Warriors’ 2022-23 season is officially over
The University of Hawai’i basketball team’s 2022-23 season came to an official close on Sunday. The brackets for the NCAA, NIT and College Basketball Invitational were revealed on Sunday afternoon, and the Rainbow Warriors will not be participating in the postseason despite a 22-11 record.
Hawai’i started playing an all-collegiate schedule in 1969, and this is only the second time since then that a Rainbow Warrior team with 20 or more wins is not participating in the postseason. The 2014-15 squad finished 22-13 and did not play in the postseason.
Hawai’i’s 2022-23 season ended with a 62-60 overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton in the quarterfinals of the Hercules Tires Big West Conference Championship Tournament last Thursday. Three of Hawai’i’s 11 losses during the season were to the Titans, by a total margin of 10 points. Two of those three losses came in overtime.
Two Big West teams are representing the conference in the postseason. UC Santa Barbara, which defeated Fullerton in the conference championship game, is a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Championship Tournament. The Gauchos will face No. 3 Baylor in the first round on Friday at Denver.
UC Irvine, which tied with UCSB for the Big West regular-season title but was the No. 1 seed for the Big West Tournament, will represent the conference in the NIT. The Anteaters will play at Oregon in a first-round game on Wednesday.
In addition to Hawai’i, Big West teams UC Riverside (22-12) and Cal State Fullerton (20-13) are done for the season after posting 20 or more victories.
The University of Hawai’i women’s team won the Big West Conference Championship Tournament, and will be a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Women’s Championship Tournament. The Rainbow Wahine will travel to Baton Rouge, La., to face No. 3 seed LSU on Friday.
