What is expected to be a competitive, unpredictable race for the WAC men's basketball title starts Saturday.

Defending champion Boise State (9-3 overall, 0-0 WAC) opens at Hawaii (8-4, 0-0) at 10:05 p.m. Saturday. It is the longest trip of the season for the Broncos and a notoriously difficult place to win.

"It's kind of a hostile environment and the fans get into you because of the whole football thing," Boise State forward Mark Sanchez said. "The humidity is really bad over there. You get hot and tired a little bit quicker."

And while getting that beast of a trip out of the way might seem like an advantage, Boise State coach Greg Graham doesn't see anything easy on the horizon. The Broncos' remaining 15 conference games figure to be as tough or tougher than Saturday's game at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"It's hard to be tighter than four teams tying for first," Graham said, referring to last season's WAC race. "But we're not going to have the separation between teams that we've had in the past."

Last season, the WAC had four teams finish above .500. So far this year, six teams are .500 or above and the other three - Louisiana Tech, Idaho and New Mexico State - are 6-7. Those three teams are a combined 15-2 at home.

"We know that this league is up for grabs and that's for everybody," Boise State point guard Anthony Thomas said. "This year, we have a lot of teams who can play good. It's going to be a fun battle this year."

Utah State (12-1) has the best nonconference record in the WAC, but the Aggies played eight home games against a schedule that ranks 273rd out of 343 teams. Only one WAC team - Nevada (7-6) - played a schedule ranked in the top 100. The Wolf Pack's schedule strength is 93th.

Traditional WAC cellar teams have shown promise. San Jose State (6-4) and Idaho (6-7) haven't won double-digit games in four years, but are showing signs of life this season.

"I don't think there are any automatic (wins) at all," Graham said. "Everyone in the league has shown that it can win. By far, it's the best from top to bottom since I've been here."

Sanchez agrees, adding that he's watched some teams lose close games.

"I'm always on my phone checking scores and seeing who played who and how many they won or lost by," he said. "I'm paying attention because I know what's at stake. It's my last year and I'd love to get two rings in my two years. We're not going to take any team lightly because any team can win."

The key to navigating through a competitive league?

"Just to be consistent and take care of the basketball," Thomas said. "Run your offense and close out games. It just comes down to being consistent."

Graham, in his seventh season, says winning close games and avoiding injuries will be key. He also said not looking ahead - or back - and focusing on each game will be important.

"If you can get a good roll versus getting on a bad roll it can kind of snowball," Graham said. "When things go your way it's obviously a big plus. But if things go against you, you don't get a breather to try and turn it around."

The Broncos have won three games in a row entering Saturday's game, leaving Sanchez optimistic.

"I'm confident going into WAC play with how we are playing team ball and how we are playing together," he said. "It's going to be a tough race, but I like our chances right now."