Hawaii Warriors vs UC Riverside Highlanders Prediction, 1/8/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Hawaii Warriors vs UC Riverside Highlanders

Date: Friday, January 8, 2021

Location: SRC Arena in Riverside, CA

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Hawaii (+7)

The UC Riverside Highlanders (3-1) host the Hawaii Warriors (2-0) at SRC Arena on Friday. UC Riverside opens this matchup as 7-point favorites. The O/U opens at 131.

Hawaii comes into this matchup with a record of 2-0 for the season. They are turning it over 16.0 times per game and as a squad they are committing 18.0 fouls every game. As a unit, Hawaii is collecting 48.5 rebounds per contest and has totaled 30 dimes so far this season, which is 336th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Warriors are connecting on 38.5% on shots from 3-point land (15 of 39) and 68.8% from the free throw line. They are averaging 86.0 points per outing (15th in Division 1) while hitting 48.8% from the floor. Defensively, the Warriors have forced 17.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 21.5 personal fouls. They rank 1st in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 15 conceded so far this year. The Warriors defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 37.7% (43 of 114) and they surrender 28.0 rebounds per game as a team. They surrender 23.1% on shots from distance and they rank 10th in Division 1 in points per game from their opponents (58.0).

The Hawaii Warriors took the court against the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans and walked away with a win by a score of 89-66 in their last game. Hawaii finished the game having earned a 50.0% FG percentage (32 out of 64) and converted 9 of 19 shots from 3-point land. When they shot from the free throw line, the Warriors converted 16 of their 26 attempts for a rate of 61.5%. When talking about pulling down boards, they compiled 51 with 14 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 17 assists for this contest while earning 6 steals and 2 blocked shots. Concerning defense, Hawaii allowed their opponent to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 32 of 64 shooting. Hawaii-Hilo doled out 5 assists and had 9 steals for the contest. Additionally, the Vulcans collected 26 boards (7 offensive, 19 defensive) and got 2 blocks. Hawaii-Hilo finished the contest at 59.3% at the free throw line by knocking down 16 of their 27 shots. They buried 4 out of their 20 shots from downtown.

Justin Webster is one guy who had an impact for this contest. He totaled 15 points on 5 of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 22 minutes and also grabbed 4 rebounds. Webster finished shooting 41.7% from the field and also dished out 2 assists. One more player that was a contributor in the matchup for the Warriors was Casdon Jardine. He pulled down 10 boards and also earned 3 dimes. He finished 62.5% from the field in this game by going 5-of-8 (13 points). At the conclusion of this game, Jardine was on the court for 25 minutes.

UC Riverside has a mark of 3-1 on the season. The Highlanders commit 21.0 personal fouls every game and they connect on 62.2% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 14.5 times per contest (119th in the country) and they turn the ball over 14.5 times per contest. UC Riverside has 274 points for the year (68.5 per contest) and they collect 37.5 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Highlanders are shooting 46.6% from the field, which ranks 108th in D-1. The Highlanders defensively are ranked 2nd in college hoops in points given up per game with 55.3. They are forcing their opponents into 11.8 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 35.9% from the field (8th in Division 1). The UC Riverside defense allows 23.2% on shots from beyond the arc (16 of 69) and their opposition knocks down 67.1% of their foul shots. They have allowed 9.0 dimes and 28.5 rebounds per game, which ranks them 11th and 11th in the nation.

The last time they took the court, the UC Riverside Highlanders walked away with a victory by a final of 74-50 when they played the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. The Highlanders earned 27 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 35 for this contest. They also turned away 2 attempts while earning 2 steals for the contest. The Lumberjacks earned 12 fouls for this game which got the Highlanders to the free throw line for 4 tries. They were able to bury 3 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 75.0%. With regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, UC Riverside converted 13 of their 28 attempts (46.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Highlanders walked away from this one shooting 29 for 55 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 52.7%. The Highlanders permitted the Lumberjacks to knock down 14 out of their 50 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 28.0% for the contest. They finished 20.0% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 4 of 20 and ended up going 18 out of 24 at the charity stripe (75.0%). In the matter of how they attacked the glass, UC Riverside allowed Northern Arizona to grab 21 in all (6 offensive).

Arinze Chidom pitched in for the Highlanders in the game. He buried 6 out of 8 for the contest giving him a rate of 75.0%, which gave him 17 points. Chidom snagged 2 boards in his 17 minutes played and earned 2 assists in the game. An additional guy who was a determining factor for UC Riverside was Dominick Pickett. He scored 11 points in 25 minutes played via 4 of 5 from the floor for the matchup. Pickett walked away from this one going 80.0% from the field in addition to totaling 2 assists and 3 rebounds.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take UC Riverside (-7) and under 131 points

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