UTSA Roadrunners vs Rice Owls Prediction, 1/6/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UTSA Roadrunners vs Rice Owls

Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024

Location: Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN+

Tudor Fieldhouse is the location where the Rice Owls (6-8) will try to beat the UTSA Roadrunners (6-8) on Saturday.

The UTSA Roadrunners faced UAB and took a loss by a final of 78-76 in their last contest. When talking about personal fouls, the Roadrunners ended up with 16 and UAB finished the game with 18 personal fouls. They converted 11 of 20 shots from long range. UAB finished the game shooting 83.3% at the charity stripe by making 15 of their 18 attempts. Furthermore, UAB pulled down 44 rebounds (13 offensive, 31 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. UAB recorded 16 assists and had 5 steals for the contest. When it comes to defense, UTSA let their opponent shoot 40.6% from the field on 26 of 64 shooting. They also dished out 12 assists for this contest as well as forcing 20 turnovers and getting 9 steals. Concerning rebounding, they earned 33 with 12 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Roadrunners made 13 of their 19 shots for a percentage of 68.4%. UTSA finished the contest having earned a 39.7% field goal percentage (27 out of 68) and knocked down 9 of 22 three-point attempts.

Jordan Ivy-Curry is a player who was a factor in this contest. He ended up walking away with 20 points on 6 of 19 shooting. He saw the court for 29 minutes played and collected 10 rebounds. He finished 31.6% from the field and recorded 4 assists.

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UTSA heads into this game with a mark of 6-8 on the season. They have an average of 78.5 points per outing (96th in the country) while hitting 41.6% from the field. The Roadrunners are connecting on 34.5% on shots from 3-point land (136 of 394) and 69.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, UTSA is grabbing 40.2 boards per game and is sitting with 200 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 131st in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 11.6 times per game and as a squad they commit 18.8 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Roadrunners are forcing their opponents into 10.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.7 fouls. They are giving up 34.5% on three-point shots and they rank 341st in D-1 in points per game allowed (79.1). The Roadrunners defense is giving up a FG percentage of 43.0% (389 of 905) and they concede 40.3 rebounds per game as a squad. They rank 307th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 202 conceded so far this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Rice Owls went home defeated by a final of 84-59 when they played Tulane. The Owls pulled down 17 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 26 for the matchup. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 5 steals for the contest. Tulane earned 14 personal fouls for this game which took the Owls to the free throw line for a total of 15 shots. They were able to convert 13 of those for a rate of 86.7%. In reference to shooting from 3-point land, Rice buried 8 of their 32 attempts (25.0%). In all, the Owls ended up going 19 for 60 from the floor which gave them a rate of 31.7%. The Owls permitted Tulane to bury 34 of 60 tries from the field which left them shooting 56.7% in the game. They went 40.9% from 3-point land via 9 of 22 and ended up shooting 7 of 12 from the charity stripe (58.3%). In relation to cleaning the glass, Rice allowed Tulane to grab 34 in all (8 on the offensive side).

Travis Evee ended up being a major contributor for the Owls for this contest. He earned 14 points in his 32 minutes on the hardwood and earned 4 dimes in this matchup. He made 5 of 14 in this game for a rate of 35.7%, but wrapped this game up without a rebound.

Rice has a win-loss mark of 6-8 for the year. When it comes to offense, the Owls are shooting 43.5% from the field, which ranks 251st in the nation. Rice has totaled 1,019 points so far this season (72.8 per contest) and they collect 37.0 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 14.1 times per game (143rd in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.1 times per game. The Owls are committing 13.9 personal fouls per contest and they hit 71.1% from the charity stripe.

The Owls defensively are ranked 266th in Division 1 in PPG given up with 74.5. They are forcing 11.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.2% from the floor (297th in college basketball). The Rice defense gives up 35.2% on 3-pointers (113 of 321) and their opponents are knocking down 70.7% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 14.2 assists and 35.9 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 289th and 222nd in those categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Rice

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