The University of Hawaii men’s basketball team is 5-1 against Division I competition and ranked above UCLA in the NCAA’s Evaluation Tool (NET).
Wow, that means the Rainbows are pretty good, right?
Well, it’s still hard to tell if you go by rankings. That’s because UH hasn’t beaten anybody good yet, and the Bruins are a very young team with a 4-3 record. So the ’Bows are at No. 119, one spot below Seton Hall and one above UCLA, out of 362 teams in the NET rankings.
All five of the ’Bows wins (and all four of the Bruins’) have come against teams in Quad 4. That means they were at home against teams with NET ranking of 161-362 (the cellar, where Mississippi Valley, 0-10, lives), or neutral site games against opponents at 201-362, or away games with the opponent ranked from 241-362.
Coach Eran Ganot said he tries to build a stronger preconference schedule, but it’s not as simple as it might seem.
“Some (coaches) hear 22 wins and nine returnees and they say, ‘No, we’re not playing you,’” said Ganot, who reminds us the Rainbows will host North Carolina next season. The Tar Heels will be on their way to the Maui Invitational — which Ganot, like many others who live on Oahu — saw in person for the first time this year, because it was held at UH.
The elite field included five of the top 11 teams in the AP poll, including the top two, Kansas and Purdue. The Jayhawks’ presence in particular brought back memories of when the Rainbow Classic was a great holiday tournament. This year it was canceled because a team dropped out and no replacement could be found.
Hawaii’s lone loss is against Utah. The Utes are a Quad 1 opponent, because the game was at a neutral site and Utah (7-2) is ranked in the top 50 at No. 32. It didn’t factor into the NET ranking, but the not-so-funny thing about that one is that UH doesn’t get credit for a road game, even though it was played at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. That’s a 3.4-mile, 12-minute bus ride from the Utah campus compared to 2,988 miles from Manoa.
And, no, the favor doesn’t get returned when the ’Bows try to defend their first Diamond Head Classic championship during Christmas week. SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center does not count as a neutral site for UH just because it’s a tournament. Either way, UH’s first-round foe, No. 228 Portland, is a Quad 4 opponent as things stand now.
NET isn’t perfect, but it’s certainly better than its predecessor; may RPI forever RIP.
Here are the NET rankings and records of the five teams the ’Bows have beaten this season: No. 339 Niagara (1-6), No. 198 Northern Arizona (5-5), No. 311 Texas-Rio Grande Valley (1-7), No. 208 San Diego (6-4) and No. 347 Central Arkansas (2-9). Those are all Quad 4 opponents.
If you didn’t before, now you might see why UH’s .800 winning percentage doesn’t merit a higher ranking.
Hawaii’s strength of schedule will improve significantly Sunday. The Warriors play Nevada (7-1), which is a Quad 2 opponent based on its No. 52 NET ranking. The Wolf Pack hosts Weber State today, before heading here for a visit that includes playing in the Diamond Head Classic.
If Hawaii beats Portland it meets the winner of No. 96 UMass (5-2) and No. 153 Georgia Tech (5-3) in the semifinals.
Nevada is on the other side of the bracket, opening with No. 149 Temple (5-3), with No. 51 TCU (7-1) playing No. 263 Old Dominion (2-6).
Some of the schools in the DHC have great basketball tradition. But I’m spoiled after seeing the Maui Invitational up close last month.
Here’s a positive takeaway for UH fans: Only one fellow Big West team is ahead of the ’Bows in the NET rankings. That’s UC-Irvine, at No. 68, with a 5-4 record.
