The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos square off against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the second round of the BigWst tournament at Honda Center. The game gets underway at 9:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11 and will air on ES3.
The Rainbow Warriors easily got past Cal State Fullerton 75-44 in the 1. Aaron Valdes was the game’s high scorer with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The Gauchos, meanwhile, are coming off an 87-61 win over UC Davis in the 1. Michael Bryson led the game in scoring with 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting.
Valdes has been playing at a high level as of late for the Rainbow Warriors, averaging 15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.4 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers over the last five games.
Points could be at a premium in this matchup between two of the nation’s best defenses. Hawaii ranks fourth in the nation in defensive efficiency (93.5), while UC Santa Barbara is 17th (98.6). Also, the Gauchos commit the 22nd-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 18.4%), while the ball-hawking defense of the Rainbow Warriors causes the seventh-most (opponents’ TO% of 20.9%).
The Rainbow Warriors have won both contests against the Gauchos this season, including a 75-44 blowout in their last matchup. Valdes was a standout player in the game, producing 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three three-pointers.
Notes
UC Santa Barbara won its last game by a 26-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Hawaii is 7-0. UC Santa Barbara is 6-2 in blowouts this season.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have a defensive rating of 93.5 (ranked fourth), while the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have an offensive rating of 104.9 (ranked 201st).
UC Santa Barbara has an average field goal percentage of 44.5%. Hawaii is a winning 5-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors rank higher based on their field goal percentage (68th) than their effective field goal percentage (75th). The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (145th) than their field goal percentage (162nd).
Hawaii ranks 40th in assists, recording 15.8 per game. UC Santa Barbara ranks 55th with 15.4 assists per game.
UC Santa Barbara, the 97th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 37.7 rebounds per game. Hawaii does worse, ranked 102nd with 37.6.
UC Santa Barbara ranks 185th in offensive rebounds, while Hawaii ranks at 81st in defensive rebounds.
On average, UC Santa Barbara forces a turnover rate of 18.4%, ranked 24th in the nation. When Hawaii turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a formidable 10-1 record.
