The Stan Sheriff Center will host a Big West Conference NCAAB matchup between Long Beach State Beach and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Saturday.
The Beach are 8-9 (2-3) this season and are coming off a 77-58 home win on Thursday against the Cal Poly Mustangs.
The Rainbow Warriors, meanwhile, are 12-4 (3-1) and are coming off a 79-72 overtime road loss against the CSU Fullerton Titans last Saturday.
Long Beach State Beach vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Betting Odds
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Long Beach State Beach vs Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Match Details
Fixture: Long Beach State Beach vs Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Time and date: Saturday, January 14, 2023; 11:59 pm ET
Venue: Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, HI
Long Beach State Beach vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Key Stats
The Beach are a strong offensive team, averaging 75.7 points per game. They have been passing the basketball at a solid level as they are averaging 15.1 assists over the course of the season.
Senior guard Joel Murray has led the team thus far and is averaging 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in 31.6 minutes per game. He has struggled with his shots throughout the year as he has connected on just 22.7 percent of his threes thus far.
Their defense has been playing at a less-than-ideal level this year as they are allowing 72.6 points per game. The Beach need some improvement as they are forcing three blocks and eight steals per game. If they can force more pressure on the opposing shooter, they can really step up in this game.
The Rainbow Warriors are not a good offensive team as they are scoring 68.2 points per outing and shooting 44.9% from the field. Junior guard Noel Coleman has been doing well, averaging 13.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.2 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game in 34.3 minutes this season.
Defensively, they have done extremely well as they have given up just 60.3 points per game. They have to be more disruptive though as they are averaging 4.1 blocks and 5.5 steals per game throughout the year.
Long Beach State Beach vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Best Picks and Prediction
The long travel for Long Beach State will be a tough one for them to overcome and that makes the Rainbow Warriors a great home team.
According to KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin, the Beach are 174th in the sport with a -0.22 rating while the Rainbow Warriors are 120th in the country with a +4.26 rating so far. Defensively as of late, there is a huge difference as Long Beach State are allowing 75.4 points in their last five games while Hawaii are giving up just 58.7 points in their previous three games.
Go with the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors to cover the spread in their own building here.
Pick: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors -8 (-115)
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