Warriors aim to keep Mississippi Valley winless
The University of Hawai’i basketball team’s mantra of “respect all, fear none” will be put to the test on Tuesday when the Warriors host lowly Mississippi Valley State at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Hawai’i is off to its best start in more than a decade at 9-2. After a 2-1 showing at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, including a three-point loss to No. 3 Oklahoma, the Warriors are garnering a little bit of national attention.
Specifically, Hawai’i is now at No. 24 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Men’s Mid-Major Top 25. Gonzaga is No. 1, followed by Saint Mary’s and Valparaiso; the only other Big West Conference program in the rankings is UC Irvine at No. 16.
CLICK HERE to view the complete Mid-Major Top 25
Senior point guard Roderick Bobbitt has also received accolades for his recent performances. In addition to being named the Big West Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season, Bobbitt was named the “Mid-Major Madness Player of the Week” by www.midmajormadness.com.
Bobbitt is not the only Warrior playing well of late. Junior forward/center Stefan Jankovic is averaging 18.8 points per game, while shooting better than 55 percent from the field over his last four games. Also, junior forward/center Stefan Jovanovic has provided a much-needed boost off the bench, averaging 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the last three games.
Through all of this, the Warriors have repeatedly stated to “respect all,” including a Mississippi Valley State team that has the worst record among all NCAA Division I programs at 0-13.
If anything, the Delta Devils are difficult to scout. They have 15 players on the roster, and all 15 have started at least one game this season.
What’s more, MVSU has played all 13 of its games away from home, and each loss appears different. Four of the losses have come by single-digit margins, including a one-point loss at Air Force, and a seven-point loss at Brigham Young.
However, MVSU also has lost six games by 30 points or more, including 97-51 at Nebraska, 85-46 at New Mexico State, and 101-64 at Tennessee Tech. As a result, the Delta Devils are one of the worst statistical defensive teams in the nation, with opponents averaging 85.0 points per game with a .485 field goal percentage.
MVSU’s top player is Marcus Romain, a 6-foot-2 junior guard who is averaging 17.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Other players to watch include 6-3 junior forward Damian Young (11.4 points per game, 34 steals), 6-4 junior guard Isaac Williams (8.8 points per game, 23 3-pointers) and 6-6 junior forward Michael Matlock (3.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game).
The Delta Devils are well-rested, as their last game was on December 17 at North Texas.
HAWAI’I VS. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
When: Tuesday, December 29, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
Tickets: Lower Level – $26 (all ages); Upper Level – $18 for adults, $16 for senior citizens (ages 65-older), $5 for students (ages 4-18). Parking is $6.
TV: Live on OCSports (channels 16 / 1016)
Streaming video: Live on bigwest.tv
Radio: Live on ESPN1420 AM
Streaming audio: Live on espn1420am.com
Live stats: hawaiiathletics.com
Should be 40 point rout..
Heard UCSB who has been stuggling pre BWC..just upest Washington in Seattle..
Big West competitive again..
Next UCSB plays Manroop Clair and Seattle U. next game..
Irvine 10-4 playing well… Riverside…should be good fun league
League play great equalizer
UH.. can win it , even Fullerton can win BWC
RESPECT ALL
Many CLOSE Games..
GO ‘BOWS!
Keep Improving…
It is okay to set realistic goals every game and I think it is realistic for UH to try and win this game by at least 25 points. I will call it 89-60.
If Bobbitt starts out hot again and looking like he can score 30 again I say why not go for it. I hope his team would recognize it and look for him so he can get to 30 early and set the record and still have time to rest at the end of the game.
Interesting to note that among MVSU’s 13 losses are a one-point loss at Air Force and a 7-point loss at BYU.
If we can get Aaron Valdes and Mike Thomas to pick up their games, UH should do very well in BWC. Quincy won’t be scoring a lot but his dribble drives, court leadership along with making his free throws will help the team immensely. The free throws are a mental thing that he needs to overcome. With Isaac Fleming coming off the bench, he often provides energy and scoring potential. I hope Bobbitt continues to look to score because he surprised a lot of people with his scoring ability. There is good chemistry on this team and looking for them to compete for Conference title.
team is too small, advantage UH at home.. ..At home SSC,.. UH is unbeatable.. nearly..I guess teams not in top 25 UH should be undefeated against
I still think.. and I WAS the person, getting to hyped for every MBB team past 6 years. about this time of year..we have to see how Coach G and team respond in playing lower tier teams..
BWC play.. I an just curious.
All the other 8 teams in BWC play .. it IS that third part of Season. as past few staffs always mentioned..
The Pre BWC season, The DHC tournament.. and The regular BWC season..UH always tries to win all 3 phases ..
I think last place team in BWC.. they still have 4 wins? BWC still has guards wings and some bigs who can shoot the 3 ball well, great equalizer too…UH will be challenged..
Should be fun, and competitive,.. I believer SUPER competitive BWC regular season,.. a lot of upsets.. NOW with UH RPI 51? team.. they are the team to beat.. Still haven’t won a single game on Road yet.. so jury still out on Coach G.. the warriors. that core, proven. just have to see how plays out.. as long as team is happy….from top 7 guys on down..
As the story above says “However, MVSU also has lost six games by 30 points or more”
Wow, that is really bad. My guessing is this team plays hard when they get chance like against Air Force and BYU but if they fall behind early they just give up. MVSU is here only for one game and a long way from home so I have to think they are treating like a vacation and enjoying the beach. The more I look at this the more I think this should be huge blowout!
Good luck and lets hope we get to see all 14 players in action These are the games to see what our bench can do as we are only one injury or 5 fouls away from needing them in other games. Would love to see the whole team rewarded especially against a team who is not affraid to use all 15 of their players
I think this game will be an excellent test for the Warriors. The test is to see if they can play at their highest level, as opposed to their opponents level. I know coaching is a big factor here and after the 9 – 2 start to this season, I have the utmost faith in Coach Ganot. Based on what I’ve seen from this team so far this season, I could see them winning by as much as 40, or coming down to single digits. Either way, very much looking forward to it, should be a lot of fun to watch! Let’s GO BOWS!
IF 6000 plus show up tonite, and on Sat afternoon 430pm.. that shows Bow/ Warrior fans completely on board, like the Fab Five and Henderson years…and AC/ Alika.. no matter the opponent.. the in house attendance was very very good.
Go Bows !
apologies.. Satuday game part of double header, with Men taking on Howard at 530 pm SSC, followed by coach B’s Wahine at 800pm..
hope for BOTH games.. 6000 plus in the house.. THEN the fanbase is going crazy over BOTH teams and programs.. cannot fault the athletes and even the coaches..
they are trying their best..
UH just needs better, much better leadership. so obvious it hurts..
I can see Jovanovic, Sai, and/or MT going off for 20 pts. Easy. Game situation and practice are different and it might be beneficial to get some 20 pt games from other players. That also might get more fans in the stands as people might start thinking that this too is something special about this team.
The CROWDS Are LOUD
BUT SMALL
Hawai’i “Fans” Notoriously SLOW TO CATCH ON
MEN’S VB — TOP 10/5 Should be as big as Wahine
Like they used to be (Probably BETTER NOW)
I WOULD GUESS CLOSER TO 4000 THAN 6000…
BorIng game At least sheriff is getting some minutes. Would think whole bench could beat this team. unfanzonly1 maybe we email not have any depth as we r not seeing bench when we are up by 40