UC-Santa Barbara vs Hawaii 3/3/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors will travel to The Thunderdome to take on the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 15-9 on the season after defeating the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners, 62-50, this past Saturday. Hawaii was outstanding defensively in the 2^nd half against CSU Bakersfield and was able to pull away for the victory after taking a 54-46 lead with 3:19 left in regulation. Hawaii shot 40.5% from the field & 46.7% from beyond the arc while holding CSU Bakersfield to just 39.2% shooting from the field & 10.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Rainbow Warriors was Bernardo da Silva who had 14 points, 6 rebounds, & 1 block.

On the season, Hawaii is averaging 69.6 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Rainbow Warriors are averaging 8.3 three-pointers per game on 36.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Hawaii has been led by Noel Coleman (14.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.0 apg), Jerome Desrosiers (11.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.5 apg), Junior Madut (10.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.1 apg), & Bernardo da Silva (10.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.0 apg). Hawaii will be without Noel Coleman who is out for the season due to an orbital fracture.

Defensively, Hawaii is holding their opponents to an average of 64.2 ppg on 41.6% shooting from the field. The Rainbow Warriors have a rebound margin of 4.4 and a turnover margin of -2.6.

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos won their 4^th straight game and improved to 15-10 on the season after defeating the CS Northridge Matadors, 70-61, this past Tuesday. UC Santa Barbara led by a 31-25 margin at halftime and was able to pull away in the 2^nd half after taking a 57-44 lead with 7:26 left in regulation. UC Santa Barbara shot 55.3% from the field & 30.8% from beyond the arc while allowing CS Northridge to shoot 46.3% from the field & 35.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Gauchos was Amadou Sow who had 26 points, 7 rebounds, & 1 steal.

On the season, UC Santa Barbara is averaging 74.3 ppg on 49.4% shooting from the field. The Gauchos are averaging 5.5 three-pointers per game on 33.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UC Santa Barbara has been led by Amadou Sow (15.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg), Ajay Mitchell (12.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.9 apg), Miles Norris (10.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.2 apg), & Josh Pierre-Louis (8.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.3 spg).

Defensively, UC Santa Barbara is holding their opponents to an average of 65.8 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Gauchos have a rebound margin of 4.4 and a turnover margin of -0.3.

The Rainbow Warriors are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games. The Gauchos are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record, however, are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a ATS loss.

Hawaii was able to pick up a win against UC Santa Barbara at home earlier this season and has a solid defense ranking 42^nd in scoring defense, however, this is an offense that ranks just 217^th in scoring offense and is missing their leading scorer. UC Santa Barbara has won 7 of their last 8 games and as the Gauchos have been solid on both ends of the court, ranking 101^st in scoring offense, 4^th in FG%, & 78^th in scoring defense, I think UC Santa Barbara does enough to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!