Rainbow Warriors Return to March Madness, Face SEC Champion Arkansas
By Kennedy Choo
For the first time in ten years, the University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Warrior basketball team has advanced to the NCAA postseason tournament, March Madness, debuting as a No. 13 seed in the West Region. They will face No. 4 seed and Southeastern Conference champion the University of Arkansas in Portland, Oregon.
The last time Hawai‘i (24-8) made the tournament was in head coach Eran Ganot’s first year at the helm in 2016, when the Rainbow Warriors defeated the University of California, Berkeley, 77–66 to capture the program’s first postseason win in school history.
The Razorbacks (26-8), led by legendary head coach John Calipari, will be Hawai‘i’s toughest matchup this season, entering the tournament as one of the most efficient offenses in the country.
According to KenPom, Arkansas ranks as the sixth-most efficient offense in the nation, averaging 128.1 points per 100 possessions, and sits 22nd in tempo. The Razorbacks are led by projected lottery pick Darius Acuff Jr., who runs Calipari’s offense in Fayetteville. Acuff Jr. is averaging 22.7 points per game, 3.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists while shooting 48.7% from the field.
On the other side of the ball, the Razorbacks hold the 73rd-ranked defense in the country, allowing 102 points per 100 possessions. Senior forward Trevon Brazile anchors the unit, leading the team with 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.
But Hawai‘i is no slouch defensively either, ranking inside the top 50 nationally. According to KenPom, the Rainbow Warriors come in at No. 43 in defensive efficiency. Star senior center Isaac “Big Fish” Johnson leads the Warriors with 1.1 blocks per game, ranking seventh in the Big West, while graduate guard Quandre “Dre” Bullock leads the ‘Bows in steals at 1.7 per game, fifth in the conference.
Offensively, the Rainbow Warriors average around 70 possessions per game, ranking 61st nationally in tempo. However, they rank 211th nationally in offensive efficiency.
Hawai‘i will likely need to lean on its stout defense to slow down one of the fastest and efficient offensive units in the country.
“I’m fired up; been fired up all year,” head coach Eran Ganot said ahead of the matchup. “We’re shifting gears and getting them ready.”
“It’s something I’ve been dreaming of ever since I was a kid,” senior forward and team captain Harry Rouhliadeff said. “It’s everything I’ve dreamed of.”
In a Sunday SportsCenter interview from Nashville, fresh off winning his 16th conference title, Arkansas head coach John Calipari learned of his team’s matchup with Hawai‘i.
“Hawai‘i will be very hard,” Calipari said while speaking with Rece Davis. “Are we playing Hawai’i at Hawai’i?”
The Rainbow Warriors will tip off their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament at 10:25 a.m. Hawai‘i time on March 19 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Streaming details have not yet been released.