The UC Riverside Highlanders take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Our college basketball odds series has our UC Riverside Hawaii prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UC Riverside Hawaii.
The college basketball season has offered a thrilling Big West Conference race. UC Santa Barbara was believed to be the favorite, but it has lost a few games late in the season, putting UC Irvine in first place at 13-3 in league play. UC Riverside is currently second at 12-5, with Hawaii and UCSB tied for third at 11-5 and Cal State Fullerton in fifth at 11-6. It will be hard for Riverside and Hawaii to catch Irvine for the league championship — they don't have that many chances left, given that they are both two games back in the loss column — but there is still considerable importance attached to this game and the final two weekends of the regular season.
Teams which finish in the top two will play their Big West Tournament quarterfinal against an opponent which has to play a first-round game. The Big West has a 10-team tournament, with the No. 7 seed playing the No. 10 seed and No. 8 playing No. 9. The top seed faces the 8-9 winner, and the No. 2 seed plays the 7-10 winner. Riverside and Hawaii are playing for that second-place spot, so that they face a tired team in the quarters. Teams 3-6 don't face an opponent which has played a first-round game. The Big West is a one-bid league, so every advantage matters heading into the Big West Tournament. That's the value of this game for Riverside and Hawaii.
Here are the UC Riverside-Hawaii college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: UC Riverside-Hawaii Odds
UC Riverside Highlanders: +3.5 (-102)
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors: -3.5 (-120)
Over: 127.5 (-110)
Under: 127.5 (-110)
How To Watch UC Riverside vs. Hawaii
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 11:59 p.m. ET, 8:59 p.m. PT
*Watch UC Riverside-Hawaii LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why UC Riverside Could Cover The Spread
The Highlanders have won seven road games this season. They are a competent team away from home. They have played well to rise to second in the conference behind UC Irvine. Coach Mike Magpayo continues to be mentioned as a possible candidate for high-major coaching jobs, potentially in the Pac-12 if enough vacancies open up in the conference one month from now. Riverside has a resilient team with a proven coach and a track record of being able to handle pressure in road games. All of those qualities should serve Riverside well against Hawaii, which has a good home record but has not always dominated its opponents in Honolulu.
Why Hawaii Could Cover The Spread
The Rainbow Warriors are at home. They have a unique home-court advantage because they always face opponents who have to travel a considerable distance to get to the island. Riverside has been playing well, but the theme of the 2023 Big West basketball season is that nothing lasts very long. UCSB seemed to be the team in the driver's seat but ceded control. Riverside's overall outlook was a lot less optimistic a few weeks ago, but the Highlanders improved. Hawaii winning this game would be the less surprising outcome, simply because a big plot twist has been the normal, expected outcome in Big West basketball this year.
Final UC Riverside-Hawaii Prediction & Pick
Stay away from this game. Both teams are good and evenly-matched. Maybe look for a live betting play.
Final UC Riverside-Hawaii Prediction & Pick: UC Riverside +3.5
Follow Us
Subscribe