The No.1-seeded Hawaii Rainbow Warriors challenge the No.8-seeded Cal State Fullerton Titans in the first round of the BigWst tournament at Honda Center. Action starts at 5:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10.
The Rainbow Warriors lost a winnable game to Long Beach State 74-72 in their last game. Aaron Valdes finished with 19 points to lead the team. The Titans, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the close 75-73 loss against that same Long Beach State squad in their last game. Lionheart Leslie accounted for 15 points, four rebounds, and one steal.
The Hawaii defense could make it difficult on Cal State Fullerton’s shooters. It ranks 14th in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 45.8%), while the Cal State Fullerton offense is 291st with a mark of 47.2%.
The Rainbow Warriors have won both matchups against the Titans this season, including a close 76-59 victory in their last matchup. Stefan Jankovic had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 16 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, three blocks, and one three-pointer.
The Rainbow Warriors come into this game 24-5 Straight Up (SU) and 12-11 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Rainbow Warriors, allowing a field goal percentage of only .401.
In the other locker room, the Titans head into the game with records of 10-16 ATS and 10-19 SU.
Following the Rainbow Warriors’ latest win over Cal State Fullerton, their SU record against Cal State Fullerton moves to 9-1 over their most recent meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Hawaii held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Cal State Fullerton never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hawaii, ATS Winner – Hawaii
Notes
In its last game, Cal State Fullerton lost by a margin of two points. Hawaii is 2-2 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Cal State Fullerton has a 2-1 record in close games.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have a defensive rating of 94.4 (ranked sixth), while the Cal State Fullerton Titans have an offensive rating of 102.0 (ranked 251st).
Cal State Fullerton has an average field goal percentage of 41.4%. Hawaii is a superb 13-3 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Hawaii attempts 22.0 three pointers and Cal State Fullerton attempts 19.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have an outstanding 15-5 record while the Cal State Fullerton Titans have a losing 5-9 record.
Hawaii ranks 96th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.19. Cal State Fullerton is ranked lower at 334th with an A/TO of .78.
Cal State Fullerton makes an average of 4.9 steals per game. Hawaii has a stellar 22-5 record when it allows at least 4 steals.
