Charlotte vs Rice 3/9/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Rice Owls (15-15) vs. Charlotte 49ers (17-13)
March 9, 2022 6:30 pm EDT
The Line: Charlotte 49ers -2.5 / Rice Owls +2.5; Over/Under: 149
(Get latest betting odds)
The 5-seed Rice Owls & 4-seed Charlotte 49ers will square off at the Ford Center At The Star this Wednesday night in the 2nd round C-USA Championship.
The Rice Owls finished their regular season with an overall record of 15-15 and earned the 5-seed (West) in the C-USA Championship after finishing conference play with a 7-11 record. Rice finished their non-conference portion of their schedule with an 8-4 record with their best win coming against Southern U. Rice started conference play with a 2-1 record with impressive wins over Middle Tennessee & UAB, however, the Owls struggled down the stretch, which included a double-digit lost to UTSA in their regular season finale.
On the season, Rice is averaging 75.3 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The Owls are averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game on 38.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Rice has been led by Carl Pierre (15.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.8 apg), Travis Evee (14.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Max Fiedler (10.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.4 apg), & Chris Mullins (8.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.3 apg).
Defensively, Rice is allowing their opponents to an average of 74.2 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field. The Owls have a rebound margin of 1.7 and a turnover margin of -2.5.
The Charlotte 49ers finished their regular season with an overall record of 17-13 and earned the 4-seed (East) in the C-USA Championship after finishing conference play with a 10-8 record. Charlotte finished their non-conference portion of their schedule with a 10-8 record with their top wins coming against Appalachian State & Valparaiso. Charlotte struggled against the top-tier competition of their schedule, however, the 49ers played well down the stretch which including winning 3 of their last 5 road games.
On the season, Charlotte is averaging 70.3 ppg on 46.5% shooting from the field. The 49ers are averaging 7.5 three-pointers per game on 34.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Charlotte has been led by Jahmir Young (19.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.1 spg), Austin Butler (12.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.5 apg), Clyde Trapp (8.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.6 apg), & Aly Khalifa (7.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.5 apg).
Defensively, Charlotte is allowing their opponents to an average of 71.2 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The 49ers have a rebound margin of -1.6 and a turnover margin of -0.1.
The Owls are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games as an underdog & 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The 49ers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Wednesday games & 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite.
Charlotte defeated Rice in their only matchup of the season as the 49ers defeated the Owls by a 67-64 margin at home in late January.
Rice has been led by their offense, which ranks 69th in scoring offense & 76th in FG%, however, the Owls have struggled on the defensive end as they come into this game ranked only 294th in scoring defense & 282nd in defensive FG%. Charlotte has shot the ball well this season, ranking 53rd in FG% & 117th in 3P-FG%, however, the 49ers have also had issues defensively and come into this game ranked just 236th in scoring defense & 304th in defensive FG%. Rice has really struggled as of late, losing 6 of their last 7 games with their only win coming in OT against the 6-25 Southern Miss Eagles and between the fact that Charlotte is coming in with some momentum, winning 4 of their last 5 games with an impressive win over Middle Tennessee and that I think the 49ers offense has plenty of success in this one, I’m taking Charlotte to cover this small spread. Good Luck!
