The University of Hawaii is facing a March 4 deadline to either get clearance from the NCAA or be left out of the Big West men’s basketball tournament, officials confirmed.

UH has been waiting since Oct. 26, when its penalties were sent back to the NCAA Committee on Infractions for reconsideration, to learn if a postseason ban would be rescinded.

“My take is that after the game with Long Beach State (on March 4), they (the Big West) have to make a decision,” UH athletic director David Matlin said. “Frankly, I don’t think they can push it (back) any further than that.”

That is UH’s final regular-season game and the men’s portion of the Big West Tournament opens March 9 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

The top eight teams in the nine-member league qualify for the three-day tournament.

If UH (13-13, 7-6 conference) is ineligible or its status undecided, the ninth-place team, currently UC Santa Barbara (4-21, 2-11), would take the Rainbow Warriors’ place in the field.

Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell said he is telling conference members to go on the assumption “that Hawaii is going to be eligible — and I strongly believe they should be. But I don’t serve on that (NCAA) committee.”

In the meantime, Farrell said he has spoken to several NCAA officials to underline the urgency of a decision. “I’ve told them this is not just a UH issue but something that impacts all of our members,” Farrell said. “I’ve been assured they would try to get it resolved as quickly as they could — whatever that means.”

Matlin said, “Frankly, Dennis has been working with us, he’s been really working it.”

Meanwhile, officials acknowledged that if it appears the NCAA isn’t going to make its decision in time and the penalty could be carried over, then it might behoove UH to declare itself ineligible for the tournament in order to remove any possibility a ban could be forwarded to next year.

“That is a scenario,” Matlin said. “I think if there is a chance we play this year and it could mean next year we wouldn’t (be eligible to) play, we wouldn’t play this year. We’d need some more information before we can (decide) that. We’d have some questions.”

Matlin said, “We definitely don’t want a postseason ban next season. We’d want to move on. … Hopefully we’ll get word this week and make it all moot.”