THREE words of advice for the University of Hawaii men's basketball team: Forget about it. Rainbows just need to
wipe this one awayJust get ready for San Jose State tomorrow night and put Fresno State out of your head.
The Bulldogs were too good and especially too deep. Even Seth Sundberg - UH's lone giant - might not have made the difference against the Bulldogs, who finally woke up from their season-long nap on the road.
This year's Rainbows lead the league - maybe the nation - in heart and hustle. But in the cruel world of college basketball, especially with March Madness just hours away, it is survival of the fittest.
The taller and stronger and deeper teams start stomping their feet right about now - and Hawaii is none of these.
True, the guards are top-notch, but the rest of the inside lineup consists of undersized overachievers who are getting worn down in a hurry.
The loss of Sundberg is simply a killer against big teams. It was the same story at New Mexico.
Even Anthony Carter and Alika Smith are feeling the pain of too many minutes. The suspensions of Aaron Curry and Quentin Gallon are taking their toll in the backcourt.
Smith's shots were coming up short in the second half, which means the legs are weary.
And even the great Carter - my choice for WAC Most Valuable Player this season over Utah's Keith Van Horn - cannot be a one-man team at this point of the season.
THE Rainbows did what they had to do at the outset last night. Run out to a quick lead. Make Fresno State take quick shots. Get the capacity crowd into the game.
But it didn't last long. And then another outstanding - and outrageous - guard, Chris Herren, started putting on a show.
Fresno State head coach Jerry Tarkanian had the luxury of running eight players in and out of the game, keeping his team fresh.
Pretty soon, their shots started falling and even a gutty second-half rally by the Rainbows wouldn't be enough.
Fortunately for Hawaii, Fresno State only hit 21 of 36 free-throw attempts or the final score would have been worse.
A home-court advantage can help, folks. But it doesn't produce miracles.
Now for some real bad news. The NCAA Tournament has gone from a strong possibility to a long shot for Hawaii right now.
A lopsided loss at home - despite the obstacles - is borderline disastrous at this time of the season. Plus, it came on the heels of being blown out in the second half at New Mexico.
HAWAII right now probably needs to beat San Jose State convincingly and get to the championship game of the WAC tournament, which would give it a 22-7 record. But even that is unlikely without Sundberg.
Plus, Curry and Gallon - who are eligible March 4, the first day of the WAC tournament, will be rusty and of limited effectiveness.
The NCAA committee might take the Rainbows at 21-8, but if it comes down to a choice between UH and Fresno State as the fourth WAC team, the Bulldogs now have the decided advantage by sweeping the Rainbows in the regular season.
But crazy things can also happen at this time of the year. Tarkanian is scared to death of his team's final game at San Diego State, despite another huge difference in talent level.
And anything can happen at the WAC tournament.
All the Rainbows can do right now is concentrate on San Jose State and try to get yet another head of steam going into the WAC tourney.
If any team can do it, this group can.
But even if UH is denied a trip to the Big Dance, an NIT bid would be a great reward for a team that was never expected to do much in the first place - and which played so well under such difficult circumstances.