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The toughest road trip on the schedule just got even more so for the Hawaii men’s basketball team.
It was announced on Monday that UH will play at Montana of the Big Sky Conference for the Feb. 18 ESPNU BracketBusters game, creating a daunting first leg of a three-part road trip that also takes the Rainbow Warriors to New Mexico State (Feb. 23) and Louisiana Tech (Feb. 25).
UH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Late-February road trip, after a Feb. 18 game was added on Monday:
FEB. 18
» vs. Montana: 4 p.m. at Missoula, Mont.
FEB. 23
» vs. New Mexico St.: 3 p.m. at Las Cruces, N.M.
FEB. 25
» vs. Louisiana Tech: 11 a.m. at Ruston, La. |
“It makes a long road trip even longer, at some real tough places to play, all three of them,” UH coach Gib Arnold said. “I think it’s going to be pretty grueling.”
The Montana Grizzlies are 15-6 overall and are tied for first in the Big Sky with an 8-1 record. Among common opponents, they’ve beaten Idaho, lost to Nevada and beaten Eastern Washington twice. Montana has won 10 of its past 11.
“They’re an excellent team. Big,” Arnold said. “I haven’t seen them play, just read up on them a title bit. … All my coaching buddies are like ‘Oh wow’ at this draw. They’re an NCAA team.”
The pairing was not selected as one of 13 BracketBuster games for ESPN television. Western Athletic Conference schools that got TV games were Nevada (at Iona) and NMSU (vs. Drake).
It will be the fifth all-time meeting between the teams but first in Missoula, Mont. The series is split 2-2, with the last meeting in 1975.
UH (12-9, 4-3 WAC) is 4-5 all-time in BracketBusters, including 3-2 on the road.
The Rainbow Warriors depart on Thursday for their next game at San Jose State.