MISSION accomplished: The Rainbows are in the championship game. Now comes Mission Impossible. Sorry, Toto, but you’re
not in Kansas nowThis is Kansas, Toto, that the host University of Hawaii will be facing tonight in the final of the 34th Rainbow Classic at the sold-out Special Events Arena.
Not Brigham Young, Hawaii's opening-round victim, nor the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who were blitzed by the Rainbows, 87-62, last night.
Rather, the Kansas Jayhawks, the No. 2 team in the nation. And awesome, even without All-American Raef LaFrentz as the Vanderbilt Commodores learned in losing in the other semifinal, 89-82.
If the Rainbows had to step up their game in knocking off Nebraska, they've got to take an even bigger leap against the more physical Jayhawks.
After his Rainbows turned a close first half into a 25-point runaway against the Cornhuskers, Riley Wallace said he didn't care who his team played in the final, which will be televised nationally on ESPN.
That was for the record. Off the record, he's probably glad that his Rainbows will be playing the touted Jayhawks rather than unranked Vanderbilt.
It figures to be a great showcase for Hawaii and its talented backcourt of Anthony Carter and Alika Smith. And a chance to crack the AP's Top 25.
THAT was why last night was a must-win game. It set up tonight's game against Kansas, where a win isn't as important as a good showing.
And the Rainbows rose to the occasion against the Cornhuskers, according to Wallace.
"I thought we stepped it up a notch when we had to. It was a war out there in the first half. We wore them down in the second half. It was at our house, we got our fans and that's a big difference."
Another difference was Hawaii's 1-2-2 zone, which helped to prevent Nebraska's Tyronn Lue from penetrating the defense.
" 'The Man' looked like he was going to get us in foul trouble," Wallace said, referring to the Cornhuskers' junior guard, who had scored 36 points against Virginia.
"Lue showed what he could do with the ball in his hands. Probably foul everybody out with his penetration. So we jumped into our 1-2-2 zone. We took away his penetration."
"Coach always says that's our bread-and-butter defense," said Smith, who scored 18 points after a subpar night against BYU.
"We did a job on defense in the second half and AC's the one who led us," Smith said.
CARTER, who had a game-high 21 points, scored on lay-ups after two steals in igniting a 13-2 run that put the 'Bows ahead, 59-42. He ended with five steals and came up with the ball almost every time it was there for the taking.
"My big men got on me. They told me they'd get the ones up high and that I had to get the ones down low," Carter said.
"He loves to keep his teammates happy and give them great passes. (But) their defense was too good for some of the passes that he likes to throw," Wallace said. "He had six turnovers in the first half but none in the second. That makes a big difference."
"Second half I calmed down and started making easy passes," Carter said. The Rainbows will need more of the same tonight against the Jayhawks.
Alika's looking forward to the challenge.
"I haven't been to the championship game so I'm looking forward to it. I'll be pumped," said Smith, who still remembers his sophomore year when he had to set the alarm for a morning consolation game.
"That was horrible. Our pregame meal was breakfast."
Anything's better, according to Alika. Even playing the No. 2 team in the nation.
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