Memphis Tigers vs Rice Owls Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Memphis vs Rice NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Houston.

Memphis vs Rice Prediction

Planning on watching today's Tigers and Owls game? Catch the action at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, TX, as the Owls hosts this showdown at 3:00 ET on ESPN+. Memphis is favored by -10.5 in this American Athletic conference showdown. The game's over/under is currently at 145.5 points.

Memphis vs. Rice Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Memphis Tigers at Rice Owls
Where: Houston at Tudor Fieldhouse
Date: Sunday, February 2nd
Betting Odds MPHS -10.5, MPHS -577 | RICE +411 O/U 145.5

Tigers Preview: Will the Tigers Find a Way to Win on the Road?

Memphis Tigers Recent Game/Games

Memphis improved to 17-4 on the season with a 68-56 win over Tulane on Thursday. The Tigers, who were -5.5 favorites, covered the spread in the victory.

Memphis led 29-26 at halftime and pulled away by scoring 39 points in the second half while holding Tulane to 30. The combined points of 124 fell well below the O/U line of 151.5.

Tigers Offense Breakdown

Memphis put up 68 points in their last game, shooting 44.8% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 51.7%. They connected on 39.1% of their three-point attempts, going 9-for-23 from deep, and hit 70% of their free throws, making 7 of 10.

Rowan Brumbaugh and Dain Dainja each scored 19 points, with Dainja shooting 72.7% from the field and grabbing 10 rebounds. Brumbaugh added 7 boards and 4 assists, while Memphis finished with 18 assists as a team and 8 offensive rebounds.

Tigers Team Defense

Memphis put on a defensive clinic, holding their opponent to just 56 points on 36% shooting from the field. They were particularly effective at defending the three-point line, where they limited their opponent to just 4 made threes on 24 attempts, a 16% success rate.

Inside the arc, their opponent shot 50%, hitting 17 of 34 two-point attempts. Memphis also sent them to the free-throw line 17 times, where they converted 10 of those attempts for 58%. On the boards, Memphis gave up 13 offensive rebounds.

Owls Preview: No Pressure for Rice as Home Dogs

Rice Owls Recent Game/Games

The Owls dropped to 11-9 on the season after a 69-64 road loss to South Florida on Tuesday. Rice entered the game as +6.5 point underdogs but managed to cover the spread. The game’s total points of 133 fell short of the 142.5 O/U line.

Rice led 32-25 at halftime but allowed 44 points in the 2nd half while scoring 32 themselves, leading to the loss.

Owls Offense Breakdown

Rice managed just 64 points in their last game, shooting 40% from the field and 30.8% from beyond the arc. Their effective field goal percentage was 47.3%, and they hit 63.2% of their free throws, going 12-for-19 from the line.

Quincy Ademokoya grabbed 12 rebounds, while Kasen Jennings and Denver Anglin each scored 17 points. Anglin made 4 threes, shooting 40% from deep, while Jayden Reid connected on 2-of-4 from long range.

Owls Team Defense

Despite giving up 69 points, Rice's defense held their opponent to 39% shooting from the field, including 27% from beyond the arc, where they made just 6 of 22 attempts. Rice also sent them to the line 26 times, where they converted 15 free throws, shooting 57%.

Inside the arc, Rice allowed 18 two-point baskets on 39 attempts, a 46% shooting rate. The Owls also gave up 13 offensive rebounds in the game.

Tigers vs Owls Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Through their last five road games, Memphis has an ATS record of just 2-3. However, their overall record was 4-1 while averaging 76 points per game.
Rice has a 1-4 record in their last five home games. In this stretch, they averaged 66 points per game while allowing 72. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, Rice has an ATS mark of 2-1 while going 0-3 straight up.
In their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Tigers have a straight up record of 9-1 and an ATS mark of 4-6.