The UC San Diego Tritons take on the Hawaii Warriors in Honolulu, Hawaii. Tip-off is set for 11:59 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
UC San Diego is favored by 8 points on the spread with a moneyline of -345. The total is set at 136.5 points.
Here are my UC San Diego vs. Hawaii predictions and college basketball picks for January 31, 2025.
UC San Diego vs Hawaii Prediction
My Pick: UC San Diego -8 (Play to -9.5)
My UC San Diego vs Hawaii best bet is on the Tritons spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
UC San Diego vs Hawaii Odds
| UC San Diego Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8 -112 | 136.5 -110 / -110 | -345 |
| Hawaii Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8 -108 | 136.5 -110 / -110 | +275 |
- UC San Diego vs Hawaii spread: UC San Diego -8
- UC San Diego vs Hawaii over/under: 136.5 points
- UC San Diego vs Hawaii moneyline: UC San Diego -345, Hawaii +275
- UC San Diego vs Hawaii best bet: UC San Diego -8 (Play to -9.5)
Spread
My best bet is on UC San Diego to cover the spread.
Moneyline
I'm betting UC San Diego to cover the spread in this matchup, but I don't see value when it comes to betting the moneyline.
Over/Under
While this could be a low-scoring game, I don't have a pick on the total.
My Pick: UC San Diego -8 (Play to -9.5)
UC San Diego vs Hawaii College Basketball Betting Preview
UC San Diego has been one of the best stories in college basketball that nobody knows about.
The Tritons are playing like a top-50 team and are not totally dead for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament (just mostly dead, "Princess Bride" style). A win tonight would help UCSD stay in the hunt for a Big West title and make the rematch with UC Irvine a dramatic affair.
Hawaii has had a middling season and will hope to claw its way back to .500 in conference play with an upset on the Island. The Bows just haven’t seemed to find consistency this season, using six different starting lineups and largely struggling on the offensive end.
UCSD has blowout potential every night thanks to its incendiary offense, the No. 1 attack in the Big West. The Tritons don’t turn it over, they score effectively inside, and they don't miss from the charity stripe.
Having the best player in the league certainly helps — Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones has been an absolute monster this season, averaging 30 points per game over his last three contests. The Kiwi does everything on the floor for the Tritons and is the toughest assignment in the conference.
His running mate, Tyler McGhie, is also a stud and one of the deadliest shooters in the Big West.
UCSD takes good shots on offense, ranking 348th in FGA rate in the mid-range, per CBB Analytics, while hoisting a healthy diet of 3s and also getting efficient looks in the paint.
Hawaii sells out on the arc, taking away the 3 at the fourth-highest rate in the nation (No. 1 in the Big West), so UCSD will need to flex its style a bit to adapt to what the Rainbow Warrior defense is giving it.
That shouldn’t be an issue for the versatile Tait-Jones and savvy McGhie.
Normally, the defensive end has been Hawaii’s strong suit under head coach Eran Ganot, but an inability to put pressure on opponents this season has made its defense less potent than usual.
The Bows force a league-low turnover rate on this end, so while they may limit UCSD’s 3-point attempts, they won’t cause the Tritons to cough up the rock.
On the offensive end, Hawaii’s offense can stagnate. Ranked just ninth in the Big West in adjusted offensive efficiency, the Bows are a poor shooting team that relies heavily on pounding the paint, eating the glass and getting to the free-throw line.
Their style is exactly what UCSD doesn’t allow. Hawaii ranks 16th nationally in FGA rate at the rim and 18th in FGA rate on paint 2s, per CBB Analytics.
UCSD plays a ton of zone, packs the paint and ranks 19th in FGA rate allowed at the rim and 37th in FGA rate allowed on paint 2s. Making Hawaii shoot 3s sure is a good way to beat it.
While the Bows should have the glass edge, one shouldn’t short-sell UCSD’s perimeter defense and its ability to force turnovers. This Tritons team has a ton of perimeter, and that length has led to them ranking second in the Big West in turnover rate. Scoring will come at a premium for Hawaii.
The Bows’ best hope is slowing this game to a crawl. Hawaii plays at a slow tempo and prefers battling in half-court affairs.
UCSD’s zone defense slows opponents down anyway, so the possession count could be extremely low in this game, pointing toward an under bet.
Finally, it’s worth noting Hawaii’s homecourt advantage, or rather surprising lack thereof.
Contrary to popular belief, the Bows rank just 242nd in KenPom’s home-court advantage rankings and are just 2-2 on their floor in league play. Any premium placed on home-court in the line is a mistake.
UCSD should take care of business tonight on the island. While this could be a low-scoring game, the Tritons are far better equipped to put the ball in the basket. A total score below 120 could still result in a double-digit Triton victory.
