A rotten club sandwich was all that stood between the 2000-2001 University of Hawaii basketball team and history.

Well, there was also Syracuse’s formidable zone defense. But a Rainbow starter’s tainted pregame meal definitely dampened UH’s hopes for its first NCAA Tournament win in its closest of four losses in four visits to The Dance.

The Rainbow Warriors are preparing to take their fifth shot at winning an NCAA first-round game, Friday against Cal in Spokane, Wash. It brings back memories of the attack of food poisoning that had Nerijus Puida decidedly off his game when the Orangemen squeezed the ’Bows, 79-69, in Dayton, Ohio, 15 years ago.

“I still take some crap from some guys,” the good-natured Puida said Sunday. “They say it wasn’t food, that I just choked. It’s all good, but I have regrets it went that way. It was hotel food, and I felt weird right after eating the sandwich.”

He was a co-captain who was the glue player on that edition of the Rainbows, his calm veteran presence a contrast to Predrag Savovic’s charisma and explosiveness.

Puida played 21 minutes and took just one shot, missing a 3-pointer in the opening minutes as Syracuse jumped to a 10-2 lead. He was off on other aspects of his game, too, with just three rebounds and two assists. Puida averaged 9.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, so it’s reasonable to think he could’ve been the difference if healthy. He credited the Orangemen.

“Syracuse was a bad draw for us. Our offense was clicking on all cylinders, but they play zone defense all their life and we couldn’t run our stuff,” he recalled.

Hawaii was only in the NCAAs because it had won the WAC tournament and was a 12th seed going against No. 5 Syracuse. The Rainbows are a 13 against a 4 this week, but Puida thinks they can notch the program’s first NCAA tourney win against the Bears.

“I’m feeling great about UH’s chances,” said Puida, who has made Honolulu his home after graduating from UH. “I’d rather play a Pac-12 team than some East Coast big dogs. I think UH is athletic enough to win this game.”

Another Rainbow who lost to Syracuse in an NCAA Tournament game also sees Hawaii with a good chance of overcoming its 61⁄2-point underdog status.

“They’ve got some inside play, some outside play,” said Jarinn Akana, who scored 18 points in UH’s 92-68 tourney loss in 1994. “Cal is very talented, but young.

“(Post Stefan) Jankovic has a chance at being an NBA player because he can shoot the ball. The stretch four who shoots, it’s a position a lot of teams are going to now,” added Akana, who is now a player agent. ” (Point guard Roderick) Bobbitt plays controlled and controls the pace of the game. They play defense, too.”

The key for UH is to keep the game close because the longer it can do that, the more pressure there will be on the favored Cal team, Akana said.

“I like the matchup. (UH) showed it can play the big teams. Eran Ganot and his staff have done a great job,” said Akana, who was on hand for UH’s Big West championship win over Long Beach State on Saturday. “But Hawaii didn’t play its best game and Long Beach is not Cal. Those (starters) gotta (stay out of foul trouble and) be in the game and play solid.”

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.