Box Score | UH Presser | UCI Presser
HENDERSON, Nev. -- No. 2 seed Hawaii (24-8, 14-6 Big West) won the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Championship title, defeating top-seeded UC Irvine (23-11, 15-5 Big West) by a final score of 71-64, Saturday at Lee's Family Forum. It is the second Big West Championship title for the Rainbow Warrior program and first since 2016. 

Hawai'i earns the conference's automatic bid into the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. The 2026 NCAA Championship Selection Show will be broadcasted on Sunday, March 15 at 3 p.m. PT. 

In its last season as a Big West member, Hawai'i capitalized on a strong second half, outscoring the Anteaters 40-34, and recorded 10 team blocks in the game. The Rainbow Warriors had a 43-39 rebounding advantage, including 17-13 on the offensive boards, and a 34-24 advantage on points in the paint. 

The Rainbow Warriors grabbed their biggest lead of the game of eight points, 21-13, with 6:51 remaining in the opening stanza. UC Irvine responded and closed the gap to one point at halftime as Hawai'i went into the locker room with a narrow lead, 31-30. 

With the score tied, 50-50, a driving layup from Isaac Johnson gave Hawai'i the lead for good with 10 minutes remaining. UC Irvine had a chance, trailing by two points, 66-64, with 38 seconds left, but a layup from Harry Rouhliadeff and a thunderous dunk from Dre Bullock sealed the game. The Rainbow Warriors shot 15-of-30 from the field in the second half. 

Johnson led the scoring effort for Hawai'i with 22 points, connecting on 10-of-18 field goal attempts, including two 3-pointers, with three blocks. Rouhliadeff grabbed a second double-double of the championship with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Dre Bullock pitched in 15 points and Isaiah Kerr poured in 10 points off the bench. 

Jurian Dixon led UC Irvine with 17 points. Kyle Evans recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Derin Saran also added 13 points. 

Johnson was named to the championship's Most Outsanding Player and earned All-Tournament Team honors. Bullock and Rouhliadeff joined Johnson on the All-Tournament Team for UH. UCI had two All-Tournament Team members in Dixon and Saran. CSUN's Josiah Davis was the final member of the All-Tournament Team.