Houston @ Washington preview

No. 20 Washington looks for its ninth victory in the past 10 games when it faces Houston in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu on Christmas Day. The Huskies reached the title game by beating Ball State and Hawaii by average of 16 points, while the Cougars advanced with wins over Portland and Georgia Tech by average of 18 points.

Standout freshman forward Isaiah Stewart recorded 26 points and 13 rebounds in Washington's 72-61 semifinal win over Hawaii on Monday for his fourth straight double-double and sixth of the season. “There were some times I was trying to be unselfish, but (my teammates) told me to keep doing what I was doing," Stewart told reporters after a 13-of-21 shooting performance. Houston is also on a roll and is looking for its eighth victory in the past nine contests after cruising to Monday's 70-59 victory over Georgia Tech. The Cougars have averaged 76 points while winning their past three games by margins of 20, 25 and 11 points.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT HOUSTON (9-3): Sophomore guard Quentin Grimes is averaging 22 points in two games at the tournament, including a 26-point effort against Georgia Tech in which he tallied 23 in the first half. Grimes is averaging a team-best 15.3 points and has scored in double digits nine times, topped by a 32-point outing against Rice on Nov. 19. Junior forward Fabian White Jr., who averages 10.3 points and 6.1 rebounds, recorded 15 points and 12 rebounds in the semifinal win for his first double-double of the season and fourth of his career.

ABOUT WASHINGTON (10-2): Stewart has been an electrifying force for the Huskies with team-best averages of 18.8 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 61.1 percent from the field. Fellow hot-shot freshman forward Jaden McDaniels struggled to eight points on 2-of-8 shooting versus Hawaii but did collect a season-high 13 rebounds and he sports averages of 14.7 points and 5.8 rebounds. The Huskies have allowed an average of 61.3 points while winning their past three games and the effort was superb Monday while holding the Rainbow Warriors to 28.4 percent from the field, including 9-of-39 from 3-point range.

TIP-INS

1. Washington holds a 5-2 series lead and won the last meeting 110-63 on Dec. 24, 2004 when future NBA players Brandon Roy and Nate Robinson were part of the program.

2. Huskies sophomore PG Quade Green is averaging 17.2 points over the past five games to raise his average to 11.5.

3. Cougars sophomore G Nate Hinton (team-leading 9.3 rebounding average) has collected nine or more rebounds in six straight games.

PREDICTION: Washington 70, Houston 66