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Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Mustangs and Owls. The game is starting at 8:00 ET on ESPN+, and it's hosted by the Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, TX. Get ready to place your bets! SMU is favored by -7 in this American Athletic conference contest against Rice. The game's over/under currently sits at 144.5 points.

SMU MUSTANGS VS RICE OWLS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Rice Owls +7

This game will be played at Tudor Fieldhouse at 8:00 ET on Wednesday, February 7th.

WHY BET THE RICE OWLS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 73-70 in favor of the Owls.
  • Not only will Rice pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +7.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 144.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 143 points.

Will SMU Come Through as Road Favorites?

SMU is 15-7 overall and 6-3 in the American Athletic Conference. They have won two straight games and are 13-2 when favored this season. On the road, the Mustangs are 4-5, and their average scoring margin is +4.6 points per game.

In their last game, SMU defeated UAB by a score of 72-69. Over their last 10 road games, the Mustangs have gone 4-6, and they are 2-3 in their last five games away from home. So far this season, SMU has been favored in 15 of their 22 games.

SMU's ATS record for the season is 11-9-1, but they have gone just 1-3 against the spread in their last 5 games as the favorite. On the road, the Mustangs are 6-3 vs. the spread this season and 7-3 in their last 10 road games.

SMU's over/under record for the season is 8-13 and today's line of 144.5 is similar to the average over/under line in their games this season (143.3). So far, 14 of their games have finished with less points than today's line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 1-2 with an average scoring total of 148 points.

In their previous game, the Mustangs' offense finished with 72 points, which is right in line with their current average of 75.6 points per contest. The top scorer for the Mustangs was Samuell Williamson with 14 points, while Chuck Harris also added 14 to the scoreboard.

Coming into today's game, the SMU defense is giving up an average of 64.2 points per contest. Against UAB in their most recent game, the SMU defense gave up a total of 69 points while allowing UAB to hit 43% of their shots.

Can Rice Pull Off a Home Win?

After winning their last two games, Rice will look to continue their winning ways as they enter tonight's game against SMU as seven-point underdogs. So far this season, the Owls have gone 9-13, including a 3-6 mark in American Athletic Conference play. At home, Rice has gone 5-8, compared to their 4-5 record on the road.

Coming into tonight's game, the Owls have lost their last five games at home, and over their last 10 games at home, they have gone 4-6. So far this season, Rice has been the underdog in 12 of their 22 games, going 3-9 in those contests.

As the underdog this season, Rice has gone 4-7-1 vs. the spread. At home, their ATS mark is 4-8-1. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Owls are 3-6-1.

So far this season, the over/under record for Rice games is 10-11-1. On average, their games have finished with 148.9 points compared to an average over/under line of 152.5, resulting in an average margin of -3.6 points. Today's over/under line of 144.5 is lower than the average scoring total in their last three games (156 points).

Rice finished with 80 points in their game against UTSA. This total surpasses their season-average of 73.4 points per game. Travis Evee is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 15.7 as they approach today's matchup. In addition, Mekhi Mason brings a PPG average of 14.7 into the game.

So far, the Owls' defense is ranked 246th in the country at 75.5 points per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Rice's defense has allowed opponents to shoot 46.1% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 35.5% this season.