UTSA vs Rice Prediction - Basketball Picks 3/8/23

Rice Owls (16-14) vs UTSA Roadrunners (10-21)

Game Info: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at 9:30 pm (Ford Center at The Star)

Betting Odds: Rice Owls -4.5 -- Over/Under: 155.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

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The UTSA Roadrunners and Rice Owls face off on Wednesday in a college basketball showdown in the Conference USA Tournament game at the Ford Center. When these two teams faced off on February 16th it was UTSA that secured the 84-79 victory.

UTSA Betting Preview

UTSA comes into this game with a 10-21 record overall and they have gone 12-15-2 against the spread. Last Thursday against Charlotte, UTSA scored 78 points and that was enough to secure the five point victory. UTSA is averaging 69.2 points while their defense is giving up 76.6 points per game. The offense hasn’t been great, but the defense has been a big issue, and it’s going to need to be the defense that steps up here. Japhet Medor is averaging 13.4 points while shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 31 percent from behind the three point line.

Rice Betting Preview

On the other side of this matchup is Rice who sits with a 17-14 record overall and they have gone 13-14-1 against the spread. On Saturday against FIU, Rice’s defense gave up 90 points and that led to the 83 point defeat. Quincy Olivari finished with 23 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Rice is averaging 77.4 points while their defense is giving up 76.2 points per game. They want to play a faster pace, but the defense has been an issue, and it’s going to continue here. Quincy Olivari is averaging 19.3 points while shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from behind the three point line.

UTSA vs Rice Trends

UTSA is 4-1 against the spread in their last five games overall. The over is 8-0 in UTSA’s last eight games overall. The over is 8-1 in Rice’s last nine games following an against te spread loss. The over is 6-0 in the Owls last seven games against a team with a winning percentage below .400.

Shane’s Free Pick

Both of these teams have had some major defensive issues this season, and it’s going to continue to be an issue again in this game. Look for both of these teams to have no issue running up the score, and this game is going to go well over the total. This is one of my favorite plays on the board.