(AGENPARL) - Roma, 20 Marzo 2026 -
Reading time: 2 minutes
The No. 13 seed University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa men’s basketball team (24–9) saw its 2026 season come to an end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to No. 4 seed Arkansas 97–78 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Senior guard Dre Bullock led the ‘Bows with 21 points and eight rebounds. Senior center Isaac Johnson added 15 points, and junior forward Isaac Finlinson contributed 12.
“It’s an honor to go through this battle with this group who represented our state, our university, athletic department, basketball, the NCAA, the incredible Big West Conference,” Head Coach Eran Ganot said.
The Rainbow Warriors earned the Big West’s automatic bid after winning the conference championship on March 14 over UC Irvine in Henderson, Nevada, 71–64.
Three players from UH Mānoa earned All-Big West conference honors after a standout 2025–26 season. Johnson was named to the All-Big West First Team, while Bullock earned a spot on the Second Team and Hunter Erickson received honorable mention. The trio helped lead UH Mānoa to a major turnaround this season. After finishing ninth in the conference a year ago, the Rainbow Warriors posted their third 20-win season in the past four years and entered the Big West Tournament as a No. 2 seed.
“Shout out our fans. They showed up in Portland, they showed up in Vegas, they show up in Hawaiʻi, Cali, wherever we’re going to,” Bullock said. “Our fans are always there supporting us—definitely meant a lot. I mean, didn’t get the job done what we wanted to, but I’m just happy to put on this uniform, play our hearts out there and leave it all out there on the floor.”
Johnson added, “It’s been an amazing experience and we’re just so grateful for every opportunity that we’ve had to represent the state of Hawaiʻi.”
This season marked UH Mānoa’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 10 years. In 2016, the Rainbow Warriors upset the Cal Golden Bears in the opening round, marking the program’s only victory in the NCAA Tournament.
For more on the Rainbow Warriors’ history in the NCAA Tournament, visit the UH Mānoa athletics website.
The post Rainbow Warrior basketball magical run ends with loss in NCAA Tournament first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.
(AGENPARL)
