North Texas vs Rice Prediction 2/4/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The North Texas Mean Green and the Rice Owls meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston. Here’s a North Texas vs Rice prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best North Texas vs Rice pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

North Texas Mean Green Betting Preview

North Texas looked pretty good in their first nine games, notching a 7-2 record during that time. The Mean Green are just 5-8 in their last 13 outings however. The losses during that time have been versus TCU, Santa Clara, Memphis, South Florida, Wichita State, East Carolina, Tulsa and UAB. Across their first 22 outings of the year, the Mean Green have managed to carve out a 12-10 record.

Back on Saturday versus UAB the Mean Green were up 37-34 by the end of the first half. North Texas was outscored 38-31 the rest of the way however, leading to a disappointing loss at home 72-68 in the end. Je’Shawn Stevenson was the leading team scorer with 21 points and two assists in the defeat and David Terrell had 17 points with five rebounds and five assists.

Rice Owls Betting Preview

Over on the Rice side, they kicked off their campaign this year on a 2-6 run but then won four straight games in December. Since then however, it’s been a 3-7 stretch over the last 10 games for the Owls. Those losses have come courtesy of Pepperdine, Tulsa, Memphis, Charlotte, Temple, Tulsa and Charlotte again. Over the first 22 games of the season that gives the Owls a 9-13 overall record in the books.

Matched up against Charlotte over the weekend, Rice limped into the second half with a 37-30 deficit. The Owls didn’t end up getting any closer than that on a 43-40 run the rest of the way and eventually took the loss on the road 80-70. Nick Anderson was the leading team scorer with 18 points and two rebounds while Trae Broadnax had 16 points with eight rebounds and five assists.

North Texas Mean Green @ Rice Owls Betting Trends: February 4, 2026

Why the Rice Owls will win

• North Texas has lost four of its last five road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Rice has won the first half in three of its last four night games at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Why the North Texas Mean Green will win

• Rice has lost 11 of its last 12 games against Conference opponents at Tudor Fieldhouse.
• North Texas has won seven of its last eight road games against Rice.
• North Texas has won the first half in seven of its last eight night games.

North Texas vs Rice Prediction

I’ll lean toward North Texas. The Mean Green need a good bounce-back effort after a sketchy loss at home versus a solid UAB team, though. In that one North Texas shot a tepid 41.4 percent from the field and just 17.6 percent (3-of-17) from outside while giving up 50.9 percent shooting on defense. The 33-28 rebounding deficit didn’t help matters either. The Mean Green have lost three straight games now (two at home), scoring fewer than 69 points in each of those.

As for Rice, they shot just 37.1 percent from the field in their loss to Charlotte while giving up 51.1 percent on defense. The Owls did well on the boards with a 38-26 advantage but also got outscored in the paint 24-14. Rice has won just three games since December 17 but they’ve scored 70 or more points in five of the last six outings. We could have a decent total here if the Green can get their shooting percentage up.

Andrew Jett's Pick: North Texas Mean Green -2