Rarely, if ever, could a 15-point defeat be considered a sign of progress. The University of Hawai’i basketball team may have done just that in an 83-68 loss to No. 5-ranked North Carolina on Friday night.
A sellout crowd listed at 10,300 (9,211 turnstile count) at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the inexperienced Warriors squad give a scrappy effort, never allowing the Tar Heels to run away, as some expected would happen. Even as North Carolina dribbled out the final seconds of the game, the crowd provided a standing ovation in appreciation of the effort.
“Heck of an atmosphere and heck of a game,” Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot said.