After a 49-year break, the Hawaii and Weber State basketball teams will reunite today at 5 p.m. in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

The teams last played in December 1975 in what was then known as the Honolulu International Center (now Blaisdell Arena). The ’Bows defeated the Wildcats twice in a four-day span.

In building this year’s WSU schedule, a multiple-team event fell through and another MTE’s field was reduced. WSU coach Eric Duft and UH coach Eran Ganot reached an agreement on a Sunday game with the ’Bows picking up the tab.

“That’s the nature of it at our level,” Duft said of the Wildcats, who are members of the Big Sky Conference. “We have to play guaranteed games. We have games we have to return (as a home-and-home series). You have to get guaranteed games when you can. So we’ve got two out of our three (Oregon State and Nevada) out of the way. I guess this is considered a guaranteed game with Hawaii because they’re paying for the trip.”

The Wildcats, who played Nevada in Reno on Wednesday, initially believed this game would be played on Saturday. But with the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team playing on Saturday, the Wildcats still kept to their travel schedule and arrived in Honolulu on Thursday.

“They’re paying for the trip, so it was a good time for us to get away and have some team bonding and get guys around each other and enjoy some good weather,” Duft said.

The Wildcats are hopeful the extra day to acclimate will improve their shooting. After trouncing Northwest Indian College 118-35 to open the season, the Wildcats shot 30.5%, including 22.2% on 3s, in one-sided losses to Oregon State and Nevada.

“We thought we’d have a good shooting team,” Duft said. “I think we do. We just haven’t gotten on track yet. We played two good opponents in Oregon State and Nevada. … We’re big. We’re physical. We’ve got some wings who can really shoot it. We just have to get it going.”

Point guard Blaise Threatt tops the Wildcats with a 13.7 scoring average. He has 15 assists against two turnovers. But he missed both of his 3-point shots.

UH is off to a 3-0 start after sweeping last week’s Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic. Tanner Christensen, a 6-10 center, averages 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The ’Bows have received a lift from their bench. Guard Marcus Greene scored 18 points against Pacific. Gytis Nemeiksa is averaging 11.7 points, and nine of his 19 rebounds have come off the offensive boards.

“That is just my basketball,” Nemeiksa said of his second-chance plays. “I’m always like that. I was never really a talented player who can, like, dribble really good. I’m just always playing with my heart. I’m a motor player. I like to play hard. I like to get a board. That is just me.”

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL

At SimpliFi Arena

at Stan Sheriff Center

HAWAII (3-0) VS. WEBER STATE (1-2)

>> When: 5 p.m.

>> TV: Spectrum Sports

>> Radio: 1420-AM; 92.7-FM