Basketball Rainbows complete schedule for 2001-02
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
While there are only a few "name" teams on the 2001-02 Hawai'i men's basketball schedule, coach Riley Wallace is still wary of it.
"Nobody is going to be easy," Wallace said of the 29-game regular-season schedule that was completed this week.
"There are teams on there who are better than their names," he said. "It's kind of like last year because when you look at it, it might not look that good. But we wound up playing the 23rd toughest schedule in the country. It could be the same thing this year."
Pre-conference tournaments and an expanded Western Athletic Conference schedule dominate the dates. Among the highlights:
• The 38th annual Outrigger Rainbow Classic, which will be played before Christmas this year for the first time. The eight-team tournament is scheduled for Dec. 19-22 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Boston College, which Wallace said could be ranked in the top five during the preseason, is the most prominent team in the field. Hawai'i is scheduled to play Portland on the first night of the tournament.
• For the first time, Hawai'i will participate in Hawai'i-Hilo's Big Island Invitational. The eight-team tournament is scheduled for Nov. 23-25 at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The Rainbows and Vulcans will be joined by Colorado State, LSU, Mercer, Pepperdine, Weber State and Wisconsin.
Hawai'i is scheduled to play Mercer on the first day of the tournament. The Vulcans are coached by former UH assistant Jeff Law, and former Rainbow standout Alika Smith was recently hired there as an assistant coach.
• With the addition of Boise State and Louisiana Tech to the WAC this season (and the departure of Texas Christian), Hawai'i will play 18 conference games, including nine on the road.
The Rainbows return seven scholarship players from last year's WAC Tournament championship team that went 17-14 with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
• • •
2001-02 SCHEDULE
(* indicates WAC game)
November
11—California All-Stars (exhibition).
16 and 18—Nike Tip-Off Tournament (Hawai'i, Drake, Sam Houston and Norfolk State).
23-25—at Big Island Invitational (Hawai'i, Hawai'i-Hilo, Colorado State, LSU, Mercer, Pepperdine, Weber State and Wisconsin).
27—Northwestern State.
December
10—Alcorn State.
15—San Diego State.
19-22—Outrigger Rainbow Classic (Hawai'i, Arkansas State, Boston College, Georgia, Holy Cross, Iona, Miami (Ohio) and Portland).
27—Fresno State*.
29—Nevada*.
January
3—at Texas-El Paso*.
5—at Boise State*.
10—Louisiana Tech*.
12—SMU*.
19—at San Jose State*.
24—at Rice*.
26—at Tulsa*.
31—Boise State*.
February
2—Texas-El Paso.
7—at SMU*.
9—at Louisiana Tech*.
16—San Jose State*.
21—Tulsa*.
23—Rice*.
28—at Nevada*.
March
2—at Fresno State*.
6-9—at Western Athletic Conference Tournament (Tulsa, Okla.).
