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The No. 3 seed UAB Blazers (23-8, 14-6 C-USA) take on the No. 6 seed Rice Owls (18-14, 8-12 C-USA) in C-USA Tournament Thursday at Ford Center at The Star, tipping off at 9:30 PM. Both teams will look to get one step closer to earning an automatic place in the NCAA Tournament bracket.
The Blazers are currently substantial 14-point favorites against the Owls. A 155.5-point total is set for the game.
UAB vs. Rice Odds
Point Spread for UAB vs. Rice
The spread for this matchup is set at 14 points, with bookmakers listing UAB as the favorite.
UAB vs. Rice Moneyline
As for the moneyline, UAB has -1132 odds to pick up the win, while Rice is listed at +695 to claim victory.
Over/Under
Finally, the total for the game is set at 155.5 points.
Game Time and How to Watch
- Game Day: Thursday, March 9, 2023
- Game Time: 9:30 PM ET
- TV Channel: ESPN+
- Location: Frisco, Texas
- Arena: Ford Center at The Star
UAB vs. Rice Betting Trends
Against the spread, UAB is 14-17-0 this season. The Blazers have won in 22, or 81.5%, of the 27 contests they have been named as odds-on favorites in this year. UAB’s games this year have hit the over on 22 of 29 set point totals.
In Rice’s 29 games this year, it has 14 wins against the spread. The Owls have a 5-10 record in games they were listed as the moneyline underdog (winning 33.3% of those games). Rice’s games this year have eclipsed the over/under 69% of the time (20 out of 29 games with a set point total).
UAB vs. Rice Key Players to Watch
UAB
Jordan Walker leads the Blazers at 23.1 points per game, while also posting 4.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds. He is third in the nation in scoring. Eric Gaines averages a team-best 4.6 assists per contest. He is also averaging 12 points and 3.3 rebounds, shooting 39.6% from the floor and 36.3% from beyond the arc with 1.1 made 3-pointers per contest. Trey Jemison paces his squad in rebounds per contest (8.3), and also puts up 9.1 points and 0.6 assists. At the other end, he delivers 0.5 steals and 1.9 blocked shots. KJ Buffen is posting 10.5 points, 1.7 assists and 6.8 rebounds per contest.
Rice
Quincy Olivari is No. 1 on the Owls in scoring (19.3 points per game), and averages 6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He also posts 1.1 steals and 0.1 blocked shots. Max Fiedler leads the Owls in rebounding (7.6 per game) and assists (5.1), and puts up 10.6 points. He also delivers 0.7 steals and 1.1 blocked shots. Travis Evee gets the Owls 15.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He also averages 1.2 steals and 0.1 blocked shots. The Owls get 7.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game from Cameron Sheffield.
What you need to know about the UAB Blazers
UAB has put together an 8-12-0 conference record against the spread this season. The Blazers have been led by their offense, as they rank 10th-best in the nation by putting up 82.2 points per game. They rank 205th in college basketball in points allowed (71 per contest). UAB is allowing 30.5 rebounds per game this season (142nd-ranked in college basketball), but it has shined by pulling down 37.7 rebounds per contest (second-best).
UAB is sinking 7.3 three-pointers per game (192nd-ranked in college basketball) this year, while sporting a 36.6% three-point percentage (59th-ranked). The Blazers are 195th in the nation with 7.3 threes allowed per game so far this year. Meanwhile, they rank 93rd with a 32.3% shooting percentage allowed from three-point land.
The Blazers have gone 9-1 in their past 10 games, with a 6-4 record against the spread during that span. Six of UAB’s last 10 games have gone over the total. UAB’s offense has been less effective over its last 10 games, racking up 81.5 points a contest compared to the 82.2 it has averaged this year. UAB has been a little improved on the defensive end of the floor of late, allowing 70.4 points per game over its last 10 outings compared to the 71 it has conceded per game this year.
What you need to know about the Rice Owls
Rice has compiled an 8-13-0 record against the spread in conference games this year. With 77.2 points scored per game and 76.1 points conceded, the Owls are 53rd in college basketball on offense and 332nd defensively. On the boards, Rice is 117th in the nation in rebounds (32.7 per game). It is 199th in rebounds conceded (31.4 per game).
Rice makes 8.9 3-pointers per game and shoots 35.5% from beyond the arc, ranking 39th and 108th, respectively, in the nation. In 2022-23, the Owls are 286th in the nation in 3-pointers allowed (8.1 per game) and 291st in defensive 3-point percentage (35.6%).
The Owls have gone 3-7 in their last 10 contests, with a 3-7 record against the spread in that span. In its past 10 games, Rice has hit the over seven times. While Rice is posting 77.2 points per game in 2022-23, it has fallen short of that in its past 10 games, tallying 73.2 points per contest. The Owls are ceding 82.2 points per game over their past 10 games, compared to their season average of 76.1 points allowed.
UAB vs. Rice Prediction & Pick
Our pick to win this contest is UAB, and we expect that Rice will cover the spread (UAB -14). Finally, we see the scoring in this one going under the posted total of 155.5 points.
How to bet UAB vs. Rice
You can bet on UAB vs. Rice at every legal online sportsbook. For more college basketball odds, including moneylines, spreads, over/under totals, check out the latest NCAA lines as well as our guide to the best college basketball betting sites.
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