It figures to be a low-scoring affair as the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (23-4) head to UC Davis to play the Aggies (10-17). Action gets underway at 10:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 3.
The Aggies are hoping for a better outcome after their 62-61 loss to UC Irvine the last time they played. Josh Fox finished with 20 points to lead the game. The Rainbow Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off an 89-78 win over Cal State Northridge in their last game. Stefan Jankovic shot 8 for 10 and led in scoring with 28 points.
Over the last five games, Jankovic has been on fire for the Rainbow Warriors. During that stretch, he has averaged 23.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 1.4 three-pointers.
The inefficient offense of UC Davis (329th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 94.5) will square off against the stingy defense of Hawaii (seventh in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 93.9). The Rainbow Warriors figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Rainbow Warriors winning the first matchup 78-62. Jankovic had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 22 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one block, and two three-pointers.
The Aggies enter the game with records of 10-17 Straight Up (SU) and 11-13 Against The Spread (ATS). UC Davis has averaged 74.7 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 63.0. Crossing over to the defensive end of the court, the Aggies prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 36th in the nation with 173 total three-pointers allowed (6.0 per game).
In the other locker room, the Rainbow Warriors have 23-4 SU and 12-9 ATS records. While Hawaii has gone 7-3 ATS over its past 10 matchups, they’ve struggled SU with a record of 3-7. Offensively, the Rainbow Warriors have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 78.4 points per game after averaging only 58.7 during that stretch. The Rainbow Warriors are one of the top teams in the country at finding the open man with an average of 16.0 assists per game. The Rainbow Warriors average 67.0 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 61.5 points per game during that span. The Hawaii defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .399 shooting from the field to its opponents. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Rainbow Warriors, who rank 26th in the nation with 8.0 steals per game.
Hawaii won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 7-3. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. Hawaii held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while UC Davis was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hawaii, ATS Winner – Hawaii
Notes
UC Davis averages 63.0 points per game, placing the team just 257th in the nation. Hawaii ranks 55th in points allowed, giving up 67.0 points per game.
UC Davis scores just 64.9 points per home game (ranked 256th). Hawaii ranks 55th in points allowed on the road, giving up 70.0 points.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have a defensive rating of 93.9 (ranked seventh), while the UC Davis Aggies have an offensive rating of 94.5 (ranked 329th).
With 66.7 possessions and .945 points per possession, the UC Davis Aggies perform worse on both metrics than the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Hawaii averages 71.3 possessions and 1.100 points per possession.
UC Davis has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.3%. Hawaii is a winning 7-3 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The UC Davis Aggies average 15.0 three point attempts per game and are winless (0-6) when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors average 21.0 attempts and have a dazzling 14-4 record when attempting 20 or more.
Hawaii ranks 84th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.22. UC Davis is ranked lower at 337th with an A/TO of .76.
The UC Davis Aggies make an average of 6.1 steals per game. When the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors allow 6 or more steals, they are an outstanding 12-1.
