Expect a defensive battle when the UC Riverside Highlanders (3-1) and Rice Owls (1-4) square off at Tudor Fieldhouse. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Nov. 27.
The Owls come into this game on a high note after defeating Lamar 92-84 on Wednesday. Marcus Evans was the team’s leading scorer with 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting. The Highlanders, meanwhile, are coming off an 81-55 win against Delaware State on Tuesday. Gentrey Thomas led the game in scoring with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
Rice is a slight underdog, with UC Riverside favored by one. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 140 points. The Owls have gone 1-4 Straight Up (SU) and 1-3 Against The Spread (ATS). The Owls have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking first in the country with a .497 opponent field-goal percentage.
Over on the other bench, the Highlanders were a good bet ATS so far with a record of 2-0 to go along with a 3-1 SU record. The Highlanders rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 2.09. The Highlanders are one of the top defensive teams in the nation, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 61.0 points allowed per game. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Highlanders, who are the top team in the nation in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .360.
Rice and UC Riverside have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – CalRv, ATS Winner – CalRv, O/U – Over
Notes
Rice is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
Rice is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home.
UC Riverside won its last game by a 26-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Rice is 0-2. UC Riverside is 2-0 in blowouts this season.
The Rice Owls have the best defense in the country, giving up just 120.9 points per 100 possessions. The UC Riverside Highlanders have the 40th-ranked offense, scoring 116.9 points in the same number of possessions.
The Rice Owls average a field goal percentage of 40.8% this season. The UC Riverside Highlanders are a perfect 1-0 in games where opponents have a FG% of 40.8% or greater.
On average, Rice attempts 21.0 three pointers and UC Riverside attempts 26.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Rice Owls are winless at 0-3 while the UC Riverside Highlanders have a 3-1 record.
The third-ranked team in the category, UC Riverside has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.09 this season. Rice ranks lower at 278th with an A/TO of .83.
Rice makes 5.2 steals per game. In games where it gives up 5 or more steals, UC Riverside is undefeated at 2-0.
