The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team is set to play two road games this week, starting with a matchup against Cal Poly on Thursday, January 15. The game will take place at Mott Gymnasium in San Luis Obispo, California, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
Hawai’i enters the contest having won eight of its last nine games and currently holds a 12-3 overall record, including a 4-1 mark in Big West Conference play. The Rainbow Warriors are just half a game out of first place in the conference after their recent 67-66 home victory over UC Irvine, which was decided by Hunter Erickson’s buzzer-beater.
Cal Poly comes into the game with a 7-11 overall record and a 3-3 record in conference play. The Mustangs are tied for fourth in the league standings after splitting their games last week—a loss at CSUN followed by a home win against UC Davis.
After facing Cal Poly, Hawai’i will travel south to play UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, January 17.
Head coach Eran Ganot leads the Rainbow Warriors in his twelfth season as head coach and eleventh season at Hawai’i. His overall coaching record stands at 186-123, with a record of 183-121 at Hawai’i.
In terms of historical matchups, Hawai’i leads the all-time series against Cal Poly with an 18-10 advantage. However, Cal Poly broke a nine-game losing streak to Hawai’i in San Luis Obispo last year with a 79-63 win.
Among individual players to watch is Cal Poly sophomore Hamad Mousa, who leads the Big West and ranks tenth nationally in scoring at 21.8 points per game. In conference play he averages nearly 27 points per game.
Statistically, Cal Poly ranks twelfth nationally in three-point field goals made (11.1) and attempted (32.3) per game. Meanwhile, Hawai’i is fourth nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense (.272). Additionally, the Rainbow Warriors rank among the top ten teams nationwide in both scoring defense—allowing just over 63 points per game—and overall field goal percentage defense (.383).
Cal Poly plays at one of the fastest tempos in college basketball according to KenPom metrics; Hawai’i ranks closer to average pace nationally.
Recently, Hawai’i recorded a season-high eleven blocks against UC Irvine—tied for third most in program history—with Hunter Erickson contributing seven blocks over his last three games.
The Rainbow Warriors have also shown resilience this season by improving to 3-0 following losses after their latest win over UC Irvine. They moved up to seventeenth place in the latest CollegeInsider Mid Major Top 25 poll.
Over their past three games, Hawai’i has averaged nineteen assists per contest and assisted on sixty-seven percent of its made field goals during that span.
On the road this season, Hawai’i holds a record of one win and two losses—including a split during its first Big West trip that featured an eighty-eight to forty-five victory over UC Riverside on New Year’s Day and an eighty-three to seventy-three loss at UC San Diego two days later.
