An hour after Saturday’s basketball game, Hawaii freshman guard Kameron Ng’s jersey was stained with perspiration.

It was an odd sight because Ng did not play in that game. But after the singing of UH’s alma mater and a team meeting, Ng returned to the Stan Sheriff Center court for his own postgame workout.

Early Tuesday, before the roosters crow, Ng went through another workout. He then went to the UH locker room, showered, changed into travel gear, walked into the pre-dawn darkness, and boarded the chartered bus to the airport ahead of Thursday’s road game against UC Santa Barbara.

For Ng and his Rainbow Warriors teammates, preparation is a daily — and nightly — routine.

Senior guard Eddie Stansberry, who runs 1 to 2 miles every day, said the ’Bows are fit and ready for the challenges of the Big West grind. For the first leg of this two-game trip, the ’Bows were set to arrive in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon, then make the 95-mile drive to Santa Barbara. It will be another 95-mile ride to San Luis Obispo for Saturday’s game against Cal Poly.

“It’s a lot of traveling,” coach Eran Ganot said. “You’re talking about longer bus rides. We’re going to embrace it. Challenges are great. The travel, plus a Santa Barbara team that is picked to be one of the best in the league. (The Gauchos) are playing really well while we’re still dealing with adversity. Nobody is feeling sorry for us.”

The ’Bows have been without ailing wing Samuta Avea (back) for two games and post Bernardo da Silva (foot) for three. Both were on the 13-player travel roster, opening the possibility they will be available to play this week. Ganot mused he wished the travel party could accommodate the 5,000-plus fans who inspired the ’Bows’ comeback from a 17-point deficit the past Saturday.

“They were a bolt for us,” Ganot said. “I hope we can continue to let people know how much the fan base means to us and how much we appreciate it. Hawaii fans appreciate performance, they appreciate work, and they appreciate teams that play like a team. The added caveat is they recognize moments when they’re needed. They were needed. They’ve been needed, and our guys feel it, for sure. It’s good to share with the world how special our fan base is.”

The ’Bows are expected to enter a boisterous environment in UCSB’s Thunderdome. Two weeks ago, the ’Bows beat the Gauchos 70-63 in the Sheriff Center.

“They’re going to be hungry,” point guard Drew Buggs said. “The loss to us is fresh in their minds, so we’re going to have to be ready to go. They’re going to know everything we do because they just scouted us. But it’s good. That’s what makes the conference interesting and tough. We’re going in with the mind-set we have to be better than we were here (in Hawaii).”