The holidays are here, and as always, so is the Diamond Head Classic. That holds this evening when we have the semifinal between Nebraska and Hawaii in Honolulu.
The Bows' got to this point with a relatively routine win last night over Charlotte. Hawaii took control early and didn't look back, grabbing a double-digit victory. Nebraska had a similar outing in the first round with a double-digit win against Murray State. They expect to win this tournament, but it won't be straightforward tonight.
Find out why my Nebraska vs. Hawaii predictions and college basketball picks for Monday, December 23 expect the Rainbow Warriors to keep things close.
Nebraska vs Hawaii prediction
My best bet
Hawaii +9.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors offense has been surprisingly good. It's already faced a fair amount of solid competition this season and will come into this game ranking barely outside the Top 100 in points per possession. That's right on par with its opponent.
I made this number -8, so I'm inclined to side with the home team here in Hawaii and making them my best bet.
The question that must be asked in this game is if the Hawaii defense can do enough to hang because its offense will be fine. I think it can. The majority of offensive sets that the Nebraska Cornhuskers run will play into the strength of the Hawaii defense.
The Huskers run the majority of their offense through two areas; heavily focused scoring at the rim and a variety of inside + out stuff. Hawaii has been right on the Division 1 average when it comes to defending at the rim, allowing .96 points per possession. It also doesn't lack rim protection or size, with its effective height as a team being mostly on par with the national average.
The second part is the Nebraska inside-out game, which has just been a two-person offense between Juwan Gary and Conner Essegian or Brice Williams. Hawaii has held its opponents below the national average defensively against the sets.
In games against Grand Canyon and North Carolina, the Bows' really struggled to defend off the dribble (and things got worse when it got in transition), but here, they just aren't going to see much of that.
Nebraska doesn't ask its guards to do a ton and relies on spacing more than anything. Nor does it play very fast; it would prefer to keep this game below 70 possessions, and Hawaii will have no objections.
This is a good path for the Bows to hang.
Nebraska vs Hawaii same-game parlay
Hawaii +9.5
Under 143.5
We've seen this total tick down since the opener of 145.5, and I'm inclined to agree with that movement. I made the number here 139.
Both teams should do a good job defensively of slowing down their opponent's primary option, and we'll also get a relatively slow pace.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Nebraska vs Hawaii odds
Nebraska vs Hawaii live odds
Nebraska vs Hawaii opening odds
- Spread: Nebraska -11.5 | Hawaii +11.5
- Moneyline: Nebraska -1,200 | Hawaii +700
- Over/Under: Over 145.5 | Under 145.5
Odds courtesy of bet365
Nebraska vs Hawaii betting trend to know
Nebraska has only hit the Team Total Under in 11 of their last 32 games (-12.64 Units / -35% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Nebraska vs. Hawaii.
How to watch Nebraska vs Hawaii
| Location: | Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, HI |
| Date: | Monday, 12-23-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 10:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN2 |
Nebraska vs Hawaii key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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