1st Round South Region: Hawaii upsets Cal

Joe Hall, Staff Writer

Hawaii

The number 13-seeded Hawaii Rainbow Warriors went into this game as the Big West champions. This came after the NCAA issued sanctions to the program. Hawaii was also looking for their first-ever NCAA Tournament win in their school’s history. They were 0-3 in previous appearances. Their last appearance was in 2002.

Cal on the other hand, was one of the many at-large bids from the Pac-12 Conference. However, a nightmarish week ended with a loss to the Rainbow Warriors. First, early in the week, an assistant coach was dismissed due to allegations of sexual harassment. Next, their leading scorer, Tyrone Wallace, broke his hand in practice and would be out for the game. Then, one of their guards, Jabari Bird, had back spasms in warmups…and did not play. Cal’s head coach Cuonzo Martin learned about Bird a couple minutes before tip-off.

Hawaii used a strong first half to lead by as much as eleven at one point; however, they only led by six at the break. After the break, Cal surged. Later in the half, the Golden Bears got to within one, but the momentum changed again, and Hawaii made the lead bigger. Hawaii guard Quincy Smith ended up scoring 11 in that 2nd half surge. Hawaii ended up winning 77-66.

Hawaii player Stefan Jankovic said regarding the win,  “Well, I think (President) Obama’s bracket is still intact…”

Hawaii will face third-seeded Maryland in the Second Round. The Terrapins defeated South Dakota State in the first round 79-74.