South No. 13 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (Overall: 27-5, Conf: 13-3)
Team Strengths
Do not sleep on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. I repeat do not sleep on the Rainbow Warriors. The Big West regular season and conference tournament champions, Hawaii has plenty to show in the Big Dance. They’re one of the most well-rounded teams in the nation ranking 67th in points per game (77.6), 103rd in rebounds per game (37.4), 38th in assists per game (15.8) and 50th in points allowed per game (66.5). The Rainbow Warriors will certainly cause plenty of headaches in the NCAA tournament; and not the good kind which comes after a night of booze in the beaches of Hawaii.
Team Weaknesses
Hawaii plays a very physical style of basketball, which has them committing plenty of fouls. Their starters regularly find themselves within one or two fouls before fouling out of the game. They averaged 24.6 fouls per game in their five losses this season. The NCAA tournament is a highly-emotional and gruelling contest. When the pressure gets high, the Rainbow Warriors may find themselves in a sticky situation as they rack up the fouls.
Team Stats
Category
Stat
NCAA Rank
Points Per Game
77.6
67
Rebounds Per Game
37.3
103
Blocks Per Game
3.75
130
3-Point Percentage
32.7%
269
Free Throw Percentage
68.1%
249
Starting Lineup
Position
Name
PPG
F
Stefan Jankovic
15.7
F
Michael Thomas
7.6
G
Quincy Smith
7.7
G
Aaron Valdes
14.6
G
Roderick Bobbitt
13.3
Writer’s Prediction
Hawaii upsets California in the Round of 64 before bowing out in the next round.
