[ RAINBOW BASKETBALL ]

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Hawaii draws
Utah State in NIT

The ’Bows face the nationally
ranked Aggies, who will be
joining the WAC next year

NIT Schedule

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By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com

The Hawaii basketball team will continue its season while getting a sneak preview of a future league rival this week in the 67th National Invitation Tournament.

The Rainbow Warriors (19-11) were selected to play in the NIT yesterday and face nationally ranked Utah State of the Big West Conference on Wednesday in Logan, Utah.

Hawaii at Utah State What: First round of NIT When: Wednesday, 4 p.m. Hawaii time Where: Logan, Utah TV/radio: TBA Previous NIT appearances All-rime record: 8-7 1971 Oklahoma (W, 88-87) St. Bonaventure (L, 73-64) 1973 Fairfield (W, 66-65) Purdue (L, 85-72) 1989 California (L, 73-57) 1990 Stanford (W, 69-57) Long Beach State (W, 84-79) New Mexico (L, 80-58) 1997 Oregon (W, 71-61) UNLV (L, 89-80) 1998 Arizona State (W, 90-73) Gonzaga (W, 78-70) Fresno State (L, 85-83) 2003 UNLV (W, 85-68) Minnesota (L, 84-70)

Tipoff at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. Hawaii time.

Hawaii head coach Riley Wallace said he was informed that the Rainbows would be included in the 40-team NIT field yesterday morning. The team practiced in the afternoon and later learned of its opponent.

UH officials had hoped the Rainbows would host a first-round game, but Wallace said the team is happy to have another game even if it means another trip to the mainland.

"That's OK, we appreciate the bid," Wallace said. "That gives us six out of the last eight years in the postseason. For (seniors) Phil (Martin) and Haim (Shimonovich), that's four straight years in postseason and that's unheard of here."

After two consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2001 and 2002), Hawaii is in the NIT for the second straight year.

UH is 8-7 in seven NIT appearances. The Rainbows won at UNLV before losing at Minnesota last season.

The Rainbows returned to Honolulu on Friday after losing to Rice 70-68 in the Western Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinals.

Last night the Rainbows were preparing to get back on a plane to face a Utah State team that figures to be upset after being among the last teams left out of the NCAA Tournament field.

Utah State, which will join the WAC in July 2005, was ranked 22nd in last week's Associated Press poll.

The Aggies posted a 25-3 overall record and tied for the Big West regular-season title at 17-1. But they were snubbed by the selection committee after being eliminated from the Big West tournament with a 63-62 loss to Cal State Northridge in the semifinals.

The Aggies are the first ranked team not to be included in the NCAA Tournament.

"I would be less than honest if I said we weren't disappointed in not making the NCAA Tournament, but we have to move forward in a hurry with the challenge presented us Wednesday night," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said.

Said Wallace: "I'm sure they're very upset, but they could come out fighting mad to prove something."

Wallace and Morrill coached against each other when Morrill was at Colorado State from 1992 to 1998.

Wallace said the Aggies play a half-court game similar to the Rainbows' scheme.

"We're very good friends and we've coached against each other quite a bit," Wallace said. "We always had good matchups and good games."

Senior guard Cardell Butler was a first-team All-Big West pick and leads the Aggies with 14 points per game.

Utah State and New Mexico State were invited to join the WAC last October after Rice, Southern Methodist and Tulsa announced that they would join Conference USA.

The matchup will be a homecoming for junior forward Jeff Blackett, who is originally from Ogden, Utah.

Hawaii is among three WAC teams selected to the NIT. Boise State (21-9) hosts UNLV on Wednesday and Rice (22-10) plays at Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Wednesday.

The WAC, which had just one team selected to the NCAA Tournament last year, has two entries this year.

Nevada (23-8) earned the WAC's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament with a 66-60 win over Texas-El Paso (24-7) in the championship game of the McCaffrey WAC tournament on Saturday.

The Wolf Pack drew the 10th seed in the St. Louis regional and will play seventh seed Michigan State of the Big Ten on Thursday in Seattle.

UTEP was awarded an at-large spot in the tournament and is the 13th seed in the Phoenix regional. The Miners face Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champion Maryland in the first round on Thursday in Denver.

Two other Hawaii opponents this season are in the Phoenix regional -- Southern Illinois, which defeated UH 66-62 in a Bracket Busters game Feb. 21, and Dayton, an 82-72 winner over UH in the EA Sports Maui Invitational final Nov. 26.

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National Invitation
Tournament

ALL TIMES HAWAII TIME

Opening Round
Tomorrow
Nebraska (16-12) at Creighton (20-8), 3 p.m.
Wednesday
West Virginia (15-13) at Kent State (22-8), 2 p.m.
Tennessee (15-13) at George Mason (21-9), 2 p.m.
Troy State (24-6) at Niagara (21-9), 2 p.m.
Boston U. (23-5) at Rhode Island (19-13), 2:30 p.m.
Belmont (21-8) at Austin Peay (21-9), 3 p.m.
Rice (22-10) at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (19-10), 3 p.m.
UNLV (18-12) at Boise State (21-9), 4:30 p.m.

First Round
Today
Toledo (20-10) at Marquette (17-11), 3 p.m.
Tomorrow
Iowa (16-12) at St. Louis (18-12), 2 p.m.
Missouri (16-13) at Michigan (18-11), 4 p.m.
Wednesday
Purdue (17-13) at Notre Dame (17-12), 2 p.m.
George Washington (18-11) at Virginia (17-12), 2 p.m.
Temple (15-13) at Rutgers (16-12), 2:30 p.m.
Drexel (18-10) at Villanova (16-16), 2:30 p.m.
Florida State (18-13) at Wichita State (21-10), 3 p.m.
Hawaii (19-11) at Utah State (25-3), 4 p.m.
Georgia (16-13) at Iowa State (17-12), 4:30 p.m.
LSU (18-10) at Oklahoma (19-10), 4:30 p.m.
Colorado (18-10) at Oregon (15-12), 6:59 p.m.
TBA
Nebraska-Creighton winner vs. Troy State-Niagara winner
Tennessee-George Mason winner vs. Belmont-Austin Peay winner
Boston U.-Rhode Island winner vs. West Virginia-Kent State winner
UNLV-Boise State winner vs. Rice-Wisconsin-Milwaukee winner

Second Round
March 20-23
Drexel-Villanova winner vs. George Washington-Virginia winner
Florida State-Wichita State winner vs. Georgia-Iowa State winner
Temple-Rutgers winner vs. Boston U.-Rhode Island-West Virginia-Kent State winner
Toledo-Marquette winner vs. UNLV-Boise State-Rice-Wisconsin-Milwaukee winner
Colorado-Oregon winner vs. Tennessee-George Mason-Belmont-Austin Peay winner
Hawaii-Utah State winner vs. Nebraska-Creighton-Troy State-Niagara winner
Iowa-St. Louis winner vs. Purdue-Notre Dame winner
Missouri-Michigan winner vs. LSU-Oklahoma winner

Quarterfinals
March 24-26
TBA

Semifinals
Tuesday, March 30
TBA

Championship
Thursday, April 1
TBA