Prairie View A&M vs Rice Prediction College Basketball Picks 12/22/24

The Prairie View Panthers are visiting the Rice Owls on Sunday, December 22nd at the Tudor Fieldhouse. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Prairie View Panthers vs Rice Owls Prediction.

Rice Owls Preview

The Rice Owls have an 8-4 record this season and are coming off a 68-69 loss to the University of North Texas in Dallas. The Owls are 5-6 against the spread, and 6-5 in over/under, while having a 4-1 home record.

Offensively, Rice is averaging 70.7 points per game, which is 287th in the nation. Defensively, they are allowing 67.3 points per game (83rd). The Owls shoot 41.7% from the field (322nd) and 32.2% from beyond the arc (250th). The Owls shoot 69.6% from the free throw line (226th) and are grabbing 39.1 rebounds per game (68th).

Trae Broadnax leads Rice in scoring this season, with an average of 14.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and a team-high 4.1 assists. Kellen Amos adds 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Rice will meet Tulsa and Charlotte following this game.

Prairie View Panthers Preview

The Prairie View Panthers have a 1-10 record this season and are coming off a 75-111 loss to UCLA. The Panthers are 5-5 against the spread, and 7-3 in over/under while having a 0-10 road record this season. 

Offensively, Prairie View is averaging 79.5 points per game, which is 96th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 96.9 points per game, which is dead last in the nation. The Panthers shoot 44.9% from the field (200th) and 34.2% from beyond the arc (159th). The Panthers shoot 73.6% from the free-throw line (114th) and are grabbing 27.7 rebounds per game, which is the fourth-worst in the nation.

Nick Anderson leads Prairie View in scoring with an average of 19 points and 4.8 rebounds, while Tanahj Pettway adds 14.5 points. Prairie View will take on Oklahoma after this one.

Why the Rice Owls will win

• Prairie View A&M has lost each of its last 17 away games when playing with a rest advantage.
• The home team has won each of Prairie View A&M’s last 12 games.
• Prairie View A&M has lost the first half in 18 of its last 19 night games against non-conference opponents.

Prairie View Panthers vs Rice Owls Prediction

Rice has won all four previous meetings against Prairie View, covering the spread in all four. In their most recent meeting last season, Rice won 82-56 at home. In this Prairie View Panthers vs Rice Owls Prediction, Rice is coming as a -14 home favorite. Prairie View is better offensively, scoring 8.7 points more than Rice, while Rice is better defensively, allowing 22.6 points less. The Panthers are losing by an average of 17.4 points per game this season, but are 4-3 against the spread in their last 7 games. Rice has failed to cover in five of their last six games, so it’s a pass on the side. Both teams have been involved in high-scoring games lately, as they are 11-2 to the over in their last 13 games combined. I expect this trend to continue and I’m taking the over.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: Over 155.5