According to one Division II poll, there will be two nationally ranked teams taking the court for Wednesday’s college basketball doubleheader at UHH gym.
Fresh off a two-game sweep of Chaminade, the UH-Hilo men debuted at No. 25 in the Sports Information Directors of America Top 25 on Tuesday. In the coaches’ poll, they continued to receive votes but were not ranked.
Winners of five in row, the Vulcans (7-1) close out their home schedule Wednesday (5:30 p.m.) and Thursday (3 p.m.) against Hawaii Pacific (2-6), a team it’s already 4-0 against this season. (Fans are not allowed to attend games this season because of the pandemic).
UHH needs just one win in its final four games to wrap up first place in the Pacific West Conference Hawaii pod, but of more importance is the West Region “rankings.” The next NCAA listing is due Wednesday. The Vuls were among eight teams “under consideration” for six playoff spots in last week’s listing.
The Sharks come to Hilo with some momentum as well. HPU has won its last two games against Chaminade, and junior guard Jacob Foy is the pod’s reigning player of the week after scoring with a career-high 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting in a win against the Silverswords.
If it’s considered hard to beat a team three times in a season, than it must be twice as difficult for a team to beat a rival six times – as the Vuls will try to do to HPU.
Coach Kaniela Aiona doesn’t expect his team to take anyone lightly.
“It’s college basketball and these are college athletes and good players – good team,” Aiona told the Tribune-Herald last week. “These are well-coached. It doesn’t surprise us that teams are beating up on each other. You see each other so many times.”
The other ranked team in the house will be the Hawaii Pacific women, who remained second in the media poll ahead of games Wednesday (2:30 p.m.) and Thursday (noon).
Despite a scare against the Vulcans (4-4), the Sharks (9-0) have won 34 in a row. On Feb. 6 in Honolulu, UHH led by as many as 18 points in the first half before being outscored by 42-17 in the second half.