The Cal State Northridge Matadors (9-16) will have their chance to upend the Big West’s best team when they face off against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (20-3) at Matadome. Action gets underway at 10:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 18 and can be seen on ES3.
The Matadors are hoping to rebound after their 93-84 loss to UC Irvine the last time they played. Jerron Wilbut had a good game for Cal State Northridge, putting up 19 points, four steals, and one rebound. The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a 76-59 win against Cal State Fullerton in their last game. Stefan Jankovic led the team in scoring with 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting.
The ineffective offense of Cal State Northridge (273rd in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 100.5) will square off against the stingy defense of Hawaii (ninth in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 92.5). The Rainbow Warriors figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
The Matadors enter the game with records of 9-15 Straight Up (SU) and 12-12 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cal State Northridge defense is doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games. It is allowing an average of 65.5 points per game, well under their season average of 74.7.
On the other side, the Rainbow Warriors have records of 10-7 ATS and 20-3 SU. Hawaii performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-3 record. Offensively, they average 78.8 points per game, which is good for 44th in the country. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Rainbow Warriors, who are known for distributing the ball with 16.3 assists per game. Moving on to the Hawaii defense, the Rainbow Warriors allow just 66.1 points per game, ranking them 44th in the nation. The Hawaii defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .395 shooting from the field to its opponents. They average 8.3 steals per game, good for 19th in the nation.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these conference foes played, Hawaii won, moving its SU record against Cal State Northridge to 5-3 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 4-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Hawaii held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last five meetings. Cal State Northridge never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hawaii, ATS Winner – Hawaii
Notes
Cal State Northridge scores an average of just 71.2 points per game (ranked 171st). Hawaii ranks 44th in points allowed, giving up 66.1 points per game.
Cal State Northridge scores just 73.1 points per home game (ranked 186th). Hawaii ranks 70th in points allowed on the road, giving up 71.2 points.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have a defensive rating of 92.5 (ranked ninth), while the Cal State Northridge Matadors have an offensive rating of 100.5 (ranked 273rd).
With 70.9 possessions and 1.005 points per possession, the Cal State Northridge Matadors perform worse on both metrics than the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Hawaii averages 71.4 possessions and 1.104 points per possession.
Cal State Northridge has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.4%. Hawaii is a stellar 7-2 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Cal State Northridge attempts 13.0 three pointers and Hawaii attempts 22.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Cal State Northridge Matadors are winless at 0-1 while the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have a 14-3 record.
Hawaii ranks 52nd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.30. Cal State Northridge is ranked lower at 184th with an A/TO of 1.03.
Cal State Northridge ranks 281st in offensive rebounds, while Hawaii ranks 86th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Cal State Northridge forces a turnover rate of 18.1%. When Hawaii turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a fantastic 7-1 record.
