While much of the continental United States deals with a deep freeze and blustery conditions, the Pepperdine Waves get a vacation, or a business trip, as the holiday nears when they visit the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. It is the final of all NCAA basketball games today, and it will tip off at 11 p.m. ET on Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. It’s a treat on the Pepperdine basketball schedule before the games count toward the college basketball standings.
The Waves (6-5) are looking to stay above .500 with a victory and hope that paradise doesn’t become a trap they fall into against the Rainbow Warriors (6-3).
It is a game that will feature Pepperdine’s strength against Hawaii’s. Here are the odds and a breakdown of where each team is at before making Pepperdine vs. Hawaii picks.
Pepperdine Waves vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Odds
NCAA odds show 4.5 points favor the Rainbow Warriors with an over/under of 140 points. The Waves are +175 on the money line, while the Rainbow Warriors are -210.
Matchup Information
Pepperdine Waves vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Betting Preview
Pepperdine Waves Betting Preview
Pepperdine features one of the top offenses in the country. The Waves are 59th in scoring 79.4 points per game. They are 13th nationally at converting 40.6% of 3-point shots and 90th in making 46.9% of all field goal attempts. Oddly enough, they are 251st with a 68.4% free-throw conversion rate. They are also 27th in the country in grabbing 37.1 rebounds per game.
There is room to improve, although they enjoy a quicker tempo, and their defensive efficiency numbers are solid. The Waves are 297th in, allowing teams to score 73.7 points per game. However, they are 60th in holding teams to 40.1% on field goal attempts and 115th in holding them to 31.3% on 3-point shots.
Maxwell Lewis will be one of the best college basketball players in this game. At 6 foot 7, he is an athletic wing who is Pepperdine’s leading scorer at 18.5 points per game. His length and athleticism make him a force on both ends of the court, shooting 46.3% on 3-point shots and averaging 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
He is one of four Pepperdine players averaging ten or more points. Jevon Porter is the team’s leading rebounder at 7.4 per game and uses his frame at 6 foot 11 to sky over opponents. Mike Mitchell Jr. is the leading passer at 4.9 assists per game.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Betting Preview
Hawaii’s strength is its great defense. The Rainbow Warriors are 22nd nationally in holding teams to 60.4 points per game and are 18th in forcing teams to convert 27.5% of 3-point shots. They also hold teams to 39.9% on field goal attempts, which is 55th. Pepperdine’s elite offense will certainly test them.
The Rainbow Warriors are 233rd in scoring 70.0 points per game. They are 183rd in converting 44.8% of field goal attempts and 248th in converting 32.7% of 3-point shots. They are a 70.3% free throw shooting team, which ranks 185th.
Rainbow Warriors predictions shouldn’t be based solely on whether they are home, where they are only 3-2 this season. They have not truly been tested, either, and already have a bad loss to Texas A&M Commerce on their home court.
Guard Noel Coleman is one of two scorers averaging ten or more points. He leads the team at 14.7 points per game, with forward Kamaka Hepa at 12.4 points per game. Hepa is the team’s leading rebounder at 7.1 per contest, with Bernardo Da Silva behind him at 9.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Juan Munoz is on the college basketball injury report with an Achilles injury that cost him his season.
Pepperdine Waves vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Betting Preview
These are two of the worst NCAA basketball teams, but it could make for a compelling game to close the NCAA schedule for the day. Neither team has played a strong schedule – Pepperdine was blown out by UCLA and Nevada, while Hawaii has losses against UNLV (by 15) and Yale (in overtime).
These programs met three times from 2008 to 2012. Pepperdine won the last two meetings, and the Waves covered the spread in all three games. They over hit in the two games where one was listed.
The Waves are 4-5 against the spread and 5-4 on over/unders this season while sporting an 0-3 road record straight up. The Rainbow Warriors are 4-3 against the spread and on over/unders.
Pepperdine is 0-2 against the spread as an underdog and hasn’t been an underdog of fewer than five points. Hawaii has been favored five times and is 4-1 as a favorite, and is 3-1 as a favorite of 3 to 7 points.
Those making college basketball picks today favor Hawaii, with 66% of bets on the Rainbow Warriors. Another 69% of Pepperdine vs. Hawaii picks are on the over-to-hit.
The difficulty in picking this game is that it is two bad basketball teams who have played nobody, and it is clashing styles. Neither team has given a vote of confidence to pick this game either way, and neither team has shown up against some competition a Division I program should handle easily.
But at the end of the day, the numbers show that Pepperdine has been a quality basketball team in the majority of its games. The fact that the Waves have an elite offense and make shots at a high level, and they can contest shots on the opposite end, forcing opponents into lower shooting totals, tilts the scales in their favor.
If Hawaii is able to dictate the tempo and force the Waves into bad shots, the Rainbow Warriors will be able to come away with a win. But that’s easier said than done. However, the Waves are only 6-5 for how strong their offense has been, so it’s tough to say where to go with these Pepperdine vs. Hawaii picks.
Given how sportsbooks and casinos make their money by profiting off wins against the public, we’ll take Hawaii -4.5 and go under 140 points. The beach and holiday may have Pepperdine’s focus elsewhere.
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