Warrior Insider

The University of Hawai’i basketball schedule remains in daily limbo, while the other teams in the Big West Conference are doing what they can to play wherever and whenever possible.

Such is life in the new normal of college basketball.

Eight of the 11 teams in the Big West Conference have already played non-conference games, although the schedule is in constant flux. Among Big West teams, 20 non-conference games have been completed as of December 6; 17 other potential games featuring Big West teams have been canceled/postponed so far. What’s more, seven of the 20 games played so far (35 percent) have been against non-NCAA Division I teams, mostly due to proximity of those lower-level opponents.

The Rainbow Warriors have not announced any non-conference games. With the Big West regular-season opener set for December 27, it appears unlikely that the Warriors will be able to play any non-conference games against NCAA Division I teams before then. Potential games against NCAA-II teams Hawai’i Pacific and Hawai’i-Hilo remain as possibilities, but there are hurdles to clear for those games as well.

The only non-conference game featuring Hawai’i that was hinted at publicly was a December 13 home game against Alcorn State. However, Alcorn State recently went into quarantine due to a COVID-19 issue, and had to cancel six games. Alcorn State announced the canceling of the Hawai’i game, but UH never officially announced that the game was even on the schedule.

The Big West Conference regular season has scheduled dates, but some issues are already arising.

In particular, UC Davis recently went “on pause” indefinitely due to restrictions recently implemented in its county.

Two Big West teams – Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State – announced positive COVID-19 tests within its respective programs, but both teams are now considered cleared for competition.

Here is an update on each Big West team (in alphabetical order):

Cal Poly (1-1) – only one of its games was against NCAA Division I competition (an 88-60 home loss to San Francisco). The Mustangs have had four NCAA-I games canceled/postponed, but still have three others on schedule for December.

Cal State Fullerton (0-0) – had three games canceled early in the season due to a COVID-19 issue. The Titans still have one non-conference game scheduled – December 19 vs. Pacific.

Cal State Bakersfield (0-1) – lost to Santa Clara in a neutral site game last week. The Roadrunners have four more non-conference games on schedule, including a December 9 road contest at Arizona.

CSUN (2-1) – played two games against NCAA-I competition in Las Vegas, losing to Air Force, then beating Seattle. The Matadors have an upcoming road game at Pepperdine, but also had two other non-conference games canceled/postponed.

Hawai’i (0-0) – geographic isolation and travel issues around the country have obviously made it difficult for the Rainbow Warriors to find any opponents, home or away.

Long Beach State (1-1) – had one game canceled due to a COVID-19 related issue within its program earlier in November, but still managed to play two games in December. The 49ers have three more non-conference games on schedule, all on the road, and all within the state of California.

UC Davis (2-2) – fortunate scheduling allowed the Aggies to play three games at a Santa Clara tournament in November. Santa Clara is now under strict regulations disallowing basketball games. The Aggies still have two non-conference road games on schedule, but a non-conference home game was canceled. As mentioned above, the future of UCD’s schedule is now in limbo due to new county regulations.

UC Irvine (2-2) – opened with two disappointing losses against NCAA-I competition (Pepperdine and San Diego State), then rebounded with two blowout wins against (much) lower-level competition (Bethesda and La Sierra). The Anteaters, who are the prohibitive favorite in the Big West, have upcoming road tests at USC and Loyola Marymount in December.

UC Riverside (2-1) – played three non-conference games away from home, including a last-minute addition neutral site win over Washington at Las Vegas. The Highlanders have three more non-conference games on schedule, including a road game at Northern Arizona, and two home games.

UC San Diego (0-0) – did not have any non-conference games scheduled. The Tritons are transitioning from NCAA-II to NCAA-I and are ineligible to win the Big West championship this season. However, UCSD is scheduled to play a full 20-game regular season against Big West teams.

UC Santa Barbara (2-0) – had three non-conference home games canceled, but scored two expected blowout wins against (much) lower-level competition (St. Katharine and Bethesda). The Gauchos still have four non-conference games scheduled for December.