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Hawaii
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
OK, it's an obvious statement, but the Warriors are playing their best basketball at the right time. But even before stunning the WAC by winning the automatic bid, Hawaii was showing signs it could be a darkhorse in a wild WAC pack. And sure enough, the 'Bows beat regular-season champion Fresno (for the second time) in the semifinals and then beat Tulsa (on its own court) in overtime to earn their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1994 and only third trip in school history. Hey, if you a college basketball team can't spend March in Hawaii, what better place then the NCAA Tournament? Hawaii won seven of its final eight games after finding itself 10-12 and 4-7 in the WAC midway through February. The early season wasn't much better, but did include a win over tourney-bound Northridge and 11-point loss to Tennessee in December. Player to Watch No doubt the best player on the Rainbows is Predrag Savovic, a 6-6 forward from Herceg Novi, Yugoslavia. The JUCO transfer didn't even know Hawaii was a state before arriving in Honolulu. Savovic averages 17.8 points a game and shoots 46 percent from the field. He's eclipsed 20 points on 11 occasions, including 31 against UTEP. With the Ball The Rainbows didn't start clicking until they got healthy and redshirt freshman Carl English took over at the point. English scored a career-high 25 in the Warriors' WAC title game victory. The 6-10 Troy Ostler is a banger down low who provides inside production (15.3 ppg), while Nerijus Puida (9.6 ppg) is a 6-5 swingman who can play either forward or shooting guard. The 3-point shot is a weapon (the 'Bows took 33 in the WAC title game), with Puida hitting 42 percent from behind the arc.Defending the Ball You aren't going to find much defense in the WAC, where three teams averaged over 80 points a game. The Rainbows, however, do play a little D (72.9 ppg). Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed None Playing to Expectations Falling Short None BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.000 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000:The Rainbows are in the tourney for just the third time, their second visit since the NCAA field expanded in 1985. Hawaii is 0-2 in its two prior appearances, losing to Syracuse in Ogden, Utah, in 1994. This trip will be considerably further for the Rainbows, as they go all the way to Dayton for another try against the Orangemen. During the regular season, Hawaii won only two games off the island. Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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