Hawai’i Faces Arkansas in First Round of 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team is set to compete in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade, facing the Arkansas Razorbacks in the first round on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

Match Details

The game will pit the #13 seed Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (24-8) against the #4 seed Arkansas Razorbacks (26-8) in the West Regional. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 1:25 pm PT / 3:25 pm CT, following the Wisconsin-High Point game. The game will be televised on TBS and streamed on NCAA Stream, with Brad Nessler, Wally Szczerbiak, and Jared Greenberg providing commentary. Fans can also listen via the Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman), Westwood One (Ryan Radtke & Austin Croshere), or Sirius/XM channels 211, 204, or the SXM App/Online Channel 966.

Tournament History and Recent Performance

This marks Hawai’i’s sixth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance. Their last tournament appearance was in 2016, where they upset #4 seed California in the first round. Arkansas is making its 38th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and its fifth in the last six years. The Razorbacks recently won the 2026 SEC Championship, securing their berth in the tournament. Arkansas boasts a 20-8 record in NCAA opening-round games and is 52-36 overall in tournament play.

Coaching and Key Players

Arkansas head coach John Calipari has a 59-23 record in 25 NCAA Tournament appearances and a 21-3 record in first-round games. While specific key players for both teams were not detailed in available sources, Arkansas features stars like Darius Acuff Jr. And Trevon Brazile.

Previous Matchups

Hawai’i and Arkansas have only played twice before, in a two-game series at the Blaisdell Arena on December 1st and 2nd, 1977. Arkansas won both games, by 19 and 25 points respectively.

Looking Ahead

The winner of the Hawai’i vs. Arkansas game will advance to play the winner of the Wisconsin vs. High Point matchup on Saturday.