Rice Owls vs Temple Owls Matchup

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

Temple vs Rice Prediction

Planning on watching today's Owls and Owls game? Catch the action at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, TX, as the Owls hosts this showdown at 2:00 ET on ESPNU. Temple is favored by -1.5 in this American Athletic conference showdown. The game's over/under is currently at 141.5 points.

Temple vs. Rice Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Temple Owls at Rice Owls
Where: Houston at Tudor Fieldhouse
Date: Saturday, January 11th
Betting Odds TEMPL -1.5, TEMPL -110 | RICE -110 O/U 141.5

Owls Preview: Will the Owls Pull Through as the Favored Road Team?

Temple dropped to 8-6 on the season after a narrow 80-79 loss to East Carolina on Wednesday. The Owls, who were +3.5 point underdogs, covered the spread in the loss.

Temple led 41-32 at halftime but allowed 48 points in the 2nd half while scoring 38. The game’s total points of 159 went over the pre-game O/U line of 145.5.

Owls Offense Breakdown

Temple put up 79 points in their last game, shooting 42.1% from the field. They connected on 56.2% of their threes, going 9-for-16, and were nearly perfect at the free-throw line, hitting 22 of 24 attempts for 91.7%.

RJ Felton led the way with 23 points and 12 rebounds, despite shooting just 38.1% overall and 20.0% from deep. Jamal Mashburn Jr. added 22 points, shooting 47.1% from the field and 50.0% from three.

Owls Team Defense

Temple's defense struggled, giving up 80 points on 44% shooting from the field. The Owls allowed 53% shooting on two-pointers, with the opposing team hitting 25 of 47 attempts.

From beyond the arc, Temple held their opponent to 25% shooting, with just 5 made threes on 20 attempts. However, they sent them to the line 22 times, where they converted 17 free throws at a 77% rate. Temple also gave up 16 offensive rebounds.

Owls Preview: Can the Owls Hold Strong at Home?

Rice’s season record dropped to 11-4 after an 81-59 road loss to North Texas on Wednesday. Entering the game as +10.5 underdogs, the Owls not only lost but also failed to cover the spread.

Rice trailed 42-28 at halftime and couldn’t close the gap, scoring 31 points in the 2nd half while allowing 39. The total points for the game reached 140, surpassing the O/U line of 122.5.

Owls Offense Breakdown

Rice struggled offensively in their last game, scoring just 59 points with a field goal percentage of 37.7% and an effective field goal percentage of 43.4%. They hit 31.6% from beyond the arc, connecting on 6 of 19 attempts, and went 14 for 34 (41.2%) on two-point shots. The Owls made 13 of 18 free throws, shooting 72.2% from the line, and recorded 11 offensive rebounds and 9 assists as a team.

Atin Wright led Rice with 21 points in 25 minutes, shooting 58.3% overall and 57.1% from three-point range (4/7). Brenen Lorient added 19 points and 5 rebounds, hitting both of his three-point attempts and shooting 62.5% from the field. Caden Powell also shot 62.5%, finishing with 12 points, while Trae Broadnax contributed 11 points and 4 assists.

Owls Team Defense

Despite Rice's defensive struggles, they managed to put up 81 points in their last game. The Owls shot 55% from the field, hitting 27 of their 49 attempts. They were equally effective from two-point range, making 16 of 29 shots, and from beyond the arc, where they connected on 11 of 20 three-pointers.

Rice also took advantage of their opportunities at the free-throw line, where they shot 94%, making 16 of 17 attempts. On the boards, they gave up just 5 offensive rebounds.

Owls vs Owls Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Although Temple has a straight up record of 4-6 in their last ten road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 5-5. The team averaged 71 points per game in these games.
Although Rice has a straight up record of 1-2 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 1-2. The team averaged 65 points per game in these games.
The last ten games that Rice was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 5-5 while going 3-7 straight up.
In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Owls have a strong straight up record of 3-0. In addition, their ATS record was 2-1 in these scenarios.