Kansas vs. Hawaii 1997 Rainbow Classic Final College Basketball

#ManaOhana #HawaiiMBB

***

This ...
was ...

HUGE.

If you want to see a bigger win -- and one as odds-defying -- go rent "Hoosiers."

In front of a rocking sellout crowd at the Special Events Arena and a live national television audience, the University of Hawaii pulled off the biggest upset in its roller-coaster basketball history.

Last night, the Rainbows were in the ESPNZone, using their oppressive 1-2-2 defense to turn No. 2 Kansas into a crumbled pile of rock chalk, 76-65, in the final of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic

"I have no words to describe this," said Rainbow senior guard Alika Smith, who tied for game-high scoring honors with 22 points. "To beat Indiana and Kansas all in the same year . . . It feels great.

"This tells the WAC that we're here. We may be far away, but we're coming after them. This puts us on the map."
And eventually, in the Jayhawks' media guide. Next year, it will be noted that unranked Hawaii (10-1):

Ended KU's 22-game winning streak on ESPN.

Handed the Jayhawks (16-2) their first nonconference road loss since 1994 and just their third loss in 51 nonconference games.

Became the first team since Oklahoma State in 1995 to score a double-digit win over Kansas.

It took about 15 minutes for the Jayhawks to discover they weren't in Kansas anymore. That's when Hawaii senior forward Eric Ambrozich hit two free throws to give the Rainbows the lead for good, 22-20.

For the remaining 25 minutes, the Special Events Arena became the Land of Awes, led by the Wizard of Ahs, Anthony "AC" Carter. The Rainbow senior guard, scoreless in the first half, came on strong after intermission, finishing with 19 points, seven assists, and four steals.

His 3-point shot from somewhere near Moiliili with a second on the shot clock gave Hawaii a 59-49 lead with six minutes left. His steal and ensuing jam 212 minutes later put the Rainbows up by 11, 64-53.

Carter, the tournament MVP, could almost be credited with another magical assist when, after his shot was partially blocked, the ball landed in Casey Cartwright's hands and was converted into a layup for a 66-56 margin. Kansas wouldn't get closer than 10 again.

Not even Paul Pierce's two 3-pointers in the final 15.7 seconds could rescue the Jayhawks from their widest margin of defeat since an 80-61 loss at Indiana in 1994.

It was the lowest point total of the season for Kansas, 22 under its scoring average. The Rainbow zone pushed the Jayhawks beyond their range, limiting them to nine of 28 shots before Pierce connected on his two 3-pointers.

"Hawaii was much more aggressive than we were," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "On offense, we got nothing inside. We never really got it going on the inside game.
"They shot 34 free throws, we shot 15. That tells the biggest part of the story right there. That's not a cut at the officiating. That just means Hawaii was much more aggressive and more active."

And the Rainbows hung together, despite some questionable calls by the officials, the departure of senior forward Micah Kroeger due to fouls with 4:04 left and the sudden inconsistency at the free throw line. Hawaii hit 50 of 59 attempts in tournament wins over BYU and Nebraska, but was 25 of 34 last night, including just 13 of 21 in the final 9:29.

In the end, none of that mattered.

"We felt like we were in control during the game," Rainbow senior forward Eric Ambrozich said. "We shot 29 percent in the first half and were still ahead (29-26). This is so big. We showed we can play with anyone. We came out and played our game and didn't back down."

Unlike Carter and Smith, Ambrozich didn't make the all-tournament team, but he might have been Hawaii's MVP. In 38 minutes, he had 18 points, nine rebounds and three steals. More important was the defensive job he did on sophomore forward Lester Earl (nine points in 34 minutes).

"This team is very special," said Hawaii coach Riley Wallace, fighting back tears during the postgame awards ceremony. "And I think the nation saw tonight that this is a tough place to play. The crowd was so loud, we couldn't even hear ourselves in the huddle sometimes.

"This win means a lot to our program, coming against a team like Kansas. With their All-American (Raef) LaFrentz out (broken right index finger), it helped us, no question about that. Their game had been the inside game with LaFrentz."