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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Game 1 matchup in Spokane

Game 1

No. 4 California vs. No. 13 Hawaii

11 a.m. TV: TBS

California (23-10)

Seed, region: No. 4, South

Location: Berkeley, Calif.

Enrollment: 37.581

Founded: 1868

Nickname: Golden Bears

Conference: Pac-12

How they got here: At-large

NCAA tournament record: 20-18 in 18 years

Coach: Cuonzo Martin 41-25 in 2 seasons, 165-107 overall in 8 seasons

Marquee players: Yet another tournament team with balance, the Golden Bears truck out five starters who average double digits in scoring. They are led by 6-5 senior guard Tyrone Wallace, who averages 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game. He’s followed by 6-7 freshman forward Jaylen Brown (15, 5.5 rebs); 6-5 junior guard Jordan Mathews (13.2); 6-11 freshman forward Ivan Rabb (12.5, 8.5 rebs); and 6-6 junior guard Jabari Bird (10.4 pts). The Golden Bears are part of a record seven Pac-12 teams in the dance.

Famous alumni: Gregory Peck, actor; Aaron Rodgers, NFL; Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple; Jason Kidd, NBA; Jerry Mathers, actor; Robert S. McNamara, former U.S. defense secretary.

Hawaii (27-5)

Seed, region: No. 13, South

Location: Honolulu

Enrollment: 18,865

Founded: 1907

Nickname: Rainbow Warriors

Conference: Big West

How they got here: Big West champs

NCAA tournament record: 0-4 in four years

Coach: Eran Ganot 27-5, 1 season

Marquee players: The Rainbow Warriors look to three main players carry the scoring load. They are led by 6-11 junior forward Stefan Jankovic, who averages 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds a game. He’s followed by 6-5 junior guard Aaron Valdes (14.6, 5.5 rebs) and 6-3 senior guard Roderick Bobbitt (13.3, 5.5 assists). Hawaii lost close games to Texas Tech (82-74) and Oklahoma (84-81) and beat Auburn before going 13-3 in the Big West. The Rainbow Warriors capped the season with a 64-60 win over Long Beach State on Saturday to secure the Big West’s automatic bid.

Famous alumni: Beau Bridges, actor; Jason Elam, NFL kicker; June Jones, NFL, NCAA coach; Maa Tanuvasa, NFL; Mark Tuinei, NLF; Bette Midler, actress; Gordon Cooper, astronaut.