Warrior Insider

The University of Hawai’i basketball team’s next game is on Saturday at Long Beach State. The Rainbow Warriors have a full week to prepare for that game, and are scheduled to depart Honolulu on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Big West Conference is in action on Wednesday. Through coincidental scheduling, the Warriors’ position in the standings will change without them playing on Wednesday.

Hawai’i is 18-8 overall and in a three-way tie for third place in the BWC at 9-5, with six regular-season games remaining.

Here are the Wednesday games that will affect Hawai’i:

• UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara. UCSB is currently in first place with an 11-2 conference record, while UCI is in second place at 10-3. Scenario 1: UCSB wins and takes solid control atop the standings, while UCI drops closer to the rest of the contenders. Scenario 2: UCI wins and creates a tie for first place, while keeping the next three teams (Hawai’i, Long Beach State and UC Riverside) within striking distance of first place.

• Long Beach State at UC Riverside. As noted above, these are the two teams tied with Hawai’i for third place. In a nutshell, the winner of this game moves into sole possession of third place, while the loser drops to fifth. Hawai’i will be alone in fourth place after Wednesday’s games.

It is also worth noting that there are two teams close behind Hawai’i in the standings. Cal State Fullerton is 8-6 and UC Davis is 7-6. Fullerton is at UC San Diego on Wednesday, and UC Davis hosts CSUN. An upset loss by either – or both – Fullerton or UCD would be an indirect bonus for Hawai’i.

Wednesday’s Games
CSUN at UC Davis
Long Beach State at UC Riverside
CSU Bakersfield at Cal Poly
Cal State Fullerton at UC San Diego
UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara

Saturday’s Games
UC Davis at UC Irvine
Cal Poly at Cal State Fullerton
Hawai’i at Long Beach State
UC Santa Barbara at UC Riverside
CSUN at UC San Diego