Rice Owls vs Memphis Tigers Prediction, 1/31/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs Memphis Tigers

Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Location: FedExForum in Memphis, TN

TV: ESPN+

FedExForum is the site where the Memphis Tigers (15-5) will play the Rice Owls (7-13) on Wednesday.

The Rice Owls faced Tulsa and took a loss by a final of 85-83 in their last contest. Rice walked away from the contest with a 43.5% field goal percentage (30 of 69) and knocked down 13 of their 34 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Owls converted 10 of 15 tries for a rate of 66.7%. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they earned 30 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 23 assists for the game in addition to creating 15 turnovers and getting 10 steals. When discussing defending, Rice allowed 55.1% from the floor on 27 of 49 shooting. Tulsa doled out 15 dimes and had 8 steals for the contest. Furthermore, Tulsa pulled down 30 rebounds (2 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Tulsa ended up going 76.9% from the free throw line by knocking down 20 of 26 attempts. They knocked down 11 of their 23 tries from three-point range. When discussing personal fouls, the Owls finished with 19 while Tulsa finished the game with 16 personal fouls.

Mekhi Mason is one guy who was a contributor for the matchup. He finished with 19 points on 5 out of 15 shooting. He saw the court for 35 minutes and collected 5 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 33.3% from the floor and also totaled 7 assists.

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Rice heads into this game with a mark of 7-13 this year. They lose possession via turnover 12.5 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 14.8 fouls per contest. As a team, Rice is pulling in 36.8 rebounds per contest and has racked up 302 assists this year, which is 101st in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Owls are shooting 32.3% from downtown (160 of 496) and 70.2% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 73.1 points per game (222nd in D-1) while shooting 43.5% from the floor.

On defense, the Owls have forced 11.4 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.9 personal fouls. They rank 293rd in Division 1 in giving up assists with 294 relinquished this season. The Owls defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 45.2% (548 of 1,212) and they concede 35.6 boards per game as a squad. They relinquish 36.7% from beyond the arc and they are 286th in college basketball in points per game allowed (75.7).

The last time they took the court, the Memphis Tigers took a defeat with a final score of 97-88 when they faced UAB. Concerning attacking the glass, Memphis allowed UAB to pull down 38 in total (16 on the offensive glass). They went 45.0% from distance by connecting on 9 out of 20 and finished the game at 26 out of 34 at the free throw line (76.5%). The Tigers allowed UAB to knock down 31 out of their 60 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 51.7% in this game. At the conclusion of this game, the Tigers shot 31 for 64 from the field which had them shooting 48.4%. In regard to three-point shots, Memphis buried 10 of 23 attempts (43.5%). They were able to bury 16 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 69.6%. UAB was called for 18 personal fouls in this contest which got the Tigers to the charity stripe for a total of 23 attempts. They also coughed it up 21 times, while recording 15 steals in this game. The Tigers pulled down 16 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards totaling 29 for the matchup.

David Jones was important for the Tigers in this game. He made 9 out of 16 for the contest for a rate of 56.3%, and had 9 rebounds. He accumulated 24 points in his 33 minutes on the court and had 3 assists for the game.

Memphis has a win-loss mark of 15-5 this season. On the offensive side of the court, the Tigers are connecting on 46.6% from the floor, which ranks 88th in the country. Memphis has scored 1,630 pts on the year (81.5 per game) and they pull in 37.1 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.4 times per game (176th in the country) and they turn the ball over 13.6 times per contest. The Tigers are committing 17.5 personal fouls per game and they shoot 73.7% from the charity stripe.

The Tigers on the defensive end are ranked 289th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 75.8. They are forcing their opponents into 14.1 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.7% from the field (90th in college basketball). The Memphis defense gives up 33.5% on three-point shots (184 of 550) and their opponents are making 71.8% of their free throw shots. They surrender 13.8 dimes and 36.9 rebounds per game, which is ranked 262nd and 280th in Division 1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Rice

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