The No.13-seeded Hawaii Rainbow Warriors face off against the No.4-seeded California Golden Bears in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Spokane Arena. The game gets underway at 2:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 18 and will air on TBS.
The Golden Bears are expecting a different result after their 82-78 loss to Utah in the 3 of the Pac-12 tournament. Tyrone Wallace was the team’s leading scorer, putting up 26. The Rainbow Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off a 64-60 win against Long Beach State in the 3 of the Big West tournament. Aaron Valdes led the team in scoring by accounting for 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
Ivan Rabb has taken his game to another level as of late for the Golden Bears, averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks over the last five games. Valdes has also upped his play in the same span, averaging 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers while leading the Rainbow Warriors.
Baskets could be hard to come by as California ranks 25th in the nation, allowing just 98.2 points per 100 possessions, while Hawaii is fifth (93.7).
The Golden Bears are attempting to build on their records of 23-10 Straight Up (SU) and 18-14-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The rebounding edge goes to the Golden Bears in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 40.0 boards per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Golden Bears prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking third in the nation with 180 total three-pointers allowed (5.0 per game).
On the other side, the Rainbow Warriors head into the game with records of 14-12 ATS and 27-5 SU. Hawaii has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-2-1. Hawaii’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents making only 6.0 shots from the three-point line per game.
This game marks the first time California and Hawaii have played one another in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hawaii, ATS Winner – Hawaii
Notes
“California is 8-2-1 ATS in its last 11 games “.
“California is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games “.
Ranked 25th, the California Golden Bears have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 98.2 points per 100 possessions. The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors rank 97th in offense, scoring 109.3 points in the same number of possessions.
The California Golden Bears average a field goal percentage of 46.1% this season. The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have a winning 3-1 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 46.1% or greater.
On average, California attempts 19.0 three pointers and Hawaii attempts 22.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The California Golden Bears sit at 13-2 and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are 17-5.
Hawaii ranks 95th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.19. California is ranked lower at 173rd with an A/TO of 1.06.
California, the 31st-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 40.0 rebounds per game. Hawaii does worse, ranked 103rd with 37.4.
Hawaii ranks 175th in offensive rebounds, while California ranks at 15th in defensive rebounds.
Hawaii is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 20.8% (ranked 17th). California is an even 6-6 SU when it has a TO% of 20.8% or greater.
