The Rice Owls (3-9) will be at home in Tudor Fieldhouse when they take on the Texas State Bobcats (6-6). Texas State is a 2-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 130 points. Action starts at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, December 22, 2017.
Texas State Bobcats at Rice Owls ATS Preview
The Bobcats easily got past the Ecclesia Royals in their last outing, 85-43. Immanuel King was the top scorer from either team with 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Texas State dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a fantastic offensive rebounding percentage of 39.1 (above their season average of 35.8) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.494 (below their season average of 0.518). For those same stats, Ecclesia recorded marks of 13.2 and 0.250, respectively.
In the Owls last game, they were blown out by the New Mexico Lobos, 78-69. With 15 points and 10 rebounds, Rice’s Bishop Mency put together a solid outing. New Mexico did an excellent job of converting from the free throw line (19-23; 82.6 percent). Rice, meanwhile, had a better effective field goal percentage (0.484 vs. 0.476).
Rice might struggle to find the bottom of the net as they battle against one of the nations best defenses. Texas State currently ranks 81st in defensive efficiency, while the Owls rank 335th in offensive efficiency.
Both of these teams have typically gone under the O/U total. Texas State games have finished under 60.0 percent of the time, while games including Rice have gone under 71.4 percent of the time. The Bobcats have the superior straight up (SU) record (6-6 vs. 3-9), but the Owls hold the significant advantage against the spread (ATS) (4-3 vs. 1-4).
Texas State Bobcats at Rice Owls Odds Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Texas State, ATS Winner – Texas State, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Owls rank 21st in blocks allowed per game (2.3) while the Bobcats rank 123rd (4.2).
- Texas State averages 5.9 steals per game, which ranks 117th in the NCAA. Rice ranks 188th in steals allowed per game (8.9).
- Texas State ranks 43rd in three pointers allowed per game (19.3) while Rice ranks 261st (28.0).
- The Bobcats rank 28th in assists allowed per game (12.2) while the Owls rank 221st (16.8).
- Texas State ranks 50th in rebounds allowed per game (29.1) while Rice ranks 214th (37.6).
Bettings Trends:
- The Owls average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 9.0, up from 8.2 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Bobcats have scored an average of 72.6 points per game (1.2 above their season average) and allowed an average of 60.4 points per game (2.7 below their season average).
