Rice Owls vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 11/12/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs Houston Cougars

Date: Friday, November 12, 2021

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN+

Fertitta Center is the site where the Houston Cougars (28-4 last season) will attempt to defeat the Rice Owls (15-13 last year) on Friday.

The Rice Owls stepped onto the hardwood against the UAB Blazers and took a loss by a final of 73-60 in their last contest. Rice ended the game having earned a 45.7% FG percentage (21 of 46) and made 9 of 18 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Owls converted 9 of their 11 attempts for a rate of 81.8%. With regard to rebounding, they earned a total of 21 with 1 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 13 assists in the game while creating 5 turnovers and getting 1 steal. When talking about defending, Rice allowed their opponent to shoot 44.1% from the field on 30 out of 68 shooting. UAB doled out 7 assists and had 8 steals for the game. Additionally, UAB snagged 37 rebounds (15 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. UAB went 72.7% from the charity stripe by converting 8 of 11 tries. They converted 5 out of their 14 shots from distance. When discussing personal fouls, the Owls ended up finishing with 12 while the Blazers recorded 10 personal fouls.

Max Fiedler is a player who was a major factor for the contest. He totaled 18 points on 7 out of 14 shooting. He played for 37 minutes and also pulled down 8 boards. He finished the game shooting 50.0% from the field and distributed 3 assists.

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Rice heads into this game after finishing with a mark of 15-13 last season. They averaged 73.9 pts per game (106th in the nation) while connecting on 44.0% from the field. The Owls connected on 35.8% on three-point shots (286 of 800) and 73.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Rice pulled in 37.0 boards per game and accounted for 424 assists last year, which was 35th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They lost possession by turning the ball over 15.1 times per contest and as a squad committed 13.9 personal fouls per game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Owls were able to force 12.5 turnovers every game while drawing 15.9 fouls. They surrendered 35.3% on 3-point shots while they were 266th in college hoops in opponents points per game (73.6). The Owls allowed an opponent FG percentage of 44.7% (790 of 1,768) and they conceded 35.1 boards per contest as a team. They were 332nd in college hoops in allowing assists 411 conceded last season.

In their last game, the Houston Cougars took a loss by a score of 78-59 when they faced the Baylor Bears. The Cougars recorded 12 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards totaling 25 for the contest. They also coughed it up 10 times, while recording 4 steals in this contest. The Bears were called for 18 fouls in the matchup which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for 16 tries. They were able to make 11 of the free throws for a rate of 68.8%. When discussing shots from beyond the arc, Houston knocked down 6 of their 19 attempts (31.6%). When all was said and done, the Cougars walked away from this one shooting 21 out of 55 from the field which gave them a percentage of 38.2%. The Cougars permitted the Bears to make 29 of their 55 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 52.7% for the matchup. They finished the game shooting 45.8% from 3-point land by going 11 of 24 and finished the game at 9 of 13 from the free throw line (69.2%). When it comes to cleaning the glass, Houston allowed Baylor to grab 28 in all (11 offensive).

Marcus Sasser pitched in for the Cougars in this game. He buried 7 of 14 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and earned 4 rebounds. He earned 20 points in his 39 mins of playing time and accumulated 2 dimes in this game.

Houston had a mark of 28-4 last year. The Cougars committed 18.0 fouls per contest while shooting 73.1% from the free throw line. They dished out assists 13.9 times per game (117th in the country) and they lost possession via turnover 10.7 times per game. Houston totaled 2,434 pts throughout last year (76.1 per game) and they collected 40.5 boards per contest. As an offense, the Cougars hit 43.5% from the floor, which was ranked 214th in the nation.

The Cougars on the defensive side of the court were 2nd in Division 1 in points allowed per contest with 58.2. They forced their opponents into 14.1 turnovers per game and let teams shoot 37.8% from the field (1st in college hoops). The Houston defense gave up 29.0% on shots from behind the 3-point line (181 of 625) and their opponents connected on 66.2% of their foul shots. They allowed 10.4 dimes and 31.6 rebounds every game, which was ranked 22nd and 39th in those defensive categories.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Houston

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