MBB scheduling updates

The Hawaii men’s basketball team and Hawaii Hilo are working on converting a preseason exhibition into an official regular-season game.

Hilo coach G.E. Coleman said Thursday a contract hasn’t been finalized but the game that was to be an exhibition on Nov. 6 will now likely be played on Nov. 19, a Wednesday, at the Stan Sheriff Center and count toward UH’s record.

“We haven’t set a time or signed a contract yet,” Coleman said. “For them, it will be a regular-season counting game. For us, it will be an exhibition, similar to what we did with them last year. … It helps them and it helps us at the same time.

“It’s not concrete … but I’m pretty sure it’s going to get done by next week.”

This is likely a domino caused by a recent scheduling chain of events — UH had to look for new arrangements when the Cougar Hardwood Clsasic vs. Washington State on Dec. 13 fell apart. The Rainbow Warriors are believed to be close to joining the eight-team Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida on Nov. 24-26.

If that is finalized, UH will have to reschedule a Nov. 26 game against Hawaii Pacific University. That game could be changed to an early-season exhibition, leaving UH with two non-Division I opponents (UHH on Nov. 19 and Chaminade on Dec. 19).

BigIslandNow.com first reported on Wednesday that UH and UHH were trying to make the game a regular-season contest.

Coleman said changing the game is advantageous for his team.

“That will help us,” he said. “We have some new guys coming in that should help us, but it gives them the opportunity to get two games under their belt before they have to play a very strong University of Hawaii team over there. Actually, it is probably better for us.”

Should the matchup and date hold, it will be an interesting sequence for the Rainbow Warriors. They play High Point at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 18 to cap the Rainbow Classic in the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon game. Then they’ll have to turn around pretty quickly to play Hilo the next day. Soon after, they’ll get ready to face Pittsburgh on Maui on Nov. 21. And after that, the three-day Florida tournament looms a few days later.

It could make for a pretty demanding stretch — six games in nine days.

SE Louisiana confirms game

Southeastern Louisiana of the Southland Conference confirmed it will play a game at Hawaii on Jan. 2, per a news release this week.

Prior to the announcement, the Lions were said to be a tentative opponent since UH nixed Florida Gulf Coast as a Jan. 2 game on its schedule. UH since listed the slot as “TBA.”