Check out our free UAB vs Rice pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Houston. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
UAB vs Rice Pick & Preview: Saturday, January 28th Betting Odds
Blazers vs Owls Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: UAB Blazers at Rice Owls
- Where: Houston at Tudor Fieldhouse
- Date: Saturday, January 28th
- Betting Odds: UAB -3, UAB -163 | RICE +133 O/U 153.5
Blazers Preview:
Through 21 games, the UAB Blazers have an overall record of 14-7. So far, the Blazers have played 8 games on the road, with a record of 3-5. This season, UAB has been favored to win in 17 games, sitting with a mark of 12-5. For today’s contest, UAB has a betting line set -3 points in their favor.
Before getting a wager down on this game, keep a close eye on the injury report before tip-off, as the Blazers’ top scorer Jordan Walker is listed as questionable. In his 16 games, he is averaging 23.75 points per game while providing the team with an outside shooting threat. If he is unable to play, the team will be losing their top outside shooter. Without Jordan Walker out of the lineup, Eric Gaines is going to need to take on a bigger role. Currently, he is 2nd on the team at 12.86 points per contest to go along with 3.24 rebounds and 4.67 assists.
Through 21 games, UAB has been playing well on offense, averaging 80.7 points per game. Even though the team has been methodical with their pace, the Blazers’ shooters have been hot from outside, hitting 37.9% of their shots per game. This strong shooting percentage has equated to an average of 7.97 made 3’s per contest.
Owls Preview:
Rice will take the floor against the Blazers with an overall record of 15-5. Currently, the Owls have been the home team 12 times, sitting with a record of 10-2. So far, the Owls have been the underdog 7 times, going 4-3 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +3 underdogs on the spread.
Rice will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Quincy Olivari who is averaging 19.55 points per game for the Owls. Olivari is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Owls’ offensive game plan is the play of Travis Evee who has hit 40.6% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 15.9 points per game.
On offense, Rice comes into the game looking to control the pace of play, as they are just 370th in possessions per game. Even with their preference to slow the game down, the Owls’ are scoring at a rate similar to the NCAA average at 74.4 points per game. So far, 42.93% of their shots have come from beyond the arc, where they have connected at a rate of 37.3%.
Free Spread Prediction: UAB Blazers -3
For this showdown between the UAB Blazers and Rice Owls, our analysis points to 3-point shooting being a key factor in the outcome of this game. Both team’s come into the game with above average numbers in made 3’s per game. So far, UAB and Rice are 242nd and 95th in that department, respectively. After crunching the numbers, we anticipate UAB continuing to shoot the ball well. For the season, they have hit 37.9% of their looks from deep. With a point spread sitting at -3 in favor of UAB, we like them to not only win but cover the spread.
