Hawaii vs UC Santa Barbara Prediction & Expert Betting Advice
Sportsmemo college basketball analyst Kyle Kargel gives his Hawaii vs UC Santa Barbara college basketball prediction with five teams separated by 1.5 games at the top of the standings.
This Big West Conference bout tips off at 11:59pm ET from the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, HI.
Hawaii and UC Santa Barbara have combined to go 31-8 overall so far this season setting up for an exciting matchup.
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Hawaii vs UC Santa Barbara Prediction: The Betting Odds
Thursday, January 26 | Big West Conference Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Hawaii Rainbow Warriors -1 vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos |
Total: | 128 Points |
Game Time: | 11:59pm ET / 8:59pm PT |
Arena: | Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, HI (Odds Above by DraftKings) |
TV: | CBS Sports Network |
Hawaii vs UC Santa Barbara Betting Analysis
UC Santa Barbara makes the trip across the Pacific Ocean to take on Hawaii in what’s setting up to be an enticing Big West Conference clash.
The Gauchos lead the conference sitting 16-3 and 7-1 in conference play with the Rainbow Warriors sitting right behind them at 15-5 and 6-2 in conference play. UC Santa Barbara also sports a solid 11-5-1 against the spread record with Hawaii sitting 10-9 ATS.
This game is virtually a pick ‘em heading in with Hawaii favored by 1-point to win. Let’s see who has the advantage with the total sitting at a low 128 heading in.
Gauchos Gouge Opponents Down Low
Let’s start with the Gauchos who play at a very slow pace ranking 291st in adjusted tempo. With that slow play comes efficiency though as they rank 126th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 68th in adjusted defensive efficiency nationally.
Most of their points come inside ranking 23rd nationally in 2pt field goal percentage and 21st in percentage of points per game from inside the arch at 58.8%.
Where the Gauchos hurt is taking care of the ball ranking 271st in turnover percentage and a dismal 353rd in non-steal turnover percentage. They average 71 ppg as a team but that offense is spread out as only two players average double digit scoring.
Sophomore guard Ajay Mitchell leads the team in scoring at 15.5 ppg while also leading the team in assists at 4.7 per game and also adds 1.7 steals per game on the defensive end.
The top four scorers for this UC Santa Barbara team all average 50% or higher shooting from the field. The Gauchos one-dimensional offense could be a problem though against a stout Hawaii defense.
Hawaii Hounding Opponents On Defense
That Hawaii defense were speaking of ranks 5th nationally in 3pt field goal percentage allowed and 16th in 2pt field goal percentage allowed. They allow the least amount of 3pt attempts per game and assists per game of any team in the nation.
What’s wild about this Hawaii defense though is they only allow opponents to score 19.5% of their points from beyond the arch which is least in the nation. Great!
Contradictory to that, they allow the highest percentage of points to opponents inside the arch of any team at 60.9%, not so great.
The Rainbow Warriors don’t rely on their bench ranking 353rd nationally in bench minutes per game as only five Hawaii players average 17+ minutes of playing time per game.
Noel Coleman continues to lead this Hawaii team scoring 14.2 ppg and averaging 86% from the free throw line. Kamaka Hepa and Bernardo de Silva keep things at bay down low as each average 7+ rebounds per game and 1+ block per game as well.
Hawaii vs UC Santa Barbara Prediction: Take That Free Betting Pick!
The total is low for a reason and I still don’t think it’s low enough considering both how slow each team plays and the lack of 3pt shooting we’ll most likely see in this contest.
I think Hawaii’s defense does enough to baffle this efficient UC Santa Barbara offense and the Rainbow Warriors haven’t shown me enough consistency on offense to trust them to score 65+ points in this one.
Take the under with a slight lean on the home Rainbow Warriors in a game with a final score of 63-60.
Prediction: Under 128 Points Scored / Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Moneyline
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College Basketball Stat Sheet
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