HENDERSON, Nev. — The wait is almost over.
The Hawaii men’s basketball team last participated in the NCAA tournament in 2016. The Rainbow Warriors are 40 minutes away from returning to the Big Dance after advancing to the Big West Tournament championship game on Friday.
Second-seeded University of Hawaii defeated third-seeded Cal State Fullerton 78-63 at the Lee Family Forum. They will face top-seeded UC Irvine on Saturday at 7 p.m. for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Anteaters return to the Big West Championship Game with a 93-78 victory over Cal State Northridge. Irving lost to UC San Diego in last year’s final.
“Obviously, it’s an unbelievable feeling for a great group of kids,” Hawaii coach Elan Garneau said. “We’ve overcome a lot of adversity to get to this point. But we know it’s going to be tough.”
A win in Henderson would be the perfect parting gift for Hawaii, which leaves the Big West for the Mountain West on July 1. With a record of 23-8, the Rainbow Warriors don’t have the resume to be an average player. Their NCAA NET ranking of No. 110 puts them at the top of the Big West, but they’re still a long way from being recognized by the NCAA selection committee. So it’s all or nothing for Gano’s team on Saturday.
Gano was in charge the last time Hawaii played in the NCAA qualifying tournament, so he knows what the process is like. The school went 28-6 in the NCAA season, beating the University of California for its only NCAA victory, its first appearance since 2002. Therefore, there is a big gap in Hawaii’s ability to compete in the NCAA.
This group? Isaac Johnson, a 7-foot tall senior center who was named to the All-Big West First Team, averaged 13.7 points per game. Dre Bullock, a 6-foot-6 player, leads the team with 48 steals, while Hunter Erickson dished out a team-high 110 assists. There are eight senior/graduate players on the roster, all of whom have extensive experience.
But what may be most impressive about Gano’s team is the way they compete on the glass. Hawaii is a very good rebounding team. It led the Big West with a +5.8 rebound advantage and helped the Rainbow Warriors beat Cal State Fullerton 53-26 to reach Saturday’s championship game.
“Our kids were very supportive,” Garneau said of their willingness to do the glass work.
It all showed up Friday against the Titans, who narrowly defeated Hawaii 87-85 in their meeting in Fullerton on Feb. 28. The Archers defeated the Titans in their first game in Honolulu on December 6, 1969-59.
Fullerton did not back down and still led 44-44 midway through the second half. But the Archers increased the defensive pressure and went on a 17-3 run to take a 61-47 lead with less than six minutes left in the game.
“We challenged our team to get back to who they are — being tough and getting on the glass,” Garneau said. “You saw the way they responded.”
So this is the first step to getting to Hawaii. Like Irving, it only takes one game to get into title contention, but still requires rest, hydration and mental preparation for the 40-minute battle.
“We have to carry the momentum from tonight into tomorrow,” said senior forward and captain Harry Lulyadev, who had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Fullerton on Friday. “We have to get back to work and keep moving forward.”
For Gano, his message to his players on Saturday was simple.
“Be yourself,” he said. “It’s consistency in messaging. That’s why we prepare for these moments. Have fun. Enjoy it. Do what we do.”