Florida State vs Rice Prediction College Basketball Picks 11/9/24

The Florida State Seminoles are visiting the Rice Owls on Saturday, November 9th at the Toyota Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Florida State Seminoles vs. Rice Owls Prediction.

Rice Owls Preview

The Rice Owls are coming off a disappointing season with an 11-21 record, placing last in the AAC with a 5-13 conference record. Rice had a below-average 6-10 home record and was 5-7 on the road. The Owls were 12-17-1 against the spread and 14-16 in over/under.

In their season opener on Monday, the Owls won Florida International at home, 77-70. Rice managed to cover the -6.5-point spread and the game went under the 152-point total. The Owls’ 77 points were just 219th in the nation, while their 70 points allowed were 188th. Rice played excellent defense and held Florida International into just 37% from the field while drawing a grand total of 31 fouls, leading to 38 free throw attempts.

Junior forward Caden Powell led Rice’s offense with a big double-double with 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Senior guard Trae Broadnax added 15 points, 7 rebounds, and a team-high 6 assists.

Florida State Seminoles Preview

The Florida State Seminoles are coming off a balanced season with a 17-16 record, placing 11th in the AAC with a 10-10 conference record. Florida State was decent at home with a 10-7 record, but were below average on the road with 4-7. The Seminoles were 15-15-1 against the spread and 19-11-1 in over/under.

In their season opener on Monday, the Seminoles won Northern Kentucky at home, 74-62. Florida State managed to cover the -8-point spread and the game went under the 146.5-point total. The Seminoles’ 74 points were just 248th in the nation, while their 62 points allowed were 115th. Florida State struggled with their shooting from beyond the arc, with just 18%, but managed to force 22 turnovers off Northern Kentucky with their 14 steals.

Sophomore forward Taylor Bol Bowen and senior forward Jamir Watkins led Florida State’s offense with 17 points apiece, with Bowen also grabbing a team-high 6 rebounds. Florida State will take on Tarleton State after this one.

Why the Rice Owls will win

• Florida State has lost eight of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
• Rice has won four of its last five games against non-conference opponents.
• Florida State has lost the first half in each of its last four games played at neutral venues.

Why the Florida State Seminoles will win

• Rice has lost each of its last five games played at neutral venues.
• Florida State has won 10 of its last 12 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
• Florida State has won the first half in 10 of its last 12 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.

Florida State Seminoles vs Rice Owls Prediction

In this Florida State Seminoles vs. Rice Owls Prediction, Florida State is coming as -9-point road favorites. Rice is projected as #208 in the nation this season, while Florida State is projected at a strong #87. Both teams showed defensive prowess in their openers, holding their opponents to just 62 and 70 points, and neither had fireworks offensively. I expect this to be a slow grind and low-scoring game, so I’m taking the under the point total.