Hawaii will be allowed to compete in the Big West tournament after the NCAA reversed a ruling previously banning them from the 2017 postseason, the NCAA announced. The unusual aspect of the rule was that the ruling came down in 2015, yet the Warriors were not forced to sit out the following postseason in 2016. Instead, the ban was instituted for this postseason.

Hawaii’s appeal was helped by the fact that the penalty was essentially misapplied. When it was announced that the NCAA would look into the penalties back in October, the error by the Committee on Infractions was cited. The violations happened largely before 2012, and should have been judged by the previous penalty structure. There likely shouldn’t have been any type of postseason ban at all.

According to the NCAA news release, the appeals committee is sending the case back because it found that the Committee on Infractions incorrectly applied a new infractions structure, implemented after the violations at UH predominately occurred, to determine the penalties. The university had argued that under the previous structure, imposition of a postseason ban on the facts of this case would have been unprecedented.

Hawaii is a 14-14 team, and 8-7 in conference play before their regular season finale against Long Beach State. This isn’t automatic NCAA entry by any means. The Warriors would need to win the Big West tournament to get into the postseason, but at least there’s hope now, and that’s what March is all about.