Conference USA foes will clash when the Rice Owls (12-17) face off against the Charlotte 49ers (12-17) at Tudor Fieldhouse. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 3.
The Owls lost big to Louisiana Tech 88-69 in their last game. Egor Koulechov had a good game in defeat for Rice, recording 26 points and 11 rebounds to earn his sixth double-double of the season. The 49ers, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-78 win against UTEP in their last outing. Braxton Ogbueze shot 9 for 17 and led in scoring with 24 points.
Marcus Evans has really been playing well over the last five games for the Owls. During that stretch, he has averaged 25.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The 49ers won the first game 102-73. Andrien White was a standout player in the game, producing 20 points, two rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block, and six three-pointers.
The Owls are hoping to improve on their records of 12-17 Straight Up (SU) and 8-16 Against The Spread (ATS). The Owls have no trouble scoring as they rank 48th in the nation in home offense with 81.1 points per game. The Owls are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .738 from the free throw line.
Over on the other bench, the 49ers head into the game with records of 17-10 ATS and 12-17 SU. Charlotte has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. They sport the 46th-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 78.6 points per game. Charlotte is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, converting .387 of their shots from three-point range.
With the 49ers’ last win against the Owls, the teams also have an even 2-2 record SU.
Predictions: SU Winner – Char, ATS Winner – Char
Notes
Rice averages 76.4 points per game (ranked 89th). Charlotte, on the other hand, allows 80.3 points per game (ranked 250th).
Rice scores 81.1 points per home game (ranked 48th). Charlotte ranks a poor 207th in points allowed on the road, allowing 78.6 points.
With 70.9 possessions and 1.077 points per possession, the Rice Owls perform worse on both metrics than the Charlotte 49ers. Charlotte averages 72.4 possessions and 1.085 points per possession.
The Rice Owls average an effective field goal percentage of 51.4% this season. The Charlotte 49ers have an underachieving record of 7-13 when opponents have an eFG% of 51.4% or greater.
On average, the Rice Owls attempt 22.0 three point field goals per game and the Charlotte 49ers attempt 21.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Rice has a losing record of 8-14, while Charlotte is 7-8.
Charlotte ranks 79th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.23. Rice is ranked lower at 188th with an A/TO of 1.03.
Charlotte has forced an average turnover percentage of 17.9% this season. Rice has a poor 4-11 record when its TO% is 17.9% or higher.
