HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team returns home for a huge Big West matchup with conference nemesis UC Irvine on Saturday, Jan. 10. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
UC Irvine (11-5, 4-0) currently sits atop the league standings, with the Rainbow Warriors (11-3, 3-1) right on their heels. The 'Bows will play their first home game in a month after starting the year having won 10 of its first 11 games in the confines of Bankoh Arena. This will be the final meeting between the teams in Honolulu as conference rivals before UH heads to the Mountain West next season.
PROMOTIONSRainbow Warrior Basketball is coming back to Bankoh Arena with traditional Japanese luck! Fukubukuro is a traditional Japanese New Year tradition. Fukubukuro (lucky bags) will be awarded throughout the night to a select number of fans. Saturday night's game will be sponsored by Bank of Hawai'i, and will have a table at Gate A for when fans enter with a Roll-a-ball game and folding fans and power clips as prizes. Rally towels from Bank of Hawai'i will be tossed out during the game.
HEAD COACH ERAN GANOTOverall record: 185-123 (12th season)
At Hawai'i: 182-121 (11th season)
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDUC Irvine leads, 24-9
In Honolulu: UCI leads, 11-6
Streak: UCI, 4
NEWS & NOTES
- The Anteaters have defeated the 'Bows four straight times, including the last two in Honolulu. All four wins have come by double-digits.
- UH is coming off a road split, notching a record-setting 88-45 win at UC Riverside before falling at UC San Diego, 83-73.
- The loss at UC San Diego snapped UH's seven-game win streak, its longest such streak since 2022-23
- The Anteaters have won four straight games and are the only undefeated team in Big West play. UCI hosts LBSU Thursday before playing UH.
- This will be UH's first home game in nearly a month. The 'Bows, who are 10-1 at home this year, last played at the SSC on Dec. 13, a 66-61 win over UTEP.
- UH tallied 21 assists – its second-highest total this season – in back-to-back games at UC Riverside and UC San Diego.
- UH is ranked 18th in the latest CollegeInsider Mid Major Top 25. The 'Bows were previously ranked 13th.
- UH has trailed for just 41:12 out of 440 possible minutes in its 11 home games
- UH ranks in the top 30 nationally in eight categories – 3FG% defense (7th), scoring defense (11th), FG% defense (15th), defensive rebounds per game (15th), rebound margin (17th), FTA per game (18th), scoring margin (28th), and FTM per game (24th)
- Senior forward Harry Rouhliadeff has led the team in scoring in four of the last five games, including 16 points in UH's last game at UCSD.
#HawaiiMBB
