The seeding has been set for the 2022 Hercules Tires Big West Women’s Basketball Championship, presented by The Hawaiian Islands, with streaking Hawai’i headlining the bracket.
Hawai’i is the No. 1 seed after Saturday’s 58-52 home triumph over UC Santa Barbara clinched the program’s first Big West regular-season championship since 2014-15, breaking up UC Davis’ five-year reign. The Rainbow Wahine, winners of five straight and 10 of 11, thus earned a first-round bye with a 17-9 overall record and 13-3 mark in conference play.
With No. 2 seed UC Irvine (19-10, 14-4 Big West) claiming a 67-52 victory over CSU Bakersfield in their regular-season finale, Hawai’i’s Senior Night contest was a must-win to secure the top seed.
Joining the Rainbow Wahine and Anteaters in Wednesday’s quarterfinals are third-seeded Long Beach State, No. 4 seed UC Riverside, fifth-seeded UC Santa Barbara, and No. 6 seed UC Davis.
Tuesday afternoon’s first-round action will pit No. 8 seed CSUN (9-18, 5-12 Big West) against ninth-seeded CSU Bakersfield (4-19, 3-11 Big West) in the event’s opener at noon, marking the first-ever basketball game inside the brand-new Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev. That contest will be followed by seventh-seeded Cal State Fullerton (10-17, 5-12 Big West) and No. 10 seed Cal Poly (3-21, 2-13 Big West) at 2:30 p.m. The Matadors edged the Roadrunners by one point in Northridge in their only regular-season matchup, while the Mustangs defeated the Titans at home in their lone meeting.
In quarterfinals already set for Wednesday, UC Riverside (13-10, 10-6 Big West) will take its league-best seven-game win streak up against UC Santa Barbara (15-11, 9-8 Big West) at 2:30 p.m. The Highlanders swept both regular-season meetings. At 8:30 p.m. to wrap up the day’s slate, Long Beach State (19-7, 12-6 Big West) faces reigning tournament champion, UC Davis (14-12, 8-8 Big West) in the 3/6 matchup. The Beach and Aggies split their regular-season series, with each winning on the road.
Hawai’i will play in Wednesday’s first quarterfinal tilt at noon, against the winner of the CSUN and CSU Bakersfield first-round contest. UC Irvine awaits the victor between Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly on Wednesday night at 6 p.m.
All games from The Dollar Loan Center will be seen on ESPN Networks on ESPN+. Tim Neverett and Richie Schueler will be on the call for the first day of the action. Krista Blunk and Tammy Blackburn take over in the quarterfinal round, with Molly Sullivan reporting from the sidelines throughout the Championship. Fans can also catch all the games on SiriusXM throughout the week.
2022 Hercules Tires Big West Women’s Basketball Championship, presented by The Hawaiian Islands
Championship Central >>>
FIRST ROUND | Tuesday, March 8
No. 8 CSUN vs. No. 9 CSU Bakersfield (12 p.m. PT) – ESPN+/Sirius XM
No. 7 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 10 Cal Poly (2:30 p.m. PT) – ESPN+/Sirius XM
QUARTERFINALS | Wednesday, March 9
No. 8/9 vs. No. 1 Hawai’i (Noon PT) – ESPN+/Sirius XM
No. 5 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 4 UC Riverside (2:30 p.m. PT) – ESPN+/Sirius XM
No. 7/10 vs. No. 2 UC Irvine (6 p.m. PT) – ESPN+/Sirius XM
No. 6 UC Davis vs. No. 3 Long Beach State (8:30 p.m. PT) – ESPN+/Sirius XM
SEMIFINALS | Friday, March 11
Quarterfinal No. 1 Winner vs. Quarterfinal No. 2 Winner (Noon PT) – ESPN+/Sirius XM
Quarterfinal No. 3 Winner vs. Quarterfinal No. 4 Winner (2:30 p.m. PT) – ESPN+/Sirius XM
CHAMPIONSHIP | Saturday, March 12
Semifinal No. 1 Winner vs. Semifinal No. 2 Winner (5 p.m. PT) – ESPN+/Sirius XM