Hawaii Defeats UC Irvine to Claim Big West Championship and NCAA Tournament Bid

Henderson, Nevada – The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors defeated the No. 1-seeded UC Irvine Anteaters 71-64 on Saturday, March 14, 2026, to win the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Men’s Basketball Championship and secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The championship game took place at the Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada.

Game Recap

UC Irvine entered the final as the top seed with a 23-10 record, having defeated No. 4 seed CSUN 93-78 in the semifinals. Derin Saran led the Anteaters in that game with 23 points, nine rebounds and four steals, supported by Jurian Dixon’s 18 points and seven assists, and Kyle Evans’ 15 points.

Hawaii, seeded second with a 23-8 record, advanced to the championship after a 78-63 victory over third-seeded Cal State Fullerton. Isaac Johnson scored 19 points for the Rainbow Warriors, while Harry Rouhliadeff contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Dre Bullock added 11 points. Hunter Erickson also scored 10 points.

The Anteaters and Rainbow Warriors had split their regular-season matchups, with Hawaii winning 67-66 on January 10th and UC Irvine winning 87-76 in overtime on January 29th.

Key Players and Performances

Despite the loss, Derin Saran was a key performer for UC Irvine, consistently contributing throughout the tournament. Jurian Dixon averages 16.0 points for the Anteaters, while Kyle Evans adds 12.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game.

For Hawaii, Isaac Johnson leads the team with an average of 13.8 points, and Dre Bullock contributes 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Looking Ahead

This marks Hawaii’s return to the NCAA Tournament since 2016. UC Irvine was seeking its first NCAA tournament bid since 2019. Hawaii will represent the Big West Conference in the upcoming NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Notably, this was Hawaii’s final game in the Big West, as the program, along with UC Davis, will move to the Mountain West Conference next year Hawaii Athletics.