UTSA vs Rice 3/5/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Rice Owls (15-14) vs. UTSA Roadrunners (9-21)
March 5, 2022 3:00 pm EDT
The Line: UTSA Roadrunners +2.5 / Rice Owls -2.5; Over/Under: 149.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Rice Owls will travel to the UTSA Convocation Center to take on the UTSA Roadrunners this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.
The Rice Owls dropped to 15-14 on the season after being defeated by the UTEP Miners, 70-67, this past Thursday. Rice struggled defensively against UTEP and could not fight back after Keonte Kennedy free-throw game the Miners a 68-67 lead with :45 seconds left in regulation. Rice shot 42.6% from the field & 34.6% from beyond the arc while allowing UTEP to shoot 53.7% from the field & 43.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Owls was Carl Pierre who had a double-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal.
On the season, Rice is averaging 75.4 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The Owls are averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game on 37.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Rice has been led by Carl Pierre (15.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.9 apg), Travis Evee (14.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Max Fiedler (10.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.4 apg), & Chris Mullins (8.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.2 apg).
Defensively, Rice is allowing their opponents to average 74.0 ppg on 45.0% shooting from the field. The Owls have a rebound margin of 1.4 and a turnover margin of -2.3.
The UTSA Roadrunners lost their 3rd straight game and dropped to 9-21 on the season after being defeated by the North Texas Mean Green, 59-48, this past Thursday. UTSA struggled on the offensive end against the tough North Texas defense and could not fight back after the Mean Green took a 51-40 lead with 5:14 left in regulation. UTSA shot 39.6% from the field & 9.1% from beyond the arc while allowing North Texas to shoot 44.4% from the field & 31.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Roadrunners was Jacob Germany who had a double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, & 1 assist.
On the season, UTSA is averaging 72.5 ppg on 45.6% shooting from the field. The Roadrunners are averaging 6.1 three-pointers per game on 28.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UTSA has been led by Jacob Germany (14.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg), Dhieu Deing (14.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 spg), Jordan Ivy-Curry (13.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.3 apg), & Darius McNeill (6.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.9 apg). UTSA has been without Jordan Ivy-Curry for the past two weeks and should be considered questionable for this matchup.
Defensively, UTSA is allowing their opponents to average 72.5 ppg on 45.6% shooting from the field. The Roadrunners have a rebound margin of 1.4 and a turnover margin of -0.3.
The Owls are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games & just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. UTSA. The Roadrunners are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games & 7-7 ATS in their last 14 home games.
Rice comes into this game with a winning overall record, however, the Owls have really struggled as of late, losing 6 of their last 8 games and it’s not encouraging to see the Owls needing OT recently to defeat the 6-24 Southern Miss Golden Eagles at home. UTSA hasn’t picked up many wins this season, however, they have had solid ATS covers over two of the best C-USA teams in UAB & North Texas recently and as I think the Roadrunners offense will have success against an Owls defense that ranks just 293rd in scoring defense & 278th in defensive FG%, I think the play here is to take UTSA and the points. Good Luck!
