Hawaii punched its ticket to March Madness for just the sixth time in program history with a win over UC Irvine on Saturday. The Rainbow Warriors were able to grind out a seven-point victory during the second half, even after one of their college basketball players picked up an awkward technical foul for a flop.
It was a tremendous acting job.
Fortunately, the penalty did not hinder Hawaii because both college basketball teams were called for offsetting fouls that did not have an impact on the game. That doesn’t make it any less comical.
Hawaii is going dancing!
The Big West Tournament was chalk until the championship game. Every higher-ranked seed defeated a lower-seeded opponent in each of the first three rounds. That included the semifinals.
No. 1-seed UC Irvine defeated No. 4-seed CSUN. No. 2-seed Hawaii defeated No. 3-seed Cal State Fullerton.
Although the Anteaters held a higher seed than the Rainbow Warriors because of how they played in the Big West, their overall records were actually lopsided. The lower seed entered the championship game at 23-8. The higher seed had two additional losses at 23-10.
It was a fairly even battle and that proved to be true during the first half. Hawaii went up 31-30 before it pulled away in the second half to win by seven, 71-64.
This is the first trip to March Madness for the Rainbow Warriors since 2016 and only the sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. They currently project as a 14-seed in the Big Dance— and a dangerous one at that. Don’t be surprised if Isaac Johnson, the 7-foot-0, 240-pound center, takes over!
A college basketball player got caught flopping.
The funniest (and most embarrassing) moment of the Big West Tournament Championship took place with approximately eight minutes remaining in the second half. Hawaii had just knocked down a triple, forced a defensive stop and secured a crucial rebound. UC Irvine called a timeout.
The Rainbow Warriors were buzzing and the bench spilled (a little bit too far) onto the court to celebrate.
Among the players who jumped off of the bench was Tanner Cuff. He took a redshirt this season due to an injury so he was in street clothes.
He got right in the way of Anteaters guard Jovan Jester Jr., who gave him a shove. Cuff hit the deck.
— – (@Spicoli_____) March 15, 2026
It was an egregious flop.
Jester received a technical foul for the push. The Hawaii bench, meaning Cuff, also received a technical foul because he strayed too far onto the floor. The fouls offset.
Is it too late for the Academy Awards to include Tanner Cuff in the best supporting role category?