Rice vs Memphis Prediction 2/26/25 College Basketball Picks

The Rice Owls and the Memphis Tigers meet Wednesday in college basketball action from the FedexForum. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Rice vs. Memphis prediction.

Matchup History

Memphis won the first meeting this season by a final score of 86-83 on the road back on February 2nd, 2025. The win gave Memphis their first win over the Owls since January 16th, 2013.

Rice Recap

The Rice Owls come into this game looking to add on to a 71-50 win over Tulsa last time out to improve to 13-15 on the year. After this game, Rice will head on the road once again for a game against UTSA.

Owls Looking To Build Momentum

Trae Broadnax leads Rice in scoring and assists with 12.9 PPG and 4.3 APG along with 5.4 RPG as the lone double-digit scorer for Rice this season. Kellen Amos has added 9.1 PPG with 3.8 RPG and 2.6 APG while Caden Powell has 9.9 PPG with a team-high 7 RPG to lead Rice on the glass up to this point in the year. Alem Huseinovic has 8 PPG and Denver Anglin has added 8.8 PPG as well on the year. As a team, Rice is averaging 71.5 PPG on 42.6% from the field, 34.8% from behind the arc, and 68.5% from the foul line this season.  

Why the Rice Owls will win

• The road team has won each of the last three games between Rice and Memphis.

Memphis Recap

The Memphis Tigers come into this game looking to build on an 84-65 win over FAU last time out to improve to 22-5 on the year. After this game, Memphis will head on the road for a matchup against UAB.

Tigers Win 9 Of Last 10, Trying To Pull Away Atop AAC Mountain

PJ Haggerty leads Memphis in scoring with 21.3 PPG along with 5.6 RPG and 3.7 APG while Tyrese Hunter has 14.7 PPG with 3.8 RPG and 3.4 APG of his own. Colby Rogers has 10.8 PPG and Dain Dainja has 12.8 PPG with a team-high 6.6 RPG to lead the Tigers in rebounding and to round out the group of double-digit scorers for Memphis so far this season. As a team, Memphis is averaging 79.6 PPG on 47.3% shooting from the field, 39.6% from three-point range, and 70.9% from the foul line this season.

Why the Memphis Tigers will win

• Memphis has won each of its last 12 games against the American Athletic Conference at FedExForum.
• Rice has lost nine of its last 10 night games against the American Athletic Conference.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Rice’s last four road night games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 140 or fewer points.
• Four of Memphis’ last five night games against non-AP-ranked opponents at FedExForum have produced a total of 152+ points.

Rice vs. Memphis Prediction

I’m on Rice in this game. I get why Memphis is favored and I agree with them being favored at home in this game. However, the Tigers have still had the same problem they normally do under Penny Hardaway. The Tigers have a tendency to overdeliver in spots where you may not expect them to succeed and they underwhelm in spots where they should thrive. I think this is a spot where Rice rises up to the occasion as they have many times so far in conference play, as the Owls have been a profitable underdog for much of the season. I’ll take my chances with Rice and the points in this game.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Rice +13.5