COLLEGE BASKETBALL / WOMEN’S FINAL FOUR NOTES : An Excluded Hawaii Gets Offensive

They’re calling the University of Hawaii the “Whining Wahines” this week.

Hawaii’s women’s basketball team finished 28-4 this season, yet wasn’t invited to the 48-team NCAA women’s tournament. Hawaii newspapers published the names, addresses and phone numbers of those responsible for this oversight two weeks ago.

The NCAA’s reason for excluding Hawaii, according to women’s tournament committee chairwoman Judith Holland of UCLA, was that the Big West Conference’s schedule was judged to be “too weak” this season.

“The quality of the communication is a little disappointing,” said NCAA assistant executive director Pat Bork, commenting on phone calls and letters from Hawaii. She called them “obscene and abusive.”

NCAA Executive Director Richard Schultz, who said some of the communication included “death threats,” blamed Hawaii Gov. John Waihee, who wrote a letter of protest to the NCAA that was published by Hawaii media.

Schultz accused Waihee of encouraging the calls, a charge the governor’s staff denied.

Central to Hawaii’s argument is that four Pacific 10 Conference teams were invited, but Hawaii had a 2-1 record against that conference, including a victory over Washington, which made the tournament field.

Hawaii, rated 23rd in the last Associated Press women’s poll, won the Big West championship, then lost to UC Santa Barbara in the postseason tournament.

Voters in the Associated Press poll, which is compiled by Mel Greenberg of the Philadelphia Inquirer, almost hit the jackpot for the Final Four.

In the final regular-season poll two weeks ago, the No. 1 through No. 5 rankings, in order, were Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Ohio State, Iowa and Texas Tech. Only Tennessee didn’t reach the Final Four.

The 15,811-seat Omni is sold out for the Final Four, the second advance sellout in the 12-year history of the women’s event. The only previous advance sellout was the 1987 tournament at the University of Texas.

The attendance record, however, will still be held by Tennessee, where 19,467 saw the semifinals and 20,023 the final of the 1990 Final Four.