Rice Owls vs FIU Panthers Prediction, 2/11/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs FIU Panthers

Date: Saturday, February 11, 2023

Location: Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami, FL

TV: ESPN+

Ocean Bank Convocation Center is the location where the FIU Panthers (12-12) will try to defeat the Rice Owls (15-8) on Saturday.

The Rice Owls faced North Texas and took a loss by a score of 74-64 in their last game. In relation to fouls, the Owls finished with 19 while North Texas totaled 19 fouls. They also converted 6 out of their 15 shots from 3-point range. North Texas finished shooting 69.2% when shooting free throws by burying 18 of 26 shots. Furthermore, North Texas totaled 33 boards (8 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't have a block. North Texas dished out 12 dimes and had 3 steals for the game. In terms of the defense, Rice allowed 52.1% from the floor on 25 of 48 shooting. They also recorded 8 dimes for the contest in addition to forcing 12 turnovers and earning 6 steals. With regard to pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 23 with 4 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Owls made 10 of their 18 tries for a percentage of 55.6%. Rice finished the contest with a 47.1% field goal percentage (24 out of 51) and converted 6 out of their 16 shots from 3-point land.

Mekhi Mason is one player who played a role for the matchup. He went 62.5% from the field but didn't record an assist. He played 39 minutes and totaled 5 rebounds. He accounted for 17 points on 5 out of 8 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks

Rice will enter this matchup with a mark of 15-8 on the season. They average 78.3 points per contest (38th in the country) while going 48.0% from the floor. The Owls are shooting 36.0% on three-point shots (199 of 553) and 73.2% from the free throw line. As a unit, Rice is collecting 36.1 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 372 assists this year, which ranks 53rd in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 13.5 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 15.2 personal fouls per contest.

On defense, the Owls are able to force 12.7 turnovers per game while drawing 18.1 fouls. They are ranked 183rd in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 304 conceded this year. The Owls defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.3% (641 of 1,416) and they relinquish 33.3 rebounds per contest as a team. They give up 34.6% on three-point shots and they are ranked 282nd in college basketball in points per game allowed (73.3).

The last time they took the court, the FIU Panthers took a loss by a final score of 76-72 when they played UAB. In the matter of cleaning up the glass, FIU permitted UAB to collect 42 in total (11 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 37.5% from three-point range by shooting 6 out of 16 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 16 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Panthers permitted UAB to make 29 of 60 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.3% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Panthers finished shooting 28 for 64 from the floor which gave them a rate of 43.8%. When talking about shooting from 3-point land, FIU buried 6 of their 22 tries (27.3%). They were able to convert 10 of the free throws for a percentage of 58.8%. UAB was called for 19 personal fouls in the game which took the Panthers to the free throw line for a total of 17 tries. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 14 steals in the matchup. The Panthers were able to collect 20 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 26 for the contest.

Denver Jones was important for the Panthers for this contest. He converted 7 of 13 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 53.8%, and had 4 rebounds. He earned 22 points in his 38 mins on the court and had 2 assists for the game.

FIU has a win-loss record of 12-12 on the campaign. The Panthers are committing 16.4 fouls per game while shooting 68.9% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 12.5 times per game (234th in college hoops) and they turn it over 15.0 times per contest. FIU has scored 1,722 points so far this year (71.8 per contest) and they snag 31.9 rebounds per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Panthers are shooting 46.6% from the floor, which ranks 64th in college hoops.

The FIU defense gives up 35.6% on shots from beyond the arc (208 of 584) and their opposition makes 74.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 14.2 assists and 37.4 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 289th and 324th in college basketball. The Panthers on the defensive side of the court are 290th in college hoops in PPG given up with 73.5. They are forcing 16.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 43.9% from the field (216th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Rice

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here