percent). Senior forward Bobby Nash is 13 for 25 (52 percent) from 3-point range in those three games.

Bob Nash said the main concern now is Hawai'i's defense. Opponents are shooting 46.7 percent from the field against the 'Bows, including 61 percent by Utah State on Thursday.

The 'Bows played in front of more than 8,000 fans at Utah State, but less than 2,000 are expected to be at San Jose State today.

"It's still a road game, and we have to be ready to execute no matter what the situation," Nash said.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.