Historically, the month of March has belonged to the University of Hawai‘i women's basketball team during its time in the Big West Conference. Since joining prior to the 2012-2013 season, the Rainbow Wahine have won a combined seven regular season and tournament titles.
With the vast majority of UH's sports set to join the Mountain West Conference in the summer, the 'Bows entered the 2025-2026 season wanting to go out on a high note. A young Wahine squad, featuring seven freshmen, started 0-5 in Big West play.
Since then, the Rainbow Wahine have won 14 of their last 15 games, including eight straight. After celebrating a trio of seniors on Feb. 28 against Cal State Fullerton, the 'Bows won their two final road games against UC Riverside and Long Beach State by a combined 68 points.
Head coach Laura Beeman's squad has stayed on the Mainland since then in preparation for the Big West tournament, which takes place in Henderson, Nev. The Rainbow Wahine are the No. 4 seed and will face Cal State Fullerton in Thursday's quarterfinals. Tipoff is set for 9 a.m. HST.
If UH hopes to take home the conference title, the 'Bows will have to win three times in three days. In both the 2024 and 2025 tournaments, the Rainbow Wahine were the top seed and earned a double bye straight to the conference semifinals. In both years, the Rainbow Wahine came out flat and were bounced after one game.
In 2026, Beeman believes her team is in prime position to make a run for one last conference tournament title.
"I didn't think the double bye really worked out for us very well. This team is positioned very well to play three games in three days. Our conditioning is outstanding. We're at the top of our conditioning right now, in any position we've been in all season long," Beeman said. "They're ready to play back to back to back. I also think that we have a lot of depth compared to some of the teams that we could potentially see, and we're not afraid to go 11 or 12 deep with this group. We have a second five that can come on the floor and not just maintain, but increase our lead and defensively, have some real defensive stoppers. As far as positioning ourselves, we're in a great spot."
While the Rainbow Wahine have stayed on the road for a few extra days in preparation for the tournament, Beeman says her squad is tired of waiting.
"We've practiced for this," Beeman said. "They have good energy. They're excited. They want to play. They're tired of practicing. They want to get on the court. The way we have finished conference where we have significantly beaten people is not just by chance. It's not luck. This team is peaking at the right time, they're confident. They feel good, they should feel good. And we have put ourselves in a wonderful position to make it all the way to through to Saturday and hopefully longer than that."
Once the Rainbow Wahine enter the Mountain West, Beeman expects a higher level of competition, which she in turn believes will elevate the program as a whole.
"It's a much bigger step than the Big West. I think that the girls are excited about the level of competition, and it also prepares them for life beyond basketball," Beeman said. "I don't think there's a kid on this team that is playing basketball just for the money, not right now. That'll happen when you become pros, but right now, it's the experience, the culture, the community, and so that is something that's not hard to sell. In Hawai‘i, our locker room is tremendous. I think we have a great relationship with our players and coaches."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
