The undefeated Fresno State Bulldogs (3-0) try to continue their impressive start when they match up with the winless Rice Owls (0-3) at Tudor Fieldhouse. Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Nov. 22.
The Owls are hoping to rebound after their 77-69 loss to Oregon State on Thursday. Marcus Evans was the team’s leading scorer, putting up 18 points. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-71 win against San Francisco on Thursday. Cezar Guerrero led the team in scoring by registering 22 points on 7-for-13 shooting.
Rice is a four-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 145 points. The Owls have gone 0-3 Straight Up (SU) and 1-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Fresno State has a habit of getting in foul trouble (24.3 fouls per game), so expect the Owls to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
Over on the other bench, the Bulldogs head into the game with records of 1-1 ATS and 3-0 SU. Fresno State is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Bulldogs average 15.3 offensive rebounds per game, making them the 43rd-best team in the country for that category. Switching gears to the Fresno State defense, it averages 9.3 steals per game, good for 34th in the nation. Taking care of the basketball is something the Bulldogs do very well, averaging just 10.7 turnovers per game.
Rice and Fresno State have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – Fres, ATS Winner – Fres, O/U – Over
Notes
Rice is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Rice’s last 8 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Rice’s last 5 games at home.
Rice is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Rice is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Fresno State.
The Rice Owls average a field goal percentage of 37.9% this season. The Fresno State Bulldogs are a perfect 3-0 in games where opponents have a FG% of 37.9% or greater.
Rice attempts an average of 21.0 three pointers per game and Fresno State attempts 17.0 on average. When the teams attempt at least 20 three pointers, the Rice Owls are winless (0-2) while the Fresno State Bulldogs are undefeated (1-0).
Fresno State, the 73rd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 43.0 rebounds per game. Rice does worse, ranked 329th with 30.7.
On average, the Fresno State Bulldogs make 9.3 steals per game. The Rice Owls are winless at 0-2 when they give up 9 or more steals.
