Temple Owls vs Rice Owls NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 1/11/25
Don’t miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Owls and Owls. The game is starting at 2:00 ET on ESPNU, and it’s hosted by the Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, TX. Get ready to place your bets! Temple is favored by -1.5 in this American Athletic conference showdown. The game’s over/under is currently at 141.5 points.
TEMPLE OWLS VS RICE OWLS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Temple Owls -1.5
This game will be played at Tudor Fieldhouse at 2:00 ET on Saturday, January 11th.
WHY BET THE TEMPLE OWLS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 74-71 in favor of the Owls.
- Not only will Rice pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +1.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 141.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 145 points.
Can The Owls Secure a Win at Houston?
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, kept it close and covered the spread. The game’s total points reached 159, surpassing the over/under line of 145.5.
Temple led 41-32 at halftime but struggled defensively in the second half, allowing 48 points while scoring 38. The Owls will need to tighten up their defense to get back on track.
Temple put up 79 points in their last game, shooting 42.1% from the field. They connected on 56.2% of their threes, hitting 9 of 16 attempts, while their two-point shooting was just 36.6% (15/41). At the free-throw line, they were nearly perfect, making 22 of 24 for 91.7%.
RJ Felton led the way with 23 points and 12 rebounds, despite shooting 38.1% overall and 20% from three. Jamal Mashburn Jr. added 22 points, hitting 50% of his threes, and C.J. Walker contributed 18 points and 9 rebounds, shooting 54.5% from the field.
Temple’s defense gave up 80 points, with the opposing team shooting 44% from the field. They allowed 25 two-point field goals on 47 attempts, a 53% success rate.
From beyond the arc, Temple’s opponents shot 5/20, or 25%. The Owls also sent them to the line 22 times, where they made 17 free throws, shooting 77%. Temple gave up 16 offensive rebounds.
Can the Rice Offense Score Enough at Home?
Rice fell to 11-4 on the season after an 81-59 road loss to North Texas on Wednesday. Entering the game as +10.5 point underdogs, the Owls not only lost but failed to cover the spread.
Rice trailed 42-28 at halftime and couldn’t close the gap in the 2nd half, scoring 31 points while allowing 39. The game’s total points of 140 exceeded the O/U line of 122.5.
Rice struggled offensively in their last game, scoring just 59 points while shooting 37.7% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 43.4%, with two-point shooting at 41.2% and three-point shooting at 31.6%. They connected on 13 of 18 free throws, hitting 72.2% from the line.
Atin Wright led the way with 21 points, hitting 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Brenen Lorient added 19 points, making both of his three-point attempts and shooting 62.5% overall. Rice finished with 11 offensive rebounds and 9 assists in the game.
Rice’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 81 points on 55% shooting from the field. They allowed their opponent to hit 55% of their shots from both two-point range (16/29) and three-point range (11/20).
Rice also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 17 times, where they converted 16 of those attempts for 94%. The Owls managed to limit second-chance opportunities, giving up just 5 offensive rebounds.