Hawaii vs UC Davis Betting Preview
Sportsmemo college basketball analyst Kyle Kargel gives his Hawaii vs UC Davis predictions tipping off at 11:59pm ET the from the Stan Sheriff Center. Both Hawaii and UC Davis are expected to be two of the better teams in the Big West heading into conference play.
Check out our College Basketball Free Picks page for betting thoughts from some of the country’s top handicappers.
Betting Odds For Hawaii vs UC Davis
Thursday, December 29 | Big West Conference Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Hawaii Rainbow Warriors -6.5 vs UC Davis Aggies |
Total: | 134 Points |
Game Time: | 11:59pm ET / 8:59pm PT |
Arena: | Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, HI (Odds Above by DraftKings) |
TV: | ESPN+ |
Hawaii vs UC Davis Betting Analysis
Hawaii and UC Davis open up their Big West Conference play against one another tonight with each sporting solid showings during non-conference play.
UC Davis started 6-2 with their most notable win coming against Cal, but dropped three of their last four with their only win coming against a non Division I school.
Hawaii on the other hand closed out non-conference play with four straight wins en route to a 9-3 overall record thus far. They’re 6-5 against the spread on the season including an 11-point outright win against Washington State when listed as a 2-point underdog.
Who has what it takes to win this Big West Conference opener with the Rainbow Warriors listed as 6.5-point home favorites? Let’s dive into some data.
Pepper Paces UC Davis
The Aggies are only 1-4 on the road so far this season coming off a brutal 81-54 loss at UCLA in their last game. They like to play uptempo ranking 13th fastest in average possession length of any team in the nation.
This can sometimes get the best of them though as they’ve allowed 81 ppg in their five losses on the season. They struggle mightily defending the 3pt shot ranking 353rd in that category. However on the contrary, they defend the 2pt shot well ranking 39th in the nation in that department.
Junior guard Elijah Pepper leads this team in many statistical categories including points per game (19.7), rebounds per game (6.2) and assists per game (3.2). Ty Johnson plays well alongside him posting slightly lesser numbers in each of those categories while adding two steals per game as well.
The Aggies rank 137th in adjusted defensive efficiency overall but will need to step up their 3pt defense big time if they hope to win or even cover against Hawaii.
Hawaii Hounding On Defense
Luckily the Rainbow Warriors don’t depend on the 3pt shot much ranking 197th nationally in 3pt field goal percentage and 200th in 3pt attempts per game. Hawaii has depended on their stout defense to get them to this 9-3 mark allowing only 60 ppg on the season to opponents.
Even in their losses, the Rainbow Warriors only allowed 64 ppg. They rank 80th in adjusted defensive efficiency, 18th in effective field goal percentage allowed, 18th in 3pt field goal percentage allowed and 46th in 2pt field goal percentage allowed.
The team statistic that stands out the most for Hawaii is ranking first nationally on defense in assists/field goals made ratio meaning they’re highly disruptive on defense when the opposition is attempting to run set plays.
To put it in perspective, Hawaii has only allowed 12 combined assists to teams over their last two games. Junior guard Noel Coleman leads this Rainbow Warriors team into this game averaging 14.7 ppg and 2.8 apg while chipping in 1.2 steals per game as well.
Hawaii vs UC Davis Prediction
Even though UC Davis is 1-3 against the spread on the season when listed as an underdog I just don’t trust Hawaii yet to cover the 6.5-point spread as a favorite.
Instead I want to take a look at the under 134 as I feel like Hawaii’s defense will reign terror on the UC Davis offense which has stumbled this season when playing tough defenses.
Also, Hawaii ranks 301st in adjusted tempo on the season, and this is a game I think will be slowed down enough to take the under. I’m looking at a 68-63 Hawaii win.
Prediction: Under 134 Points Scored
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Happy Hour Tip-Off Show
Get your daily fix of college hoops betting information with Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of handicapping guests.
The Happy Hour Tip-Off Show will broadcast Monday through Friday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT. Pull up a barstool and join us as we break down tonight’s college basketball card, including possibly this Hawaii vs UC Davis clash, from a sports betting perspective.
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Thursday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Hawaii vs UC Davis contest.
College Basketball Odds Screen
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Track the college basketball point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s college basketball games, including this Hawaii vs UC Davis showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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