Canceled: Hawaii vs Northern Iowa 12/25/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

This game has been canceled due to a COVID outbreak with the Rainbow Warriors. The Northern Iowa Panthers & Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors will square off at the Stan Sheriff Center in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic this Saturday afternoon.

The Northern Iowa Panthers lost their 2^nd straight game and dropped to 4-7 on the season after being defeated by the Wyoming Cowboys, 71-69, this past Thursday. Wyoming struggled defensively early in the 2^nd half and could not fight all the way back after Wyoming took a 65-52 lead with 4:06 left in regulation. Northern Iowa shot 41.8% from the field & 31.8% from beyond the arc while allowing Wyoming to shoot 40.4% from the field & 31.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Panthers was Nate Heise who had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, & 3 steals.

On the season, Northern Iowa is averaging 71.4 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Panthers are averaging 8.8 three-pointers per game on 34.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Northern Iowa has been led by AJ Green (16.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg), Noah Carter (11.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg), Nate Heise (10.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 spg), & Trae Berhow (8.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Northern Iowa is allowing their opponents to an average of 68.9 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The Panthers have a rebound margin of 3.2 and a turnover margin of -1.5.

The Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors lost their 2^nd straight game and dropped to 4-5 on the season after being defeated by the South Florida Bulls, 76-69, this past Friday night. Hawai’i trailed by a 34-23 margin at halftime and could not fight back after the Bulls took a 65-56 lead with just 2:02 left in regulation. Hawai’i shot 44.4% from the field & 36.0% shooting from beyond the arc while allowing South Florida to shoot 43.3% from the field & 37.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Rainbow Warriors was Noel Coleman who had 22 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Hawai’i is averaging 74.9 ppg on 46.0% shooting from the field. The Rainbow Warriors are averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game on 36.3% shooting form beyond the arc. Offensively, Hawai’i has been led by Noel Coleman (18.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.9 apg), Bernardo da Silva (15.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg), Junior Madut (11.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.2 apg), Jerome Desrosiers (10.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.6 apg).

Defensively, Hawai’i is allowing their opponents to an average of 69.7 ppg on 43.8% shooting from the field. The Rainbow Warriors have a rebound margin of 5.2 and a turnover margin of -3.1.

The Panthers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games, however, are just 9-24-1 ATS in their last 34 games overall. The Rainbow Warriors are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games overall & 2-7 ATS in their last 9 home games.

Northern Iowa has a bunch of experience, however, the Panthers have been below average on both ends of the court this season and come into this matchup ranked just 194^th in both scoring offense & defense. Hawai’i has been led by their offense that ranks t-113^th in scoring offense & 95^th in FG%, however, the defense has been an issue for the Rainbow Warriors has they currently rank just 210^th in scoring defense & 250^th in defensive FG%.

Hawai’i will have the advantage of playing this tournament on their home court, however, the Rainbow Warriors will be at a disadvantage as they have been without two of their better big men in Bernardo da Silva & Mate Colina due to Covid-19 protocols and I would say they are at best, questionable for this matchup. Northern Iowa is a better team than what they have shown so far this season and as I think their offense has plenty of success in this one, I think Northern Iowa snapped their 2-game losing streak and does enough to cover this mid-range spread. Good Luck!