SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – Eran Ganot was a bit over a month into his first regular season as head coach when Hawaii was slapped with NCAA sanctions that could have crippled the stability he was trying to create in the program.
Instead of crumbling because of the uncertainty about their future, the Warriors gelled into champions of the Big West Conference and are now the first team in school history to win an NCAA Tournament game.
“The state of Hawaii deserves this. They deserve this more than we do,” Hawaii guard Sai Tummala said.
The 13th-seeded Warriors ended No. 4 California’s tumultuous week with a 77-66 upset victory Friday in the first round of the South Regional, the latest success in an unexpected season for Hawaii.
Quincy Smith scored a career-high with 19 points, Roderick Bobbitt had 17 points and Stefan Jankovic 16 for the champions of the Big West Conference regular season and tournament. Hawaii (28-5) used a strong first half from Jankovic to lead by as many as 11, then withstood Jankovic’s foul trouble in the second half thanks largely to Smith.