Rice Owls vs UAB Blazers Prediction, 3/9/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs UAB Blazers

Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023

Location: Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, TX

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Rice (+11)

The UAB Blazers (23-9) will play the Rice Owls (17-14) at Ford Center at the Star on Thursday. Rice opens this contest as 11-point dogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under is 157.5.

The Rice Owls faced off with FIU and went home with a loss by a final score of 90-83 in their last contest. Rice ended having earned a 50.8% FG percentage (30 out of 59) and converted 11 out of their 25 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Owls knocked down 12 of their 14 shots for a percentage of 85.7%. Regarding rebounding, they earned 28 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 20 dimes for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and having 7 steals. When it comes to defending, Rice let their opponent shoot 49.2% from the floor on 31 out of 63 shooting. FIU doled out 17 assists and had 7 steals for this game. Moreover, FIU had 31 rebounds (11 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. FIU went 84.6% from the charity stripe by knocking down 22 of 26 attempts. They buried 6 out of their 16 tries from three-point range. In reference to personal fouls, the Owls walked away with 19 and FIU totaled 15 personal fouls.

Quincy Olivari is one guy who was a contributor in the matchup. He finished the game at 38.1% from the field and totaled 2 dimes. He saw the court for 39 minutes and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He accounted for 23 points on 8 out of 21 shooting.

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Rice will take the court with a win-loss record of 17-14 on the campaign. They are turning it over 13.0 times per game and as a group are committing 15.2 fouls every game. As a team, Rice is pulling in 35.0 boards per contest and has 478 assists for the season, which is 48th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Owls are shooting 35.9% on shots from distance (281 of 782) and 73.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 77.4 pts per game (53rd in the country) while shooting 46.7% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Owls are forcing their opponents into 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.5 personal fouls. They currently rank 218th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 413 relinquished this season. The Owls defense is giving up a FG percentage of 46.5% (892 of 1,917) and they relinquish 34.3 boards per game as a group. They are surrendering 35.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 333rd in college basketball in points per game from their opponents (76.2).

In their last game, the UAB Blazers got the win with a final of 93-91 against Charlotte. The Blazers collected 29 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 41 in this game. They turned the ball over 12 times, while recording 6 steals in this game. Charlotte was called for 15 personal fouls for this game which took the Blazers to the charity stripe for 10 attempts. They were able to bury 8 of the free throws for a clip of 80.0%. In relation to three-point shots, UAB knocked down 9 out of 29 attempts (31.0%). At the conclusion of this game, the Blazers shot 38 out of 80 from the floor which had them at 47.5%. The Blazers allowed Charlotte to convert 32 out of their 71 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 45.1% for the contest. They wrapped up this game 34.8% from distance by shooting 8 of 23 and finished the contest at 19 out of 25 from the free throw line (76.0%). In the matter of how they cleaned up the glass, UAB permitted Charlotte to collect 36 in total (8 on the offensive side).

Jordan Walker ended up having an impact for the Blazers for the game. He racked up 41 points in his 46 minutes on the hardwood and added 6 assists in this matchup. He converted 15 out of 32 in this contest for a rate of 46.9%, and had 4 rebounds.

UAB has a mark of 23-9 so far this season. As an offensive unit, the Blazers are hitting on 45.9% from the field, which is ranked 98th in Division 1. UAB has totaled 2,634 points on the campaign (82.3 per contest) and they collect 41.1 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 15.1 times per game (50th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 13.1 times per game. The Blazers have committed 17.8 personal fouls per contest while shooting 73.2% from the free throw line.

The Blazers on the defensive end are ranked 231st in the country in points per game surrendered with 71.7. They have forced 14.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.7% from the floor (64th in Division 1). The UAB defense allows 32.3% on shots from distance (231 of 715) and their opposition knocks down 72.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They surrender 12.3 dimes and 34.8 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 157th and 230th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Rice (+11)

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