UAB vs. Rice C-USA Tournament Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 9, 2023

The C-USA conference tournament continues Thursday as the No. 3 seed UAB Blazers (23-8, 14-6 C-USA) face off against the No. 6 seed Rice Owls (18-14, 8-12 C-USA) at Ford Center at The Star, starting at 9:30 PM on ESPN+. UAB is a 14-point favorite to move one step closer to an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament bracket. The over/under for the matchup is set at 155.5.

UAB vs. Rice Odds

• UAB odds to win: -1132
• Rice odds to win: +695
• Spread: UAB (-14)
• Total: 155.5

UAB vs. Rice Promo Codes

Game Time and Information

• Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023
• Time: 9:30 PM ET
• TV: ESPN+
• Where: Frisco, Texas
• Venue: Ford Center at The Star

Who Will Win UAB vs. Rice?

UAB and Rice Betting Trends, Records Against the Spread

UAB is 4-7 against the spread when favored by 14 points or more this season.

Rice is a perfect 2-0 against the spread when an underdog by 14 points or more this year.

These teams average 159.4 points per game combined, 3.9 more than the over/under of 155.5.

Opponents of these teams have averaged a combined 147.1 points per game, 8.4 fewer than the point total for this game.

UAB’s average point total in matchups this year is 153.2, 2.3 points below the over/under in this game.

The average point total for the Owls this year is 2.2 points fewer than this game’s over/under.

The Blazers’ ATS record is 14-17-0 this season.

The Owls are 14-15-0 against the spread this season.

UAB Stats & Insights

UAB is outscoring opponents by 11.2 points per game with a +348 scoring differential overall. It puts up 82.2 points per game (10th in college basketball) and gives up 71 per contest (205th in college basketball).

UAB is second in the country at 37.7 rebounds per game. That’s 7.2 more than the 30.5 its opponents average.

The Blazers make 7.3 three-pointers per game (192nd in college basketball), while their opponents have made 7.3 on average.

UAB scores 98.6 points per 100 possessions (60th in college basketball), while giving up 85.2 points per 100 possessions (37th in college basketball).

Offensively, the Blazers have played better when playing at home this season, scoring 83.8 points per game, compared to 79.4 per game when playing on the road.

Rice Stats & Insights

Rice’s +36 scoring differential (outscoring opponents by 1.1 points per game) is a result of putting up 77.2 points per game (53rd in college basketball) while giving up 76.1 per contest (332nd in college basketball).

Rice is 117th in college basketball at 32.7 rebounds per game. That’s 1.3 more than the 31.4 its opponents average.

Rice knocks down 8.9 three-pointers per game (39th in college basketball) compared to its opponents’ 8.1. It shoots 35.5% from deep, and its opponents shoot 35.6%.

Rice’s 97.9 points per 100 possessions on offense rank 76th in college basketball, and the 96.5 points it concedes per 100 possessions rank 307th in college basketball.

The Owls score 81.1 points per game at home, and 72.2 away.

UAB Key Players to Watch

Jordan Walker leads the Blazers in scoring, tallying 23.1 points per game to go with 2.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Trey Jemison leads UAB in rebounding, averaging 8.3 per game, while Eric Gaines leads the team in assists, distributing an average of 4.6 in each contest.

Walker makes more threes per game than any other member of the Blazers, knocking down shots from beyond the arc at a clip of 4.4 per contest.

The UAB steals leader is Gaines, who averages 1.9 takeaways per game, while its blocks leader is Jemison, who compiles 1.9 rejections per contest.

Rice Key Players to Watch

Max Fiedler racks up 7.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, placing him atop the Owls’ rebound and assists leaderboards.

Rice’s Quincy Olivari scores 19.3 points, six rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, making him the top scorer on the squad.

Olivari is dependable from distance and leads the Owls with 2.8 made threes per game.

Rice’s leader in steals is Travis Evee (1.2 per game), and its leader in blocks is Fiedler (1.1 per game).

UAB vs. Rice Prediction

• Pick ATS:

  Rice (+14)
  

• Pick OU:

  Under (155.5)
  

• Prediction:
  UAB 82, Rice 71

How to Bet on UAB vs. Rice

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