Washington State vs. Hawaii Prediction, Odds, Line, Spread, Picks, and Preview – December 23

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors will be facing the Washington State Cougars in the Semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. Hawaii is 7-3 on the year, and they defeated Pepperdine last night 70-66 in the quarterfinal round of this tournament. Washington State edged out George Washington 66-64 to improve to 5-6, snapping a two-game losing streak. Despite the home advantage, Hawaii are slight underdogs tonight in what should be an entertaining contest.

Washington State Cougars vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Betting Odds

Odds Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Washington State Cougars vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Match Details

Fixture: Washington State Cougars @ Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

Date & Time: Saturday, December 24, 12:00 a.m. EDT

Venue: Stan Sheriff Center

Washington State Cougars vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Key Stats

Washington State has had a tougher schedule than Hawaii, which explains their under .500 record, but they’ve still had their inconsistencies in the early going. The Cougars play at a pretty slow pace, which hurts their points per game, but they do score 106.4 points per 100 possessions, which is respectable. Their leading scorer TJ Bamba has taken a huge leap from last season, and he’s up at 16.5 points per game, one of four Cougars that average double-digit points. Washington State is also shooting a solid 37.3% from deep as they have several knockdown shooters, but it might be harder for them to find as many open looks from deep tonight versus Hawaii, who only allowed 4.5 made threes on 27.4%.

The Rainbow Warriors have won this year mainly due to their defense, which allows under 93 points per 100 possessions. Their opponents, which haven’t been the strongest, are shooting very inefficiently, and tonight Hawaii will look to force Washington State into tough shots. On offense, Hawaii is led by junior guard Noel Coleman, who averages 15.4 points. Coleman also leads the squad in dishing, but with just 2.8 assists per game, this has to be concerning for the hosts. Kamaka Hepa has been huge for Hawaii, functioning as the second-leading scorer (13.1) while leading in rebounding (7.0) and blocks per game (1.3). Yesterday Hawaii was very efficient from deep, knocking down nine threes on 45%, but they’ll look to improve on their 19 turnovers committed. Defense won the Rainbow Warriors the game yesterday, and they’ll want to start strong on that end again tonight.

Washington State Cougars vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Betting Prediction

Washington State has gone 0-2 on the road and 2-3 in neutral site venues this year, but they are favored slightly. Both teams play at a pretty slow pace and are solid defensively, but oddsmakers have set the total really low. Hawaii has had the over hit in all four of their last four games, as they’ve been able to ride the momentum from their home crowd. Also, Hawaii has covered each of their past four home games, and although this is a tougher opponent, expect them to at least cover with a huge home-court advantage tonight.

Prediction: Hawaii +3 (-110) & Over 126.5 (-110)