The University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine basketball team figures to begin the Big West Conference season next month with something to prove.
League coaches projected them for fifth place, the media forecast a third-place finish in the 11-team conference and no Rainbow Wahine were selected in the preseason all-league team announced Monday.
The coaches and media polls picked UC Davis to win a fifth consecutive regular-season title. The Aggies are 55-9 in conference over that span.
“Polls are polls, it only matters who is on top at the end of the season,” UH coach Laura Beeman said. “I was disappointed not to see Amy Atwell’s name in the preseason all-conference team. But, again, it is the end result that matters most.”
Atwell, an all-conference honorable mention selection at forward last season, averaged 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds a game.
Last year UH tied for second behind UC Davis with a 16-14 (9-7 conference) record and won the opening game of the Big West Tournament before COVID-19 forced its cancellation.
The Big West adds two teams, Cal State Bakersfield and UC San Diego, this season.
The Rainbow Wahine are scheduled to open Big West play Dec. 27 at Cal Poly and are seeking to add a nonconference game or two prior to that.
The Big West men’s poll is expected to be released Thursday.
POLLS APART
Rainbow Wahine in Big West preseason polls
Coaches Poll
1. UC Davis (6) 114
2. UC Irvine (2) 101
3. UC Santa Barbara 92
4. Cal Poly (2) 83
5. Hawaii 71
6. Long Beach State 69
7. Cal State Fullerton 56
8. CSU Bakersfield (1) 48
9. CSUN 36
10. UC Riverside 32
11. UC San Diego 25
Source: Big West Conference.
Media Poll
1. UC Davis (13) 207
2. UC Irvine (1) 163
3. Hawaii (1) 157
4. UC Santa Barbara 154
5. Cal Poly (3) 126
6. Cal State Fullerton 123
7. Long Beach State 120
8. CSU Bakersfield (1) 83
9. UC San Diego (1) 74
10. CSUN 70
11. UC Riverside 44
