Miami vs. Hawaii Pick
Will No. 6 Miami struggle when it hits the road to face Hawaii tonight at 1AM ET in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Miami is the favorite in this game, as the Hurricanes are getting odds of -11.5 points against Hawaii. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 133.5 points. Tonight’s game takes place from Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii and will air live on ESPNU.
Miami is off to a 9-0 start to this season following a 59-50 win at George Washington last week. The Hurricanes are 4-0 against the spread, playing in lined games in three of their last four. That includes a win at Minnesota. Miami is averaging 77 points per game on offense this year while allowing just 56.3 points per game. Miami is being led by Dewan Huell, who is averaging 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Bruce Brown Jr. is adding 10.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
Hawaii is riding a three-game win streak entering tonight’s game. The Warriors are 7-2 on the season with losses at Utah and at home to Nevada. At the betting window, Hawaii is just 2-4 against the spread. Hawaii is averaging 70.1 points per game on offense this season while allowing 70.1 on defense as well. Michael Thomas is averaging 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game to lead Hawaii while Gibson Johnson is adding 10.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest.
These two last met in 2012 with Miami picking up a 73-58 win as a 9.5-point favorite. Miami hasn’t played a lot of tough games and going out to Hawaii can be a challenge, but I think the balance the offense has should help them avoid a letdown. Hawaii doesn’t have a lot of great scoring options to compete with Miami and I expect the Hurricanes to be too much for the Warriors. The public betting is siding with Miami tonight and I agree.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: MIAMI -11.5