Houston @ Georgia Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 16, 2016 ) Houston 62, Georgia Tech 81

Houston and Georgia Tech meet in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic on Monday after flexing their muscles in the first round. The Cougars manhandled Portland 81-56 on Sunday for their sixth victory in seven games behind 18 points and six assists by leading scorer Quentin Grimes while the Yellow Jackets knocked off Boise State 74-60 with Jordan Usher and Moses Wright scoring 18 apiece.

Houston appears to have a big advantage on the boards as it was third nationally in rebounding margin and rebounds per game entering Sunday. The Cougars increased their margin to plus-11.7 after dominating the Pilots 40-27 while Georgia Tech moved into the positive side at plus-0.7 after easily winning the battle of the boards with Boise State 43-27. The Yellow Jackets also snapped a three-game slide that included a 67-53 loss at No. 6 Kentucky. Houston has won three of four road games this season with its only loss 78-66 at No. 10 Oregon.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT HOUSTON (8-3): Chris Harris Jr. came off the bench Sunday to match a career high with 13 points after totaling 21 in his first nine games, and averages 2.5 blocks after swatting seven shots in his last two contests. Nate Hinton (13.3 points, 9.4 rebounds) recorded nine points and 10 boards versus Portland and would have five consecutive double-doubles with one more point and one more rebound. Freshman guard Caleb Mills (11.7 points) and Fabian White Jr. (9.9) combined for 19 points Sunday.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (5-5): Michael Devoe paces the team at 17.9 points per game but has been below his average in four straight contests. Usher, a junior guard, also grabbed seven rebounds against Boise State in his second game since becoming eligible after transferring from USC. Wright went 7-for-7 from the field and collected nine rebounds Sunday, raising his club-high shooting percentage to 58.1 percent and his team-best board average to 8.1.

TIP-INS

1. The Cougars have outblocked their opponents 68-19 this season while the Yellow Jackets own a 64-32 advantage.

2. Georgia Tech has a minus-3.0 turnover differential - by far the worst among ACC teams.

3. The Yellow Jackets have won all three previous meetings, including 81-56 in the first round of the 2016 NIT in the last encounter.

PREDICTION: Houston 78, Georgia Tech 65