If it had happened to the University of Hawai'i football or volleyball teams, there would have been an uproar heard 'round the state.

Had it been been baseball or basketball, officials would have publicly railed about injustice.

But the relative anonymity of the sport doesn't make what happened to the Rainbow Wahine water polo team any less egregious.

When the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championships open Friday in Los Alamitos, Calif., it will be without the fourth-ranked Rainbow Wahine. It will be with a San Diego State team whose at-large appearance is open to question. And after an NCAA decision that invites speculation.

In a nutshell, UH (17-10) took both head-to-head meetings with No. 5 San Diego State (28-8) by a combined 29-21 score. UH had a higher national ranking, finished above SDSU in the MPSF standings, eliminated SDSU in the playoffs and had a tougher schedule.

The Aztecs have a better overall record, the better mark against common foes and tourney teams (3-4 to 3-6).

A cynic would suggest SDSU also held the ace: Their coach, Carin Crawford, is a member — and past chair — of the selection committee. You might question if in her final months, the Aztecs' first appearance in the NCAAs was a parting gift.

A prominent water polo coach who played for both teams and asked not to be identified lest it incur the wrath of the parties, said it was "hard to understand" how SDSU got the nod. While UH played the giants, Stanford, UCLA and USC, twice each, the Aztecs played them once, but did whip up on more non-Division I foes.

If you're wondering what UH coach Michel Roy says, well, so are we. Though the smoke still coming out of his ears might give an indication. He declined comment, having been directed, he said, by superiors not to speak. Athletic director Herman Frazier said, "While we're not happy ... there's nothing we can do at this point."

Anyone who has followed a history of NCAA decisions involving Hawai'i might wonder if financial considerations didn't play a part.

Committee chair Daniel R. Smith declined to say what put the Aztecs past UH, but said both teams' "full body of play" was evaluated. He said finances did not play a part. Crawford said she was not involved in the deliberations, and Smith said she was not permitted to make a case, "whatsoever."

You hear the same thing when NCAA basketball selections and it would be naive to believe that backs aren't scratched from time to time and favors not repaid.

Even for a sport played in chlorinated water, some things can still come off as smelling fishy.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.