Rice Owls vs UTSA Roadrunners Matchup

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

UTSA vs Rice Prediction

Betting on today's Roadrunners and Owls game? Catch the action at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, TX, as the Owls hosts this showdown at 8:00 ET on ESPN+. The over/under for this American Athletic conference contest is set at 146.5 points, with Rice being favored by -5.5 at home against UTSA.

UTSA vs. Rice Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: UTSA Roadrunners at Rice Owls
Where: Houston at Tudor Fieldhouse
Date: Tuesday, January 14th
Betting Odds RICE -5.5, UTSA +190 | RICE -232 O/U 146.5

Roadrunners Preview: Will the Roadrunners Exceed Expectations on the Road?

UTSA Roadrunners Recent Game/Games

The Roadrunners improved to 5-8 on the season with an 88-75 home win over Wichita State on Saturday. UTSA entered the game as +5.5 point underdogs but pulled off the upset and covered the spread.

UTSA took control early, leading 47-32 at halftime. While they allowed 43 points in the 2nd half, they still managed to score 41 points of their own. The game’s total points of 163 went over the pre-game O/U line of 160.5.

Roadrunners Offense Breakdown

UTSA's offense was firing on all cylinders in their latest game, putting up 88 points while shooting 52.5% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 65.6%, thanks in large part to their 50% shooting from beyond the arc, hitting 15 of 30 attempts.

Xavier Bell led the way with 23 points, connecting on 3 of 4 threes, while Quincy Ballard was nearly perfect, going 11 for 12 from the field for 22 points. Marcus Millender and Damari Monsanto each hit 5 threes, with Monsanto shooting 75% overall in just 18 minutes of action.

Roadrunners Team Defense

Despite UTSA's defensive struggles, they allowed 75 points on 52% shooting from the field, including 54% from two-point range. The Roadrunners gave up 32 made field goals on 61 attempts.

UTSA also allowed 15 three-pointers on 30 attempts, with the opposing team shooting 50% from beyond the arc. They sent the other team to the free-throw line 14 times, where they made 9 free throws, shooting 64%.

Owls Preview: Can Rice Secure a Home Victory?

Rice dropped to 11-5 on the season after a 73-70 loss to Temple on Saturday. Playing at home, the Owls were slight favorites at -1 but failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game hit 143, just over the pre-game O/U line of 141.5.

Rice trailed 35-31 at halftime but put up 39 points in the 2nd half while allowing 38. Despite the strong 2nd half, they couldn’t complete the comeback.

Owls Offense Breakdown

Rice's offense put up 70 points in their last game, shooting 40.3% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range. Their effective field goal percentage was 44.4%, and they struggled at the free-throw line, hitting just 50% of their attempts.

Jamal Mashburn Jr. led the Owls with 24 points, despite shooting 34.8% overall. Andrew Akuchie was efficient, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds. Rice also collected 14 offensive rebounds and dished out 13 assists as a team.

Owls Team Defense

Rice's defense gave up 73 points, holding their opponent to 40% shooting from the field. They allowed 29 made field goals on 72 attempts.

From three-point range, Rice's defense limited their opponent to 6 made threes on 21 attempts, a 28% shooting rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 12 times, where they made 6 free throws.

Roadrunners vs Owls Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last five road games, UTSA has averaged 73 points per game while allowing 82. The team's record in this stretch was 1-4 while going 3-2.
Although Rice has a straight up record of 5-5 in their last ten home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 5-5. The team averaged 71 points per game in these games.
Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Roadrunners have a straight up record of 3-7. But, their mark vs the spread was just 6-4.
Although the Owls have a strong straight up record in their last five games as the betting favorite, they have not done as well vs the spread going 2-3.