Coaches rank Rainbows No. 26
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Even after two of its most emotional victories of the season last week, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team came up agonizingly short of a top 25 ranking yesterday.
Associated Press
The Rainbow Warriors received 59 points in the latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll released yesterday. That placed them 26th, just four points behind No. 25 California.
Hawai'i seniors Predrag Savovic, Mike McIntyre and Mindaugas Burneika were honored Saturday night following the Rainbow Warriors' 79-50 victory over Rice.
"You can't worry about that now," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "If we keep winning, everything will take care of itself."
Indeed, with two regular-season games remaining, the 'Bows are one victory away from clinching at least a share of the Western Athletic Conference championship and the top seed for next week's WAC Tournament. Hawai'i is having one of its greatest seasons in history with records of 23-4 overall and 14-2 in the WAC.
Since the WAC Tournament started in 1984, the No. 1 seed has made it to the NCAA Tournament in 17 of those 18 years either by winning the WAC Tournament or by receiving an at-large bid. The lone exception was Wyoming in 1986, when it did not receive an at-large bid with a 20-11 overall record.
"We just gotta keep winning and put up big numbers where they can not turn us down," Wallace said.
The 'Bows actually did that last week.
On Thursday, they beat Tulsa, 86-85, to move into sole possession of first place in the WAC. The game, which was decided by a Mark Campbell free throw with 2.9 seconds remaining, was described by Wallace as one of the most significant home victories in his 15 seasons as head coach.
The 'Bows followed that with a resounding 79-50 victory over Rice Saturday. It was Senior Night — the home finale for this season — and Hawai'i proved that it is the class of the WAC right now.
Rice head coach Willis Wilson, who is the WAC's representative on the Coaches Poll, was certainly impressed, although he did not want to reveal where he was placing Hawai'i on his ballot.
"I've watched Hawai'i all year long, and they're as good as the Gonzagas and some of the other teams ranked in the middle of the Top 25," Wilson said. "They just haven't gotten the credit they deserve all year long. It would be incredibly disappointing if Hawai'i does not make it into the (NCAA) Tournament along with Tulsa."
Tulsa is 23-5 overall and a half-game behind UH in the WAC at 14-3. If the two teams finish tied, Hawai'i would get the WAC Tournament's top seed based on its two victories over Tulsa this season.
However, gaining a split of its upcoming road trip is not exactly a gimme for Hawai'i.
On Thursday, the 'Bows will play at Nevada; on Saturday, they are at Fresno State. Nevada and Fresno State are both 8-8 in the WAC, and tied for fifth place.
"I told the team that everything you've done is behind you," Wallace said. "You have to start all over now."
A sweep of this week's road games would give UH sole possession of the WAC regular-season title, and could secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
"Everybody's talking about we need to win one," said sophomore guard Carl English. "But we're going for two. We're not planning to go out and try to lose a game."
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• RPI drop: Despite its rout of Rice Saturday, Hawai'i dropped three spots to No. 34 in the latest Rating Percentage Index.
Tulsa is No. 29. The RPI helps determine at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament.
The Associated Press Top 25 Poll will be released today.
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