The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (8-4) take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-6) in the Diamond Head Classic at Stan Sheriff Center. The game can be seen on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 25, 2019.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 139 points with Hawaii set as a 1-point favorite.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Free Prediction
The Yellow Jackets are hoping for a better outcome after their 70-59 loss to the Houston Cougars in their last outing. Houston’s rebounding was their largest advantage. The Cougars had 16 offensive rebounds and 42 total rebounds, while the Yellow Jackets had seven and 25, respectively. Moses Wright was Georgia Tech’s leading scorer with 19 points on 7-for-15 shooting.
In the Rainbow Warriors’ previous outing, they fell to the No. 21 Washington Huskies, 72-61. One of Washington’s biggest strengths was getting to the charity stripe. They made 29 trips to the line, while Hawaii went just 14 times. With 15 points and 15 rebounds, Zigmars Raimo put together a good game for Hawaii.
Georgia Tech holds records of 5-6 straight up (SU) and 6-5 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has a tendency to set the total high when the Yellow Jackets are involved, as eight of their 11 games have finished under the projected point total.
Meanwhile, Hawaii owns records of 8-4 SU and 6-4-1 ATS. Contrary to Georgia Tech, games involving the Rainbow Warriors have typically finished over the O/U total (63.6 percent).
The offense of Hawaii (196th in the NCAA with an offensive efficiency of 101.7) will go head-to-head against the top-notch defense of Georgia Tech (76th in the country with a defensive efficiency of 91.9). The Yellow Jackets figure to have the edge on that end of the court.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Free Pick
Pick: ATS Winner – Georgia Tech, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Georgia Tech ranks 10th in blocks per game (6.0) while Hawaii ranks 132nd (2.7).
The Rainbow Warriors rank 37th in assists allowed per game (10.4) while the Yellow Jackets rank 138th (13.3).
Hawaii ranks ninth in three pointers allowed per game (16.3) while Georgia Tech ranks 79th (20.5).
The Yellow Jackets rank 95th in steals per game (7.0) while the Rainbow Warriors rank 132nd in steals allowed per game (7.3).
Hawaii averages 33.8 rebounds per game, which ranks 192nd in the nation. Georgia Tech ranks 213th in rebounds allowed per game (38.0).
The Yellow Jackets’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 12.6, up from 2.2 for the season.
During their last five games, the Rainbow Warriors have scored an average of 68.8 points per game (2.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 67.6 points per game (1.1 below their season average).