George Washington vs Pepperdine Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Dec. 23 (Waves Challenged by Pesky Colonials)

George Washington vs Pepperdine Game Info

2022-23 NCAA College Basketball Regular Season Game
George Washington Colonials (6-5) vs. Pepperdine Waves (6-6)
Date: Friday, Dec. 23, 2022
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Venue: Stan Sheriff Center — Honolulu, HI
Coverage: ESPN2

The 2022-23 NCAA college basketball season continues on Friday, Dec. 23, including a Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic showdown between the George Washington Colonials and Pepperdine Waves.

George Washington is coming off a 66-64 loss to Washington State on Thursday, coming in heart-breaking fashion has a three-pointer with three seconds left caused the Colonials to lose. Meanwhile, Pepperdine fell to Hawai'i, 76-70, yesterday, mostly due to the Waves being outscored 38-24 in the first half.

Can George Washington erase yesterday's loss with a stronger showing tonight? Or will Pepperdine stop the Colonials with a more well-rounded effort?

George Washington vs Pepperdine Odds & Spread

All NCAA college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets.
Moneyline: GW: (+134) | PEPP: (-162)
Spread: GW:+3.5 (-114) | PEPP: -3.5 (-106)
Total: 151.5 - Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

Pepperdine enters this contest as the slight favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 151.5 points, which is the highest of Friday's projected totals.

George Washington vs Pepperdine Prediction

Another reason why Pepperdine lost to Hawai'i was due to the latter winning the rebound battle, 39-23. That was an uncharacteristic performance by the Waves, who average 37.0 rebounds per game (T-No. 80). They also like won't be outrebounded tonight since George Washington struggles in the paint, averaging 33.7 RPG (T-No. 228).

It's also hard to trust Pepperdine after shooting just 37.8% from the field in its last three games. George Washington has been much more accurate, shooting 44.4% over that stretch and even averaging a 50.3 FG% in road/neutral site games this season. There's also the fact that the Colonials nearly won yesterday had it not been for that last-moment three-pointer.

I expect an evenly contested matchup here, however, George Washington's advantage in the shooting and rebounding departments will make the difference.

Final Score Prediction: George Washington: 75 | Pepperdine: 72

George Washington vs Pepperdine Betting Trends

- George Washington is 4-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last six games.
- Pepperdine is 1-4 straight up in its last five games.
- The total has hit the under in five of George Washington's last six games.
- The total has hit the over in five of Pepperdine's last six games.

George Washington vs Pepperdine Best Bet

With an upset being a real possibility, I'm taking George Washington on the moneyline. Pepperdine has a horrendous minus-16.5 scoring margin in road/neutral games, whereas the Colonials' minus-5.7 mark is noticeably better. Furthermore, the Waves have also lost each of their last two games when they've been the favorite.

Pepperdine just can't be trusted due to its shooting struggles and slow start to yesterday's game. Back George Washington to pull off the upset by taking advantage of its +134 ML odds.

Bet: George Washington ML (+134)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.