Rainbows may have found hoop heaven in Big West

We know the University of Hawaii is pledged to pay approximately $85,500 this season to bring its Big West Conference men’s basketball opponents to the Stan Sheriff Center under the terms of its membership agreement.

But for the grand sum of about $9,500 per team, what kind of new home have the Rainbow Warriors actually purchased?

Judging from pre-conference results and early Ratings Percentage Index numbers, the ‘Bows have bought themselves a place in a wide-open conference they should be able to compete in immediately. After six consecutive seasons of not finishing above fifth place in the Western Athletic Conference, the ‘Bows find themselves in a league where you’d like to think they can do better than another middle-of-the-pack finish right off the bat.

After going without a winning conference record since 2005-06 — Riley Wallace’s penultimate season — the expectation is the ‘Bows should finally be able to contend for something more than Mr. Congeniality and avoid an early tournament exit.

Entering Saturday’s Big West debut against Cal State Northridge, the ‘Bows are one of just three teams in the 10-member league that have a winning record. UH’s 6-5 record matches that of Cal State Fullerton, its Jan. 3 opponent, and trails that of only Northridge (9-3).

For all of the ‘Bows’ backcourt struggles this season, this is still a place where the presence of Vander Joaquim and the solid frontcourt he anchors suggests they should be able to thrive. Joaquim’s presence on the preseason all-Big West team was an early acknowledgement of his status as the conference’s top big man.

Meanwhile, there has been no sign of a dominant team looming in the Big West this season. Not only is nobody even so much as receiving votes in the two marquee polls, none has cracked the collegeinsider.com Top 25 for mid-majors.

The conference is a combined 3-35 against teams ranked in the RPI Top 100, and 35-61 against all Division I opponents. Against the WAC and Mountain West, it has gone 4-18.

The Big West’s overall RPI makes it No. 15 among 31 conferences. It is somewhere down there among the mid-majors, respectable but hardly Murderer’s Row.

The adjudged preseason favorite for the conference title, Long Beach State, is 4-7. Of course, the 49ers, who play one of the more demanding schedules (North Carolina, Arizona, Syracuse, Ohio State, UCLA, etc.) and depend heavily on transfers, have yet to get Tony Freeland (DePaul) and Keala King (Arizona State) eligible.

To date, the Big West’s three biggest victories are owned by Pacific (over Xavier, 70-67, and St. Mary’s, 76-66) and Cal Poly (over UCLA, 70-68).

Mostly, though, the conference has dined heartily at the scheduling version of the Twinkie tray. While UH was warming up with Houston Baptist and Maryland-Eastern Shore, some of its conference mates have loosened up with Pacifica, Vanguard, Menlo, San Diego Christian and Holy Names, among others.

As the ‘Bows prepare to open their inaugural season, success in the Big West shouldn’t be a big stretch.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.