Western Kentucky vs Rice 1/13/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Rice Owls (9-5) vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (9-6)
January 13, 2022 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers -8.5 / Rice Owls +8.5; Over/Under: +157
(Get latest betting odds)
The Rice Owls and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers meet Thursday in college basketball action at the E. A. Diddle Arena. The Rice Owls look for a win after winning five of their last six games. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers look for a win after winning four of their last six games.
The Rice Owls are averaging 77.4 points on 46.5 percent shooting and allowing 73.8 points on 42.5 percent shooting. Carl Pierre is averaging 15.1 points and 4.4 rebounds, while Travis Evee is averaging 14.9 points and 2.8 assists. Chris Mullins is grabbing 2.1 rebounds and Max Fiedler is dishing 2.9 assists. The Rice Owls are shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc and 70.8 percent from the free throw line. The Rice Owls are allowing 30.8 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34.9 rebounds per game.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are averaging 77.3 points on 47.1 percent shooting and allowing 68.5 points on 39.9 percent shooting. Jairus Hamilton is averaging 14.2 points and 6.1 rebounds, while Camron Justice is averaging 14 points and 2.5 rebounds. Dayvion McKnight is the third double-digit scorer and Josh Anderson is dishing 2.2 assists. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are shooting 34.6 percent from beyond the arc and 70.9 percent from the free throw line. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are allowing 32.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34 rebounds per game.
The Owls are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 road games and 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Hilltoppers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The over is 8-3 in Owls last 11 overall. The over is 4-0 in Hilltoppers last 4 overall. The road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
The Rice Owls are playing their best ball of the season right now, but a lot of those games came at home against subpar competition. Rice has had no covering success on the road dating back to last year. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are possibly the most balanced team in the C-USA this season, and they usually beat up lesser competition. WKU wins at home by an average of 19.1 points while shooting 50.7 percent from the field. I’ll eat the chalk.
