The UC Riverside Highlanders and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors collide this Friday in the Pacific. Check out our preview of this UC Riverside Highlanders vs Hawaii matchup in the 2022-23 NCAA basketball season. There are more college basketball previews to read here at TopBet, so feel free to look around and make bets once you’re ready.
The Highlanders are pretty much in the thick of the race to win the Big West Conference regular-season title. They have a 12-5 conference record now after winning three games in a row heading into this rematch versus the Rainbow Warriors. In their most recent outing, the Highlanders took down the Cal State Northridge Matadors, 96-76, on the road to begin the week. UC Riverside thrives through its offense that is third in the conference with 106.9 points per 100 possessions adjusted and No. 1 in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (38.6%). Seniors Zyon Pullin and Flynn Cameron lead the team with 17.6 and 12.5 points per game, respectively. They combined for 27 points, albeit in a 67-63 home loss to the Rainbow Warriors in the first meeting of these teams last month.
UC Riverside is 4-1 against the spread in its last five games overall.
Hawaii is also on a roll. The Rainbow Warriors have won four of their last five games and are 2-0 straight-up in their last two. The last time they saw action, the Rainbow Warriors trampled the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners, with four players scoring double-figures for Hawaii. Leading Hawaii in that game was Justus Jackson, who scored 16 points, including a 4/5 shooting from behind the arc. But the real MVP in Hawaii’s win was its defense that held Cal State Bakersfield to only a 38.2 eFG%. Defense is a strong suit of Hawaii, which is 14th in the nation with just 61.7 points allowed per game and 26th with a defensive field goal percentage of 40.6%.
Hawaii is 2-0 against the spread in its last two games.
