Georgia Tech vs Hawaii Odds, Pick for Friday

Settle up on the couch for a late-night duel on the island as Georgia Tech will face the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii at 11 p.m. ET.

The Yellow Jackets enter this game off of two consecutive close victories against Penn State and UMass. I would expect Georgia Tech to slow the pace and be content to walk the ball up the floor, considering fatigue may be a factor after playing last night.

Unfortunately, sharp bettors have already seemingly accounted for Georgia Tech's presumed fatigue by betting this total down to 136.5. I strongly was leaning towards the under prior to seeing this number being shaved down, and I still may have an angle on the total.

The Yellow Jackets trailed UMass for much of the second half last night before closing on a 23-13 run over the final 10 minutes to escape with a victory.

The Minutemen of UMass were led by a huge effort from their sixth man Kyle Sturdivant, who had 21 points and three steals off the bench. He was a terrific matchup versus a Georgia Tech backcourt still searching for its footing under Damon Stoudamire.

The Hawaii duo of Matthue Cotton and Noel Coleman will present a similarly difficult challenge for the Yellow Jackets.

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Hawaii will also be playing on back-to-back nights in Honolulu, but it should be much fresher than its opponent. Clearly the travel advantage lies with Hawaii, considering Georgia Tech made the trek all the way from the East Coast.

The Yellow Jackets also went to overtime against Penn State in their last game prior to making the holiday trip.

The aforementioned duo of Cotton and Coleman is where Hawaii's on-court advantage rests in this matchup. Both Cotton and Coleman are seniors and have led Hawaii in scoring in nearly every one of its eight wins thus far.

Hawaii's defensive presence should also prove valuable in turning over a Georgia Tech backcourt that's much less proven.

Senior forward Bernardo da Silva will also be a worthy matchup for Georgia Tech's strength in the frontcourt.

Georgia Tech will try to slow the pace of this game down and limit the possession count. Hawaii will likely oblige, especially early in this game as each team feels the other out.

I expect this game to be close in the end, which always brings fouling and free throws into play.

Instead, I lean towards taking the first half under to negate the potential of free throws pushing this total over.

Pick: 1H Under 64

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