The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team has already prepared a full scouting report on its opponent tonight, UC Riverside.

Hawai'i junior forward Bill Amis will leave it at that, even though he has ties to the Highlanders' head coach, Jim Wooldridge.

When Amis was growing up in Oklahoma City, Okla., he attended several basketball camps run by Wooldridge.

What's more, Amis' stepfather, Mike Tabor, is a close friend and former high school teammate of Wooldridge. Tabor and Amis' mother, Sue, are in town this week, and had dinner with Wooldridge last night.

"I think they're just going to eat and catch up with each other," Amis said with a laugh. "Unfortunately, I won't be going with them."

Even though it's two days before Christmas, don't expect the Rainbow Warriors to be as nice to the Highlanders tonight.

Hawai'i will host UC Riverside in a game that is expected to feature physical play on both sides.

Hawai'i assistant coach Larry Farmer, who scouted UC Riverside, described the Highlanders as "a team that likes to get in your face and pressure you."

"We have to be prepared to run all our offense, and run it well," Farmer said. "Toughness will be tested. Last year, they were tougher than us."

Tonight's game is a mandatory return trip from last season, when the 'Bows traveled to Riverside, Calif. The Highlanders upset Hawai'i last season, 79-62.

Much has changed since then.

UC Riverside finished with a 9-21 record last season, but is off to a 7-2 start this season.

"I don't know if it's a turnaround," Wooldridge said. "We're not a finished product, but we are moving in the right direction."

The 'Bows finished 11-19 last season, but are 5-3 this season. They are on a five-game home winning streak.

"We came into this year wanting to win every home game," Amis said. "The first two didn't go our way, but we've won all the rest, so we want to keep it going the rest of this season."

Because of UC Riverside's deliberate pace on offense, tonight's game is expected to be low-scoring. The Highlanders are averaging 57.2 points per game, while allowing just 53.9 per game.

"They don't beat themselves," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "They move the ball and really use the clock. And then on the other end, they play solid defensively."

Hawai'i is averaging 71.1 points per game, while allowing 69.5.

"It won't be a racehorse game," Farmer said.

The Highlanders have become even more dangerous in recent weeks with the addition of Kyle Austin, a 6-foot-7 junior forward who transferred from USC. He was ineligible for the first seven games due to NCAA transfer rules.

Austin is averaging 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the two games — both wins.

Wooldridge is concerned about Hawai'i's leading scorer, Roderick Flemings, who is averaging 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

"Hawai'i is a proactive team in that they get fouled a lot, shoot a lot of free throws, and get a lot of offensive rebounds," Wooldridge said. "And Flemings is the leader of that."

Tonight will be Hawai'i's first game since Dec. 15, when it beat Chicago State, 85-75.

"It's good and bad," Flemings said. "You get some rest and can focus on one game. But we need to keep our momentum going, too, so we've been ready to get back out here for a game."

Hawai'i starting forward Adhar Mayen has been limited in recent practices due to a finger injury and is questionable for tonight's game. Junior Lasha Parghalava would take his place in the lineup.