The FIU Golden Panthers will be at Tudor Fieldhouse to face off against the Rice Owls in a Conference USA matchup. Action gets underway at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20.
The Owls were victorious over Florida Atlantic 90-85 on Thursday. Marcus Evans was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting. The Golden Panthers, meanwhile, are coming off a close 77-75 loss against North Texas on Thursday. Adrian Diaz had a team-high 23 points.
The Owls are trying to improve upon their records of 10-16 Straight Up (SU) and 7-14 Against The Spread (ATS). Rice has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 18 made free throws per game, which is 20th-best in Division I. The Rice defense has been shutting down opposing offenses over the past 10 games, only allowing an average of 69.4 points per game, well under their season average of 80.9.
On the other side, the Golden Panthers have 12-15 SU and 11-9-1 ATS records. FIU has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. Offensively, the Golden Panthers have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 71.9 points per game by averaging 79.9 during that stretch. The Golden Panthers convert their shots at a high percentage, ranking 29th in the country at .477. The FIU defense has allowed an average of 83.1 points per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 69.3. The Golden Panthers have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .400. Blocking shots is an area where FIU has excelled. The Golden Panthers average 4.9 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time Rice and FIU played, FIU won, bumping its SU record to 2-0. Furthermore, FIU leads the matchup ATS with a record of 1-0-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Rice, ATS Winner – Rice
Notes
“Rice is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Rice is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games “.
“Rice is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 9 of Rice’s last 12 games “.
“Rice is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
The Rice Owls currently sit below 0.500 against the Conference USA Conference at 5-8 SU, while the FIU Golden Panthers have a 6-8 SU record.
Rice averages 80.8 points per home game (ranked 63rd). FIU allows 71.8 points per away game (ranked 76th).
On average, Rice has 71.0 possessions per game and scores 1.075 points on each possession. FIU has both fewer possessions (67.1) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.071).
The FIU Golden Panthers average an effective field goal percentage of 52.9% this season. The Rice Owls have an underachieving record of 3-13 when opponents have an eFG% of 52.9% or greater.
On average, Rice attempts 22.0 three pointers and FIU attempts 16.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Rice Owls have a 6-14 record while the FIU Golden Panthers have a winning 2-1 record.
Rice ranks 273rd in offensive rebounds, while FIU ranks 60th in defensive rebounds.
Rice has forced an average turnover percentage of 19.4% this season. FIU has a poor 5-9 record when its TO% is 19.4% or higher.
