The top two teams face off in the Diamond Head Classic Championship. Who has the edge between Nebraska and Oregon State?
TV schedule: Wednesday, December 25th, 9:00 pm ET (approx). ESPN2
Arena: Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii
Entering this year’s Diamond Head Classic Tournament, one clear favorite was Nebraska (9-2), the group’s high-major representative. To this point, they haven’t had much of an issue, winning by double figures in both of the games.
In the quarterfinals, the Cornhuskers won 66-49 over Murray State, led by 15 points off the bench (5/10 from deep), along with a double-double off the bench by forward Andrew Morgan. That was followed up with a 69-55 victory in the semis over host Hawaii, spearheaded by 32 points from Brice Williams and 21 points by Juwan Gary. These were the two best defensive performances by the team in terms of points allowed, but they had a tough test in the finals.
Oregon State (10-2) has been a surprise team so far this season. They had a strong start in the tournament opener, winning 74-65 over Charleston. Demarco Minor and Michael Rataj, the team’s two best players, each had 16 points in the win.
The second game looked to be a loss, trailing by double-digits against Oakland for most of the semifinal game. However, a large run by the Beavers forced overtime, ultimately winning 80-74 to avoid the upset. The hero this time was sophomore guard Liutauras Lelevicius, who went for a team-high 17 points and nine rebounds for the Beavers.
This is an important game for both teams, as neither has a bad loss on their respective resumes. So the winner could add at least a Quad 2 victory going forward. It’s a matchup where the Cornhuskers have to deal with Rataj on the inside, while Williams of Nebraska is the most important scorer Oregon State has to slow down in order to win.
The Beavers had a big scare in the last game, so they should be ready for Nebraska. However, the Big Ten school should have too much for the WCC team to be able to stop for 40 minutes. Look for the high-major side to get the victory.
Prediction: Nebraska 74, Oregon State 63