Hawaii men’s basketball: 2019-20 schedule released, ‘Bows to make 2 Power Five road trips

By Brian McInnis on August 9, 2019 | Court Sense, Featured, Rainbow Warriors basketball
The last time Hawaii and Illinois met was at the Stan Sheriff Center on Nov. 16, 2012. Illinois' D.J. Richardson launched his game winning 3-pointer as Hawaii's Hauns Brereton charged up to him as the game clock ticked down to zero. / Star-Advertiser file photo by Bruce Asato

In most years, Hawaii men’s basketball might take a single road trip to the mainland during nonconference play. Sometimes no trip at all.

Not so this year. The Rainbow Warriors are challenging themselves with two separate excursions to the mainland to take on Illinois (Nov. 18) and Oregon (Dec. 7), interspersed between 12 nonconference home games.

Combined with some respectable foes coming in, and only one Division II opponent, this has the potential to be one of the better Rainbow Warriors’ schedules in recent years. The season opener is Nov. 8 against Florida A&M in the 55th Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic.

The last time UH played on the home courts of two Power Five teams in the same season was 1987-88, when it opened at Vanderbilt and followed the next day at Kentucky. (UH lost to them by a combined 56 points.)

“It’s been a priority for us to play tough road opponents in hostile gyms and we have taken it up a notch with two in the same season,” UH coach Eran Ganot said in UH’s release. “While we know these games will be challenging, we’re looking forward to it and believe it will prepare us as we move along in our schedule, particularly in the Diamond Head Classic and in the Big West.”

UH is 5-5 all-time against Oregon, and 0-2 in Eugene (the last trip there came on Feb. 1, 1975, a five-point Ducks win). UH has won the last five meetings, though the teams haven’t played since 1999. The Ducks made the NCAA Sweet 16 last season with a 25-13 record and KenPom.com score of 28 among 353 Division I teams.

UH is 0-7 all-time against Illinois, with the most recent meeting the Fighting Illini’s memorable 78-77 stunner in overtime at the Stan Sheriff Center on Nov. 16, 2012. UH has made one trip to Champaign, on Dec. 8, 2008, a 10-point win for the Illini. The Big Ten school went 12-21 last season but was still strong in KenPom at 84.

Some other schedule notes:

>> UH is playing at a Pac-12 school for the third straight year (Utah in 2017, UCLA in 2018) after not doing so for the previous 17
>> UH is hosting two West Coast Conference schools in Pacific (Nov. 11) and San Francisco (Nov. 29)
>> UH is not playing Division II neighbor Hawaii Hilo for the first time in seven years, although Hawaii Pacific makes an appearance in the Sheriff on Dec. 1
>> There are four first-time opponents on the schedule: Florida A&M; South Dakota (Nov. 9); Samford (Dec. 15); and Maine (Dec. 29)
>> Some previously reported dates were slightly off; the season-opening Rainbow Classic extends to Nov. 11 for UH, not Nov. 10, and the home date against New Orleans is Nov. 24 instead of Nov. 25.
>> UH opens Big West play against Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 9) for the third time in four years, and two times over that span on the road

Here’s the full schedule:

RECORD: 17-13 overall, 8-8 Big West

DATEOPPONENTLOCATIONTIME/RESULT
10/30/2019Chaminade (EXH)Stan Sheriff CenterW, 83-66
11/8/2019Florida A&MStan Sheriff CenterW, 65-52
11/10/2019South DakotaStan Sheriff CenterL, 75-81
11/11/2019PacificStan Sheriff CenterW, 72-67
11/15/2019Portland StateStan Sheriff CenterW, 83-75
11/18/2019at IllinoisChampaign, Ill.L, 53-66
11/24/2019New OrleansStan Sheriff CenterW, 79-71
11/29/2019San FranciscoStan Sheriff CenterW, 85-75
12/1/2019Hawaii PacificStan Sheriff CenterW, 58-41
12/7/2019at OregonEugene, Ore.L, 64-89
12/15/2019SamfordStan Sheriff CenterW, 94-73
12/22/2019UTEPStan Sheriff CenterW, 67-63
12/23/2019WashingtonStan Sheriff CenterL, 61-72
12/25/2019Georgia TechStan Sheriff CenterL, 53-70
12/29/2019MaineStan Sheriff CenterW, 91-51
1/9/2020at Cal State Fullerton*Fullerton, Calif.W, 75-69
1/11/2020at UC Irvine*Irvine, Calif.L, 60-74
1/16/2020Cal Poly*Stan Sheriff CenterW, 65-61
1/18/2020UC Santa Barbara*Stan Sheriff CenterW, 70-63
1/25/2020UC Davis*Stan Sheriff CenterW, 76-75
2/1/2020Cal State Northridge*Stan Sheriff CenterW, 80-75
2/6/2020at UC Santa Barbara*Santa Barbara, Calif.L, 66-76
2/8/2020at Cal Poly*San Luis Obispo, Calif.L, 75-79, OT
2/12/2020Long Beach State*Stan Sheriff CenterL, 49-50
2/15/2020UC Irvine*Stan Sheriff CenterL, 63-70
2/20/2020at UC Riverside*Riverside, Calif.W, 56-55
2/22/2020at Long Beach State*Long Beach, Calif.L, 60-64
2/27/2020Cal State Fullerton*Stan Sheriff CenterW, 70-59
2/29/2020UC Riverside*Stan Sheriff CenterL, 43-49
3/5/2020at UC Davis*Davis, Calif.W, 67-65
3/7/2020at Cal State Northridge*Northridge, Calif.L, 82-86
3/12/2020vs. UC DavisAnaheim, Calif.5:30 p.m.
All times Hawaii time; schedule subject to change
*—Big West Conference game

COMMENTS

  1. roygbivs August 9, 2019 2:37 pm

    This is a workable scheduling this year. Like the road contests, hopefully maybe they return (Illinois and/or Oregon) the games next season… with North Carolina coming in as well.

    Any word if Tolu Smith would be interested in coming here ?

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