Rice Owls vs Memphis Tigers Prediction, 2/26/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs Memphis Tigers

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Location: FedExForum in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Rice Owls (13-15) are headed to FedExForum on Wednesday where they will try to beat the Memphis Tigers (22-5).

The Rice Owls faced Tulsa and earned the victory with a final of 71-50 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Owls ended up with 11 and Tulsa totaled 13 personal fouls. They also made 7 out of their 23 attempts from 3-point land. Tulsa finished the game at 33.3% when shooting free throws by knocking down 3 of 9 attempts. Furthermore, Tulsa totaled 28 boards (4 offensive, 24 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Tulsa recorded 10 dimes and had 3 steals in the matchup. Regarding the defense, Rice let their opponent shoot 37.0% from the field on 20 of 54 shooting. They also dished out 10 dimes for the game while forcing 7 turnovers and earning 6 steals. When talking about pulling down boards, they earned 41 with 12 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Owls converted 12 of their 21 attempts for a rate of 57.1%. Rice finished the contest with a 44.8% field goal percentage (26 out of 58) and buried 7 out of their 21 shots from 3-point land.

Trae Broadnax is one guy who was a major contributor in this matchup. He ended up shooting 53.8% from the field and distributed 3 assists. He was on the court for 30 minutes and also collected 6 rebounds. He accounted for 16 points on 7 out of 13 shooting.

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Rice steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 13-15 so far this season. They are losing possession via turnover 11.9 times per contest and as a team they are committing 17.7 fouls every game. As a team, Rice is snagging 38.6 rebounds per game and has accounted for 334 dimes on the campaign, which ranks 299th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Owls are shooting 34.8% on three-point attempts (213 of 612) and 68.5% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 71.5 pts per contest (259th in Division 1) while connecting on 42.6% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Owls are able to force 9.5 turnovers per game and they draw 20.2 personal fouls. They give up 32.8% on 3-pointers and they rank 112th in college in points per game allowed (69.8). The Owls defense is allowing a FG percentage of 41.7% (673 of 1,614) and they concede 34.5 boards per game as a group. They are 64th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 323 surrendered for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Memphis Tigers got the win with a final of 84-65 when they faced Florida Atlantic. The Tigers recorded 28 defensive rebounds and 16 offensive boards totaling 44 for this contest. They turned the ball over 9 times, while getting 9 steals for the contest. Florida Atlantic committed 17 personal fouls for this contest which got the Tigers to the charity stripe for 15 tries. They were able to make 13 of those for a rate of 86.7%. In reference to three-point shots, Memphis converted 5 of 19 tries (26.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Tigers shot 33 out of 70 from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.1%. The Tigers allowed Florida Atlantic to make 26 of their 61 attempts from the field which had them at 42.6% in the game. They went 40.0% from beyond the arc by going 8 out of 20 and finished the contest at 5 out of 18 from the free throw line (27.8%). In relation to cleaning the glass, Memphis allowed Florida Atlantic to snag 31 in total (10 on the offensive glass).

Dain Dainja ended up being a major contributor for the Tigers in this game. He tallied 22 points in his 27 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 1 assist in the game. He made 8 out of 13 in the game for a rate of 61.5%, and had 11 rebounds.

Memphis has a mark of 22-5 on the year. The Tigers are responsible for committing 17.4 personal fouls per game and they hit 70.9% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 14.5 times per contest (119th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.8 times per contest. Memphis has accumulated 2,149 points for the year (79.6 per game) and they pull in 35.8 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Tigers are connecting on 47.3% from the field, which ranks them 54th in Division 1.

The Tigers on defense are ranked 217th in D-1 in PPG given up with 73.0. They are able to force 14.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.1% from the floor (91st in D-1). The Memphis defense gives up 32.6% on shots from beyond the arc (216 of 662) and opponents are knocking down 71.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 13.8 dimes and 35.1 rebounds every game, which ranks 247th and 230th in the country.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Rice

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