Rice at Marshall: 3/10/21 College Basketball Picks and Prediction
Photo by Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Marshall Thundering Herd (15-6) vs Rice Owls (14-12)
Game Info: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 7:00 pm (Ford Center at The Star)
Betting Odds: Marshall Thundering Herd -9.5 -- Over/Under: 158.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Rice Owls and Marshall Thundering Herd will square off at the Ford Center At The Star in the 2nd round of the C-USA Championship this Wednesday night.
The Rice Owls finished their regular season with an overall record of 13-12 and earned the 6-seed in the C-USA-West division after finishing conference play with a 6-10 record. Rice was able to advance to the 2nd round after defeating the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, 61-52, last night. Rice was outstanding defensively against Southern Miss and was able to pull away late after a 12-0 Owls run gave Rice a 57-49 lead with 1:25 left in regulation. Rice shot 47.1% from the field and 35.0% from beyond the arc while Southern Miss shot 37.9% from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc. Rice lost the turnover battle by a 18-15 margin, however, did outrebound the Golden Eagles by a 35-31 margin. Leading the way for the Owls was Max Fiedler who had a double-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, & 4 steals.
On the season, Rice is averaging 74.5 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The Owls are averaging 10.3 three-pointers per game on 35.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Rice has been led by Quincy Olivari (16.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.0 apg), Travis Evee (14.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.2 spg), Max Fiedler (10.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.6 apg), & Chris Mullins (10.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.0 spg).
Defensively, Rice is allowing their opponents to average 73.9 ppg on 44.9% shooting from the field. The Owls have a rebound margin of 2.6 and a turnover margin of -1.9.
The Marshall Thundering Herd finished their regular season with an overall record of 15-6 and earned the 3-seed in the C-USA East division after finishing conference play with a 9-5 record. Marshall struggled a bit on the defensive end this season as they come into this game ranked just 236th in scoring defense, however, Marshall was able to have plenty of success behind an offense that currently ranks 19th in scoring offense, 32nd in FG%, & 28th in three-pointers made per game. Marshall picked up some quality wins early in the season against Wright State & Ohio and come into this game with some momentum as the Thundering Herd have won 6 of their last 7 games.
On the season, Marshall is averaging 80.5 ppg on 43.3% shooting from the field. The Thundering Herd are averaging 9.2 three-pointers per game on 36.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Marshall has been led by Taevion Kinsey (20.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.1 apg), Jarrod West (12.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.5 spg), Andrew Taylor (12.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.5 spg), & Jannson Williams (9.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.1 bpg).
Defensively, Marshall is allowing their opponents to average 72.6 ppg on 43.3% shooting from the field. The Thundering Herd have a rebound margin of -2.0 and a turnover margin of 2.7.
The Owls are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog and just 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. The Thundering Herd are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games as a favorite and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 neutral stie games.
Rice is a decent offensive team that certainly can pull some upsets behind their three-point shooting, however, it is hard to imagine the Owls defense being able to slow down Taevion Kinsey and the explosive Marshall offense. Marshall played well away from home this season, posting a 6-3 record, and as I think the Thundering Herd will be able to put up 80+ against Rice in this one, I think Marshall does enough to cover this large spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Marshall Thundering Herd -9.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
