Rice Owls vs Charlotte 49ers Prediction, 2/25/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs Charlotte 49ers

Date: Saturday, February 25, 2023

Location: Dale F. Halton Arena in Charlotte, NC

TV: ESPN+

The Rice Owls (17-10) are headed to Dale F. Halton Arena on Saturday where they will attempt to defeat the Charlotte 49ers (16-11).

The Rice Owls faced off with Western Kentucky and earned the victory with a final of 83-77 in their last contest. Rice wrapped up the game with a 44.3% FG percentage (27 out of 61) and buried 10 out of their 27 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Owls converted 19 of their 23 shots for a rate of 82.6%. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they earned 35 with 5 of them being offensive. They also recorded 16 assists for this contest as well as creating 10 turnovers and having 6 steals. Pertaining to defense, Rice allowed their opponent to shoot 43.9% from the floor on 29 of 66 shooting. Western Kentucky recorded 15 assists and had 3 steals in this matchup. On top of that, Western Kentucky collected 33 rebounds (6 offensive, 27 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Western Kentucky finished the game at 90.0% from the charity stripe by making 9 of their 10 tries. They made 10 out of their 29 tries from long range. When it comes to fouls, the Owls ended up with 13 and Western Kentucky accounted for 20 fouls.

Quincy Olivari is someone who came through for this game. He finished the game shooting 39.1% from the floor and also dished out 2 assists. He played for 37 mins and also grabbed 12 boards. He racked up 34 points on 9 of 23 shooting.

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Rice heads into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 17-10 this year. They have an average of 78.9 pts per contest (31st in Division 1) while going 47.5% from the field. The Owls are shooting 36.5% on shots from beyond the arc (245 of 671) and 73.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Rice is grabbing 36.0 boards per contest and has accounted for 424 assists so far this season, which is 63rd in college basketball in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 13.2 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 15.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Owls are able to force 12.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.1 fouls. They are ranked 160th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 351 relinquished for the year. The Owls are giving up a FG percentage of 45.9% (764 of 1,663) and they surrender 33.4 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are giving up 34.4% on 3-point attempts while they are 307th in college hoops in opponents points per game (74.6).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Charlotte 49ers went home victorious with a score of 74-67 against Louisiana Tech. The 49ers were able to collect 20 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds totaling 22 in the matchup. They turned the ball over 11 times, while recording 1 steal in the matchup. Louisiana Tech committed 15 personal fouls in this contest which took the 49ers to the charity stripe for 12 tries. They were able to make 9 of those for a percentage of 75.0%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, Charlotte converted 9 of their 18 tries (50.0%). When all was said and done, the 49ers ended up going 28 for 45 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 62.2%. The 49ers allowed Louisiana Tech to convert 25 of their 58 tries from the floor which left them shooting 43.1% for the game. They shot 27.3% from behind the 3-point line by hitting 6 of 22 and finished the contest at 11 out of 12 at the free throw line (91.7%). With respect to how they rebounded, Charlotte permitted Louisiana Tech to collect 26 in all (9 on the offensive glass).

Aly Khalifa ended up being a factor for the 49ers in this matchup. He converted 9 of 13 for the contest for a rate of 69.2%, and accounted for 7 rebounds. He scored 22 points in his 34 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to tally an assist.

Charlotte has a win-loss mark of 16-11 so far this year. As an offensive unit, the 49ers are shooting 46.7% from the field, which has them ranked 66th in Division 1. Charlotte has accounted for 1,781 points this season (66.0 per contest) and they pull down 29.7 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 13.4 times per game (162nd in the nation) and they cough up possession 10.9 times per game. The 49ers are committing 13.9 personal fouls per game while shooting 74.5% from the charity stripe.

The Charlotte defense allows 35.1% on three-point shots (193 of 550) and their opponents are converting on 73.5% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 9.9 dimes and 29.2 boards every game, which has them ranked 16th and 5th in those categories on the defensive end. The 49ers on defense are ranked 16th in the nation in points given up per game with 61.8. They are able to force 11.2 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.3% from the floor (154th in college basketball).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Rice

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