The George Washington Colonials take on the Washington State Cougars in Honolulu. Check out our college basketball odds series for our George Washington Washington State prediction and pick.
The George Washington Colonials and Washington State Cougars have both struggled this season. George Washington is 6-4 against a schedule which decent teams would have gone 9-1 against, if not 10-0. GW doesn't have any huge high-end wins. A not-very-good South Carolina team is probably the Colonials' best win of their six. George Washington has lost to UC-San Diego, Hofstra, Radford, and American. That's not a very good profile. The Colonials are searching for consistency and a winning identity, and they hope that this trip to Hawaii for a three-game Christmas tournament will give the team a chance to refocus, refresh, and ultimately improve.
Washington State has had a very rough ride this season. The Cougars are 4-6. They have played a lot of good teams, but they have come up almost completely empty in the really important games on their schedule, which mirrors how they started the nonconference portion of their schedule last year. Washington State just couldn't get over the hump in close games against good teams. If the Cougars had been able to win some battles which were there for the taking in the final minute, their NCAA Tournament resume — and hopes — would have looked a lot better on Selection Sunday. It's a “close but not quite” reality for head coach Kyle Smith, who hopes his team can get on a roll in Hawaii and change the course of its season.
Here are the George Washington-Washington State College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: George Washington-Washington State Odds
George Washington Colonials: +10.5 (-110)
Washington State Cougars: -10.5 (-110)
Over: 136.5 (-110)
Under: 136.5 (-110)
Why George Washington Could Cover the Spread
The Washington State Cougars simply do not finish games well against reasonably comparable opponents. Washington State was locked in a tight game against Boise State early in the season. The Cougars lost by 10 to the Broncos. Washington State couldn't find offensive answers against Prairie View A&M, failing to score 60 points in a damaging loss. Washington State pushed Oregon and Utah in Pac-12 play but came up short, losing to Utah at home in overtime. Washington State gave UNLV a good ride when the Runnin' Rebels were still unbeaten (they subsequently lost this past Saturday), but they lost by four points. Washington State competed well against Baylor but ran out of gas late in the game and lost by six. Usually the offense runs out of steam; sometimes the defense doesn't get enough stops. The common thread is that WSU doesn't finish the game well. George Washington can certainly benefit from this and cover.
Why Washington State Could Cover the Spread
The Cougars are 4-6, but against not-very-good teams, they can flex their muscles and win big. They crushed Texas State by 22, Eastern Washington by 26, Detroit by 42, and Northern Kentucky by 21. When things work well for this team, they work great. George Washington's platter of accumulated losses — UC-San Diego, Hofstra, Radford, American — points to significant weaknesses. Washington State is a notably better team than Hofstra, Radford, and American (UC-San Diego is debatable). If GW couldn't beat those three teams, Washington State should be able to take the Colonials to the woodshed and create a game in which they physically dominate from start to finish. Washington State has tested itself against a much tougher schedule compared to GW. That is going to show up in this game.
Final George Washington-Washington State Prediction & Pick
Washington State is a much better team than George Washington. Ignore the records. Washington State is the choice in Hawaii.
Final George Washington-Washington State Prediction & Pick: Washington State -10.5