In the realm of Big West men's basketball, a clash like no other has emerged. Over nearly 40 all-time meetings between Hawaii and Long Beach State, the programs have never been so intertwined. This "Bold Week" pre-Christmas interlude aims to eliminate three-game weeks during conference play, and UH finds itself facing an early encounter with some old friends.

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The Hawaii men's basketball team kicks off its Big West season earlier than usual as part of "Bold Week" and will take on Long Beach State at the Walter Pyramid at 11 a.m. Hawaii time on Saturday.LBSU is led by first-year head coach Chris Acker, a former UH assistant under Eran Ganot. LBSU assistant John Montgomery was with Ganot for nine years in Manoa until this summer.Both UH (5-2) and LBSU (2-8) had to undergo significant roster reconstructions during the offseason. Acker's task was more extreme as the Beach returned with almost no production.LBSU achieved its first Division I win in the Acker era on Thursday with a lopsided decision at Cal State Fullerton.First-year LBSU coach Chris Acker and Beach assistant John Montgomery will be on the home sideline at the Walter Pyramid when the teams meet. "Here we are," Ganot said in a phone interview. "It's tough. It's somewhat unavoidable, especially when coaching against former colleagues."UH (5-2) recently suffered a 78-72 loss at Grand Canyon. Acker is attempting to build a new team after a full rebuild in his first Division I head job.The Beach (2-8) had a tough start, including a 43-point loss to No. 4 Gonzaga. But Acker's first win over a D-I opponent came in LBSU's Bold Week opener at Cal State Fullerton.While Ganot has coached against others, he's never faced one of his former assistants in a Division I game. Acker and Montgomery were two of Ganot's assistants in 2015-16 when the 'Bows had a successful season.Acker remained with Ganot for one more season before moving on to Boise State and later San Diego State. Montgomery was with Ganot for nine years and rose to associate head coach.UH experienced heavy statistical turnover, but LBSU ranked in the bottom 10 in NCAA Division I in returning production. Acker estimated he had "half a point" per game coming back.The "Bold Week" gimmick seems fitting for this matchup. Ganot noticed Acker's team plays with "tenacity" and physicality.Acker praised UH's spacing and shooting and called UH center Tanner Christensen "one of the best, if not the best big in our league." Opponents have double-teamed Christensen.Forward Gytis Nemeiksa (team-high 14.0 ppg) and guard Marcus Greene (10.4) have been UH's top scorers off the bench.Ganot said not to change too much anticipating what Montgomery and Acker know of his tendencies.LBSU has shot only 41.2% from the field and 31.4% from 3-point range, committing nearly 18 turnovers per contest.However, the Beach averages 8.1 steals and 4.0 blocks per game, with 6-foot-10 sophomore Derrick Michael Xzavierro contributing.The Beach is paced by guard Devin Askew (16.7 ppg), a senior with experience at Kentucky, Texas, and Cal. TJ Wainwright, a transfer from Robert Morris, adds 11.2 points per game."What we're trying to do is establish our identity," Acker said. "When you watch us, you'll see a team that defends hard, sacrifices their bodies, and represents our program at the highest level."UH has won its Big West road opener six straight times and the last five of six in the series with LBSU, including two straight at the Pyramid.Saturday is Hawaii's first conference game before Christmas since 2005.Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.