No. 1 seed Hawai’i should still be team to beat at Big West Tourney
(video courtesy www.hawaiiathletics.com)
Despite what some critics might think, the University of Hawai’i basketball team is still considered the team to beat at this week’s Big West Conference Tournament at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The No. 1 seed next to its name says so.
Hawai’i, which is 24-5 overall, earned the top seed by virtue of a 13-3 regular-season conference record and two wins over co-champion UC Irvine. The Warriors will face No. 8 seed Cal State Fullerton in a quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 10, at 12:30 p.m. (Hawai’i time).
Very recent history aside, the No. 1 seed has been the best bet to win the Big West Tournament (unless it’s a 1 vs. The Field bet).
Here are some historical facts:
• The Big West Conference has been held every year since 1976, and the No. 1 seed has won the championship in 19 of those 40 years (47.5 percent). The No. 2 and No. 3 seeds have each won it eight times (20 percent each); the No. 4 seed has won it twice (0.5 percent); the Nos. 5, 6 and 7 seeds have each won it once (0.3 percent each).
• A No. 8 seed has never won the Big West Conference Tournament.
• A No. 8 seed has beat a No. 1 seed in the quarterfinal round just one time in Big West Conference Tournament history. That happened in 1995, when No. 8 UC Irvine upset No. 1 Utah State. Note that due to changing membership throughout the years, the Big West Conference Tournament has not used the same format every year. The bottom line, though, is that the No. 1 seed has made it at least to the semifinals in 39 of the previous 40 Big West Tournaments.
• Since the current eight-team format (single-elimination with no byes) was re-implemented in 2011, the No. 1 seed has advanced to the championship twice and won it once (Long Beach State in 2012). UC Santa Barbara won it as a No. 5 seed in 2011, Pacific won it as a No. 2 seed in 2013, Cal Poly won it as a No. 7 seed in 2014, and UC Irvine was a No. 3 seed when it beat No. 5 Hawai’i in last year’s championship game.
• Long Beach State is the only current Big West member that has a winning record in Big West Tournament history at 34-30. Every other team is below .500 in Big West Tournament action: Cal Poly 10-12; Cal State Fullerton 22-34; CSUN 9-11; UC Davis 3-5; UC Irvine 27-32; UC Riverside 3-9; UC Santa Barbara 21-29; Hawai’i 2-3.
• Among current Big West teams, Long Beach State has won the most Big West Tournament titles with five. UC Santa Barbara has three, Cal State Fullerton has two, and Cal Poly, CSUN and UC Irvine have one each.
• Hawai’i has been a No. 1 seed for a conference tournament only once before in program history – at the 2002 Western Athletic Conference Tournament at Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Warriors went 3-0 and won the WAC Tournament that year to advance to the NCAA Tournament. In essence, Hawai’i is undefeated as a No. 1 seed.
HAWAI’I VS. CAL STATE FULLERTON
What: Big West Conference Tournament, quarterfinals
When: Thursday, March 10, 12:30 p.m. (Hawai’i time)
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif.
TV: Live on Fox Sports Prime Ticket (Oceanic channels 228 and 1228 in Hawai’i)
Internet video: None
Radio: Live on ESPN 1420 AM
Internet audio: Live on www.espn1420am.com
Big West Conference Tournament schedule (note that the times listed are Pacific Time, and Hawai’i time is two hours earlier):
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COLOR COORDINATED FANS WANTED FOR BIG WEST TOURNEY
For Hawai’i fans attending the Big West Conference Tournament this week, the UH cheering section is being encouraged to wear specific colored shirts for each day of the three-day tournament.
Here is the schedule:
March 10 quarterfinal game – black shirts
March 11 semifinal game – white shirts
March 12 championship game – green shirts
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JANKOVIC NAMED USBWA ALL-DISTRICT IX
Here is the release from the Big West Conference:
One day after being named the Big West Player of the Year,Hawai’i men’s basketball standout Stefan Jankovic earned more praise from the United States Basketball Writers Association with his selection to the 10-member All-District IX team.
The district is comprised of schools from California, Oregon, Washington, Hawai‘i, Arizona and Alaska. Jankovic joined Arizona’s Ryan Anderson, Washington’s Andrew Andrews, Oregon’s Dillon Brooks, California’s Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb, Saint Mary’s Emmett Naar, Oregon State’s Gary Payton II, and Gonzaga’s Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer.
Dillon Brooks and Dana Altman of Oregon were named the District IX Player and Coach of the Year, respectively.
A 6-11 forward from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Jankovic averaged 15.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game in the regular season. He ranked third in the Big West in field goal percentage (.559). Those numbers climbed 16.9 points and 7.3 rebounds during conference play, ranking him second in both categories. He topped the 20-point mark eight times and earned Big West Player of the Week on two occasions.
Recent Big West representatives on the All-District IX team include Corey Hawkins (UC Davis, 2015), Alan Williams (UC Santa Barbara, 2014), James Ennis (Long Beach State, 2013), Casper Ware (Long Beach State, 2013) and Orlando Johnson (UC Santa Barbara, 2013).
I hope Mike Thomas can be more aggressive, take more shots and stay out of foul trouble. I feel like he under-performed all season and he’s long due for a breakout game.
Look for your shot big guy! I would love to see you put up 9-13 shots per game this weekend.
Probably Janks play steady like all season. He unguardable. POY type play. With warrior guard play they should be odds on favorite to win tournament. Would be HUGE upset if Fullerton won. Warriors win first round . semi and finals definite favorite. The whole season. Warriors finally going to get ncaa bid they deserved even some months ago! Warriors just play hard smart together. No slacking. Get it! They going to the “Ship!!”, I know it. Duke. Louisville. Here they come!!
Mike Thomas has played hard all season. I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to say that he is the ‘enforcer’ on this team. He has picked up his game where this team has needed it, in rebounding and playing tough. He is a ‘team’ player through and through, as is Jovanovich, and he just seems to keep getting better. He has clearly worked on jumping, perhaps because of playing with AV, or perhaps because the Coach told them to take care of their bodies as part of their normal routine. Whatever, they all need to be fresh for the entire three games. The staff and team have worked for this all year and I think they will be ready. They will all be ready.
Ok ok I’m gonna break my own “focus on Fullerton” rule and say Bobbitt gonna steal the show. Pun intended. But I’m not talking about defense. He’s gonna have a Diamond Head Classic kind of weekend. But don’t tell HIM that, lol, cause he’s gotta just focus one game at a time, no expectations, no big deal. Just a little dream I had. While I was awake.
This UH team is not the kind of team that can just show up and blow out every opponent. They really need to bring A game every night but for this Fullerton game, maybe B game should be good enough. Lets be real and say that there is a reason why UH is 13-3 vs. Big West and Fullerton is 3-13. Ganot need to have the starters ready to get a big lead early in the game so they can rest at the end. This will be very important to the rest of the tournament because the going gets a lot tougher after Fullerton.
This could very well be another Riverside game if our players take Fullerton lightly.
Speaking of Riverside, they have a chance of beating Long Beach since they’ve already beaten them once this season.
^^^ I have to agree with you there TAVS. I think Riverside is the best bet for a upset run this year. The only thing I don’t like about that is UH would have to play Riverside in the semifinals and I hope and pray Bobbitt and others don’t get too emotional trying to get revenge on that coach.
I’d love a riverside matchup. That’s a team I know for sure the Warriors would get up for
Check out this video clip from collegeinsider.com – a takeoff on the TV series “Mission Impossible”, with Jim Phelp’s assignment to stop Erin Ganot and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Interesting!
Send this link to the local news!
https://player.vimeo.com/video/157686374?color=fd9822&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0
Semi-emergency here…I have hawaiian telcom and they don’t carry Fox Sports Prime Ticket. I also tried logging in with the Fox2GO app on my phone but it doesn’t allow me to pull up that channel 🙁
I had this same problem last week trying to watch the Long Beach State game but to no success and ended up having to find a sketchy link to the stream on the web. Trying to avoid having to resort to that tomorrow….
IsaacM, do you live on Oahu? I bet you all the big restaurants with TVs going be showing the game at places like Chillis and Big City Diner. Perfect time because lunch except all those places might be crowded and all the business men going be on extra long “lunch hour” tomorrow.
Come on Road Warriors Crunch time. !
A little off subject but an interesting interview
http://devzone.positivecoach.org/resource/video/assessing-recruits-parents
Just Win Bows!!!!!
Oakland:
Darn right Rod and team great guys steady level headed coaches. Unfinished business. We still hurting from almost geting ncaa before Bid.! Warriors going get it done. Brothers in battle going fight Steph and the GS warriors team is. Ganot like Kerr! Dang 808 proud of your boys. They going sail toward promise land on the Rainbow Warrior ship. Big or little dance. Hawaii proud of team.Oakland cheer loud! We be watching you. Tribe Vx4 and Thomas’ family . maybe 1000 plus in Anaheim . darn excited we in 808 !! Get it!!
IsaacM……I don’t know what to say. I have Hawaiian Telcom too and I was able to access the LBSU game from FOX2GO via computer. Maybe if you have basic, then you can’t get it. I have the upgraded digital package that include BYU TV…all the ESPN…and CBSSPORT and maybe one of two of the FOX channel but Not FOX PRIME TICKET.
I just logged in on FOX2GO with my user’s name and password and BOOM!!!
FOXSPORTSGO…^^^^^^^^^^
Went go BIgwest.org/tv and used the link there.
Still miracle awhile ago. Job not finished. Get the “ship” and some wins in ncaa big dance. If fall short. 808 proud of coach and team. Go to final four MSG. NYC for NIT.!! Excellent too.Might be last time see several of team this magical season. 808 enjoy the ride. Maybe 6 or 7 current guys will make great pros they wil!! Enjoyed wonderful year!!