With the exception of the NCAA Tournament-bound (28-6, 13-3 conference) season of 2015-16, the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team has shown remarkable consistency over the past six years of its Big West Conference membership.

That is to say the Rainbow Warriors have been steadily and, at times, confoundingly middle of the pack.

They have finished either fourth, fifth or sixth in the nine-member conference. They’ve been 8-8 (three times) or 9-7 (twice, including last season).

And, surprise, they have been picked to finish fourth this year.

But a lot has happened since October, when that preseason poll was voted upon and rolled out. A lot that would seem to augur well for the ’Bows, who begin Big West play Thursday.

Maybe, if they continue to put the pieces together, there are even enough to stamp themselves as genuine title contenders coming down the home stretch for the first time in four seasons. To be sure, it is a wide-open Big West devoid of a dominating team based upon preconference play.

At 9-5 as they open on the road at Cal State Fullerton (Thursday) and UC Irvine (Saturday), the ’Bows own the second best nonconference record among the Big West membership, behind only UC Santa Barbara (11-4).

And the second best Ratings Percentage Index (182) behind UC Irvine (107).

The Gauchos and Anteaters (8-8) are, not coincidentally, two of the teams they figure to slug it out with if there is to be a run for the regular-season title — Cal State Northridge (5-11), which just regained the services of the 2018-19 MVP, Lamine Diane, being the other.

Those numbers are, of course, only indicators, which is about all you can look to them for when the nine teams have played such a widely disparate collection of opponents over the preceding months.

This year, though, UH has actually played a more competitive preconference schedule than in some previous years, games with Maine and Samford aside. And they have gone into some challenging road venues, Oregon and Illinois, for a change.

Overall, it is a schedule that leaves the ’Bows and Long Beach State (5-11) as the only teams in the conference that have each played two nationally ranked teams.

But it is the eye test over their play to date that has been the most encouraging sign. Outside the 70-52 loss to Georgia Tech in the Diamond Head Classic, they have generally looked capable and representative.

Moreover, we’ve seen freshmen Bernardo da Silva and Justin Webster make strides.

Which is saying something for a team and coaching staff that worked remarkably well through the 13-game medical leave of its head coach, Eran Ganot.

The ’Bows are not without concerns, however. If their two top scorers and 3-point marksmen — Eddie Stansberry (16.9 points per game) and Samuta Avea (11.4) — are off, can others pick up enough of the slack?

That becomes an issue in conference, where you see your opponents twice, plus the tournament, and everybody knows well your strengths and weaknesses.

Then, there is the matter of depth and rotation. Four of the top nine players in the conference in terms of minutes played — Stansberry (36.5 per game), Drew Buggs (33.7), Avea (31.6) and Zigmars Raimo (33.1) — are from UH. In a 16-game conference season, that can take a significant toll.

Now, we wait to see if the ’Bows can move from middle to the leader of the pack.

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