Conference USA foes will lock horns when the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (21-7) play the Rice Owls (12-16) at Thomas Assembly Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The Bulldogs enter this game hoping for similar success after topping North Texas 73-62 on Thursday. Alex Hamilton was the team’s leading scorer with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Owls, meanwhile, are coming off a 76-74 win against Southern Miss on Thursday. Marcus Evans led the game in scoring by accounting for 32 points on 12-for-19 shooting.
Evans has been hot for the Owls, averaging 26.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers over the past five games.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Bulldogs winning the first matchup 90-78. Hamilton had a stellar game with 31 points, nine rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one three-pointer.
The Bulldogs have gone 21-7 Straight Up (SU) and 10-10 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 3-7 ATS. The Bulldogs have no trouble scoring as they rank 41st in the nation in offense with 79.1 points per game. Louisiana Tech’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 80.8 during that span, compared to its 70.7 season average. The Bulldogs prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 15th in the nation with a .307 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range. Opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Bulldogs, who rank 50th in the country in steals per game with 7.5.
As for their opponent, the Owls have records of 8-15 ATS and 12-16 SU. The Owls convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking 49th in the nation at .734. The Owls average 80.2 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 72.8 points per game during that span.
The Bulldogs’ win over Rice in their last game bumped their SU record to 6-4 over Rice. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – LaTech, ATS Winner – LaTech
Notes
“Louisiana Tech is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Louisiana Tech is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Louisiana Tech’s last 9 games “.
“Louisiana Tech is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisiana Tech’s last 6 games at home”.
“Louisiana Tech is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Rice”.
“Louisiana Tech is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Rice”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Louisiana Tech’s last 8 games when playing Rice”.
“Louisiana Tech is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Rice”.
Louisiana Tech sits at 10-5 SU against its conference rivals, while Rice is 7-8 SU.
Rice averages 76.7 points per game (ranked 81st). Louisiana Tech, on the other hand, allows 70.7 points per game (ranked 127th).
Rice scores just 71.5 points per away game (ranked 114th). Louisiana Tech ranks 81st in points allowed at home, giving up 65.6 points.
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have a defensive rating of 96.7 (ranked 33rd), while the Rice Owls have an offensive rating of 108.1 (ranked 120th).
Louisiana Tech has an average field goal percentage of 46.0%. Rice is a subpar 3-15 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs rank higher based on their field goal percentage (81st) than their effective field goal percentage (103rd). The Rice Owls rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (107th) than their field goal percentage (120th).
Louisiana Tech, the 57th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.5 per game. Rice does worse, ranked 252nd with 2.8.
Rice ranks 279th in offensive rebounds, while Louisiana Tech ranks at 41st in defensive rebounds.
On average, Rice forces a turnover rate of 19.4%. When Louisiana Tech turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a fantastic 7-1 record.
