HONOLULU, Hawai'i (Jan. 25, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (16-3, 7-1 Big West) will look to continue Big West play as they travel to Honolulu to take on the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors. The last time these two teams faced each other was in The Thunderdome last season, where the Gauchos secured the 67-60 win.
LAST TIME OUT
UC Santa Barbara hosted the Roadrunners of Cal State Bakersfield in a very physical Big West match up. The Roadrunners made key shots early in the first half to keep up with the Gauchos who put themselves on the scoreboard first, but it ultimately wasn't enough. Miles Norris's commanding 24-point performance guided the home team to a 76-58 victory.
SCOUTING THE RAINBOW WARRIORS
The University of Hawai'i is coming into this game after squeezing out a 67-63 win over UC Riverside on Saturday. Prior to that, Hawai'i lost on the road to UC Irvine.
The Rainbow Warriors have one of the best field goal defenses in the country, ranking 21st in the NCAA and No. 1 in The Big West in this category as they keep their opponents to a 39.4 field goal percentage. They are also fifth in the NCAA and No. 1 in the conference when it comes to three-point field goal defense as the Rainbow Warriors keep their opponents to just 26.5 percent from beyond the arc. Along with ranking highly in the NCAA in the categories mentioned above, Hawai'i sits at the top of The Big West in multiple statistical categories including blocks per game (4.0) and scoring defense (61.2).
Four Rainbow Warriors average double-digit points for this team. Their leading scorer is Noel Coleman, a junior transfer from San Diego averaging 14.2 points per game. Along with him, Kamaka Hepa, Jovon McClanahan and Bernardo De Silva are also averaging double-digit points at 10.6, 10.5 and 10.4 per game, respectively.
De Silva is also the team's leading rebounder as he averages 7.25 boards per game. He currently has three double-doubles on the season. Not only that, but he has the best field goal percentage on his team, shooting at a 55.4 percent clip.
To go along with his 10.5 points per game, McClanahan distributes the ball to his teammates the most. He has the most assists on the team, racking up 60 this season.
Coleman is not only the team's leading scorer, but he's the stealthiest player on the team. He leads all of the Warriors when it comes to steals, securing 25 steals a game.
The Rainbow Warriors are coached by Eran Ganot, who is in his eighth season with Hawai'i. Since taking over for the program back in 2015, Ganot boasts a 129-82 record which translates to a 61.1 win percentage.
WHEREABOUTS
Tipoff will take place at 7 p.m. at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. The game will be on ESPN+ for those in the continental United States. Fans in Hawai'i can watch through Spectrum Sports.
