Georgia Tech @ Hawaii preview

Georgia Tech hopes to return to the mainland with two wins and a .500 record overall after taking on host Hawaii in the third-place game of the Diamond Head Classic on Wednesday in Honolulu. The Yellow Jackets knocked off Boise State by 14 points in the first round before shooting just 37 percent and getting pounded on the glass in the 70-59 semifinal loss to Houston on Monday.

“They hit some tough shots in some key times,” Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner told reporters after the loss. “We defended for the most part, other than that stretch in the last four minutes of the first half, but I was proud of our guys. We’ve gotten better and we will continue to get better.” The Yellow Jackets, who return to ACC play on New Year’s Eve at Florida State, received a double-double from junior forward Moses Wright (19 points, 10 rebounds) and leading scorer Michael Devoe (17.8) scored 17 in the loss to the Cougars. Hawaii defeated UTEP 67-63 in the first round before dropping a 72-61 decision against 20th-ranked Washington in the semifinals Monday after being outscored 20-7 in the final seven-plus minutes of the first half to trail by 15. Senior guard Eddie Stansberry leads the Rainbow Warriors in scoring (17.4), but has managed just 12 points combined in the tournament on 3-for-25 shooting from the field - 1-for-17 on Monday.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (5-6): Devoe, a sophomore guard, has drained 21-of-51 from 3-point range on the season but the Yellow Jackets have struggled beyond the arc as a team - making just 27.2 percent of their attempts. Wright, who boasts three double-doubles on the season, averages 12.5 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds while junior guard Jordan Usher has scored 28 in the tournament - 18 in the first-round victory. Senior forward James Banks III (9.8 points, 7.5 rebounds) is among the national leaders in blocked shots per game (3.2), but collected just two in the tournament along with eight fouls.

ABOUT HAWAII (8-4): Senior forward Zigmars Raimo from Latvia stepped up with 15 points and 15 boards in the loss to Washington and leads the team in rebounding (7.7) along with steals (1.9). Junior guard Samuta Avea is contributing 11.3 points per contest after scoring nine Monday on 3-of-10 shooting while junior guard Drew Buggs adds 10.3 points and a team-high 5.9 assists after dishing out 17 total in the first two games of the tournament. Freshman guard Justin Webster picked up the slack for Stansberry in Monday’s setback by pouring in a season-high 16 points against the Huskies.

TIP-INS

1. Georgia Tech junior G Jose Alvarado is averaging 10.5 points in the tournament after missing seven games with an ankle injury.

2. The Rainbow Warriors have made 99 shots from 3-point range in the first 12 games - 66 of them from Stansberry and Avea.

3. The teams have split four previous meetings, but have not met since 1973 when the Yellow Jackets won 85-82.

PREDICTION: Georgia Tech 72, Hawaii 68