Tuesday, November 17, 1998

’Tis season
for hoop
tourneys

There will be 19 tournaments
in the next seven weeks

By Al Chase
Star-Bulletin

For the college basketball buff or those locked-out NBA fans needing an alternative, Hawaii is the place to be the next seven weeks.

There will be a constant influx of tall and talented visitors to the 50th state from now until the end of the year.

Call it Hardwood Heaven, Holiday Hula Hoops, Tropical Twine Tickling, Baskets by the Bucket, anything you want. The abundance of college basketball games Hawaii's fans can feast on features ranked teams, preseason All-Americans and first-class competition.

Fifteen men's and four women's tournaments are scheduled for Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. Eleven teams, either ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 men's poll or receiving votes, will attempt to protect their lofty positions in the 102 men's games.

The Hawaii Rainbows start the tourney season against Nichols State Thursday in the Voicestream Wireless Tournament. The Hawaii Wahine begin the next day against Minnesota in the Hawaiian Regent Classic.

The Chaminade-hosted Maui Invitational, the first of five eight-team men's tournaments in Hawaii, starts Monday. The Silverswords are guaranteed to play at least two of the five ranked teams appearing at the Lahaina Civic Center.

"The Maui Invitational is such a premier showcase," third-year head Silverswords coach Al Walker said. "Every year there are legitimate national contenders."

The recognition for Chaminade is something no amount of advertising dollars could buy. In this respect, the stakes are high for a school with 800 students and lacking the resources to put together a top-notch athletic program.

"There is another positive in case we win a game," Walker said. "They estimate there are 11 million mentions of Chaminade in all media nationwide because of this tournament."

If the Silverswords pull an upset, it will just add to the legacy of victories over Virginia, Southern Methodist and Louisville in the early '80s.

"Anyone older than 35 remembers those games. It's instant name recognition," Walker said. "Virginia was the greatest upset ever. That victory put us on the map."

The highest ranked teams in preseason traveling to Hawaii are No. 5 Michigan State for Brigham Young-Hawaii's Pearl Harbor Classic (Dec. 21-23) and No. 14 UCLA for the Hawaii Wahine Classic (Nov. 28-30).

Michigan State returns all five starters from a 22-8 team and is clearly the favorite to win the Big Ten Conference.

The UCLA women carry the distinction of being picked to upend Stanford in the Pacific 10.

No. 9 Utah tops the Maui Invitational field. The Silverswords open against No. 22 Syracuse.

A total of 51 NCAA Division I men's teams (16 percent of the 310 schools competing at that level in 1998-99) and 17 NCAA Division I women's teams have airline tickets to Hawaii.

If that isn't enough to satisfy the appetite of even the most dedicated hoops junkie, try watching every game. That would mean 68 hours of men's and 30 hours of women's action. And, that doesn't even consider the possibility of overtime.

HAWAII'S COLLEGE
BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS

Men's tournaments

Thursday

Voicestream Wireless Tournament: First round, Marquette vs. Oklahoma State, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Nichols State, 7:05 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

Friday

Voicestream Wireless Tournament: Final round, Hawaii vs. Marquette-Oklahoma State winner, 8:05 p.m.; Nichols State vs. Marquette-Oklahoma St. loser, 10 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

November 23

Maui Invitational Tournament: First round, Chaminade vs. Syracuse, 9 a.m.; Clemson vs. Michigan, 11 a.m.; Indiana vs. Kansas State, 4:30 p.m.; Utah vs. Arizona State, 7 p.m., Lahaina Civic Center.

November 24

Maui Invitational Tournament: Consolation semifinals, Chaminade-Syracuse loser vs. Clemson-Michigan loser, 9 a.m.; Indiana-Kansas State loser vs. Utah-Arizona State loser, 11 a.m.; Championship semifinals, Chaminade-Syracuse winner vs. Clemson-Michigan winner, 2 p.m.; Indiana-Kansas State winner vs. Utah-Arizona State winner, 4 p.m., Lahaina Civic Center.

November 25

Maui Invitational Tournament: Seventh place, 9 a.m.; Fifth place, 11 a.m.; Third place, 2:30 p.m.; Championship, 5:30 p.m., Lahaina Civic Center.

November 27

BYUH Thanksgiving Tournament: First round, Westmont (Calif.) vs. Central Missouri St., 6 p.m.; BYU-Hawaii, vs. Morningside (Iowa), 8 p.m., Cannon Activities Center.

City Bank/Aloha Airlines Big Island Invitational: St. Louis vs. Evansville, noon; Georgia Tech vs. New Orleans, 2:15 p.m.; West Virginia vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay, 5:30 p.m.; Hawaii-Hilo vs. Washington, 7:45 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

HPU Thanksgiving Classic: Southern Mississippi vs. Hofstra, noon; Missouri-Kansas City vs. Illinois State, 2 p.m.; Baylor vs. Virginia Commonwealth, 4:30 p.m.; Hawaii Pacific vs. Iona, 6:30 p.m., Blaisdell Arena.

United Airlines Tip-off Tournament: First round, Hawaii vs. Wichita State, 7:05 p.m.; Auburn vs. Rutgers, 9 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

November 28

BYUH Thanksgiving Tournament: Third place, Westmont (Calif.)-Central Missouri State loser vs. Morningside (Iowa)-BYU-Hawaii loser, 6 p.m.; Championship, Westmont (Calif.)-Central Missouri State winner vs. Morningside (Iowa)-BYU-Hawaii winner, 8 p.m., Cannon Activities Center.

City Bank/Aloha Airlines Big Island Invitational: Consolation semifinals, West Virginia-

Wisconsin Green Bay loser vs. Georgia Tech-New Orleans loser, noon; St. Louis-Evansville loser vs. Hawaii-Hilo-Washington loser, 5:30 p.m.; Championship semifinals, West Virginia-Wisconsin Green Bay winner vs. Georgia Tech-New Orleans winner, 2:15 p.m.; St. Louis-Evansville winner vs. Hawaii-

Hilo-Washington winner, 7:45 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

HPU Thanksgiving Classic: Southern Mississippi-Hofstra loser vs. Illinois State-Missouri-Kansas City loser, noon; Southern Mississippi-Hofstra winner vs. Illinois State-Missouri-Kansas City winner, 2 p.m.; Hawaii Pacific-Iona winner vs. Baylor-Virginia Commonwealth winner, 4:30 p.m.; Hawaii Pacific-Iona loser vs. Baylor-Virginia Commonwealth loser, 6:30 p.m., Blaisdell Arena.

November 29

City Bank/Aloha Airlines Big Island Invitational: Seventh place, 9 a.m.; Fifth place, 11:15 a.m.; Third place, 2 p.m.; Championship, 4:15 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

HPU Thanksgiving Classic: Seventh place, 11 a.m.; Fifth place 1 p.m.; Third place, 3:30 p.m.; Championship, 5:30 p.m., Blaisdell Arena.

United Airlines Tip-off Tournament: Final round, Hawaii vs. Auburn-Rutgers winner, 7:05 p.m.; Wichita State vs. Auburn-Rutgers loser, 9 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 3

PacWest Hawaii Tournament: First round, Hawaii-Hilo vs. BYU-Hawaii, 6 p.m.; Hawaii Pacific vs. Chaminade, 8 p.m., Blaisdell Arena.

Power Bar Invitational: First round, Coppin State vs. Georgia State, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Cal State Northridge, 7:05 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 4

PacWest Hawaii Tournament: Third place, UHH-BYUH loser vs. HPU-Chaminade loser, 6 p.m.; Championship, UHH-BYUH winner vs. HPU-Chaminade winner, 8 p.m., Blaisdell Arena.

Power Bar Invitational: Final round, Cal State Northridge vs. Coppin State-Georgia State loser, 6 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Coppin State-Georgia State winner, 8:05 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 18

Hawaii-Nike Festival: First round, Northern Arizona vs. St. Bonaventure, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Eastern Illinois, 7:05 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

Saturday, December 19

Hawaii-Nike Festival: Final round, Eastern Illinois vs. Northern Arizona-St. Bonaventure loser, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Northern Arizona-St. Bonaventure winner, 7:05 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 20

Coconut Coast Classic: MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) vs. Bellarmine (Ky.), 6 p.m.; Hawaii-Hilo vs. Midwestern State (Texas), 8 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

December 21

Coconut Coast Classic: Midwestern State (Texas) vs. Bellarmine (Ky.), 6 p.m.; Hawaii-Hilo vs. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), 8 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

HPU Christmas Tournament: Azusa Pacific vs. Carthage College, 6 p.m.; Fresno Pacific vs. Hawaii Pacific, 8 p.m., Blaisdell Arena.

Pearl Harbor Classic: First round, Michigan State vs. Pepperdine, 1 p.m.; Texas Tech vs. Tulsa, 3 p.m.; Alabama vs. Weber State, 6 p.m.; Oregon State vs. BYU-Hawaii, 8 p.m., Cannon Activities Center.

December 22

HPU Christmas Tournament: Fresno Pacific vs. Carthage College, 6 p.m., Azusa Pacific vs. Hawaii Pacific, 8 p.m., Blaisdell Arena.

Pearl Harbor Classic: Consolation semifinals, Alabama-Weber State loser vs. Oregon State vs. BYU-Hawaii loser 1 p.m.; Michigan State-Pepperdine loser vs. Texas Tech-Tulsa loser, 3 p.m.; Championship semifinals, Alabama-Weber State winner vs. Oregon State-BYU-Hawaii winner, 6 p.m., Michigan State-Pepperdine winner vs. Texas Tech-Tulsa winner, 8 p.m.; Cannon Activities Center.

December 23

Pearl Harbor Classic: Seventh place, 10 a.m.; Fifth place, noon; Third place, 3 p.m.; Championship, 5 p.m., Cannon Activities Center.

December 27

Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic: First round, Murray State vs. North Carolina-Charlotte, 5:05 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Southwestern Louisiana, 7:35 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 28

HPU Winter Tournament: Evergreen State (Wash.) vs. BYU-Hawaii, 6 p.m.; Wisconsin-Platteville vs. Hawaii Pacific, 8 p.m., Blaisdell Arena.

Hilo Holiday Shootout: First round, Central Connecticut vs. Buffalo, 5 p.m.; Hawaii-Hilo vs. Old Dominion, 7:30 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic: First round, Mississippi State vs. Texas, 5:05 p.m.; Florida State vs. Princeton, 7:30 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 29

HPU Winter Tournament: Wisconsin-Platteville vs. BYU-Hawaii, 6 p.m.; Evergreen State (Wash.) vs. Hawaii Pacific, 8 p.m., Blaisdell Arena.

Hilo Holiday Shootout: Second round, Old Dominion vs. Central Connecticut, 5 p.m.; Hawaii-Hilo vs. Buffalo, 7:30 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic: Consolation semifinals, Murray State-North Carolina-Charlotte loser vs. Hawaii-Southwestern Louisiana loser, 11 a.m.; Texas-Mississippi State loser vs. Florida State-Princeton loser, 1:30 p.m.; Championship semifinals, Murray State-North Carolina-Charlotte winner vs. Hawaii-Southwestern Louisiana winner, 5:35 p.m.; Texas-Mississippi State winner vs. Florida State-Princeton winner, 8:06 p.m.; Stan Sheriff Center.

December 30

Hilo Holiday Shootout: Final round, Buffalo vs. Old Dominion, 5 p.m.; Hawaii-Hilo vs. Central Connecticut, 7:30 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic: Seventh place, 11 a.m.; Fifth place, 1:30 p.m.; Third place, 5:05 p.m.; Championship, 7:35 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

Women's tournaments

Friday

Hawaiian Regent Classic: First round, Kansas vs. Massachusetts, 2:30 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Minnesota, 5 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

Saturday

Hawaiian Regent Classic: Second round, Kansas vs. Minnesota, 1 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Massachusetts, 3 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

Sunday

Hawaiian Regent Classic: Final round, Massachusetts vs. Minnesota, 3 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Kansas, 5 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

November 27

Wahine Classic: First round, North Carolina vs. St. John's (N.Y.), 9 a.m.; Nebraska vs. UCLA, 11:10 a.m.; Kentucky vs. Louisville, 1:20 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Illinois State, 3:30 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

November 28

Wahine Classic: Consolation semifinals, North Carolina-St. John's (N.Y.) loser vs. Nebraska-UCLA loser, 9 a.m.; Kentucky-Louisville loser vs. Illinois State-Hawaii loser, 11:10 a.m.; Championship semifinals, Kentucky-Louisville winner vs. Illinois State-Hawaii winner, 1:20 p.m.; North Carolina-St. John's (N.Y.) winner vs. Nebraska-UCLA, 3:30 p.m.; Stan Sheriff Center.

November 29

Wahine Classic: Seventh place, 9 a.m.; Fifth place, 11:10 a.m.; Third place, 1:20 p.m.; Championship, 3:30 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 12

Hawaii Invitational: First round, Ohio State vs. St. Mary's (Calif.), 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Texas Southern, 7 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 13

Hawaii Invitational: Second round, Ohio State vs. Texas Southern, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. St. Mary's (Calif.), 7 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 14

Hawaii Invitational: Final round, St. Mary's (Calif.) vs. Texas Southern, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Ohio State, 7 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 21

Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic: First round, Texas Tech vs. James Madison, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Loyola Marymount, 7 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 22

Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic: Second round, Loyola Marymount vs. Texas Tech, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. James Madison, 7 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

December 23

Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic: Final round, James Madison vs. Loyola Marymount, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Texas Tech, 7 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.