The Southern Miss Golden Eagles (8-5, 0-1 CUSA) will be at Tudor Fieldhouse to challenge the Rice Owls (5-9, 0-1 CUSA) in a CUSA matchup. Action starts at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 3, 2019.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Rice Owls Betting Odds
Both teams were triumphant in their last game. The Owls defeated the St. Leo Lions 80-64, while the Golden Eagles had no trouble getting past the Southeastern Baptist Chargers 111-66.
Southern Miss played a flawless game. They had a free throw rate of 0.269 and an offensive rebounding percentage of 43.5. Southeastern Baptist was 0.100 and 20.4, respectively, for those same stats. Rice, on the other hand, played a flawless game. They had a free throw rate of 0.379 and a turnover percentage of 14.4. St. Leo put up marks of 0.196 and 25.9, respectively, for those same stats. Rice’s Jack Williams played well, recording 13 points and 10 rebounds. Southern Miss was led by Cortez Edwards, who finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Golden Eagles won the lone game between these two teams last year, 86-75. Southern Miss had a much better turnover percentage (11.4 vs. 30.0). Rice, on the other hand, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (47.6 vs. 24.0). This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams.
The Golden Eagles’ Edwards has been playing well over his last five games, averaging 0 points per game. Meanwhile, Williams has averaged 0 points during that same time frame for the Owls.
A focal point for the Rice offense is getting to the free throw line. The Owls rank 57th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.280), but Southern Miss is among the best in the nation at keeping opponents away from the charity stripe (ranking 14th by yielding a FTA rate of 0.159). Ball protection should be an advantage for the Golden Eagles. They rank 7th at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 14.2 percent). Conversely, the Owls force the 19th-fewest turnovers in the country (opponents’ turnover percentage of 15.6 percent).
Southern Miss at Rice Betting Pick
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Rice, ATS Winner – Southern Miss, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- Southern Miss ranks 18th in assists per game (17.2) while Rice ranks 197th in assists allowed per game (15.9).
- The Golden Eagles rank 76th in rebounds per game (38.1) while the Owls rank 181st in rebounds allowed per game (36.9).
- Rice ranks 30th in blocks allowed per game (2.6) while Southern Miss ranks 76th (3.2).
- The Owls rank 62nd in three pointers attempted per game (25.4) while the Golden Eagles rank 240th in three pointers allowed per game (26.5).
- Southern Miss ranks 33rd in steals per game (8.2) while Rice ranks 169th (5.2).
Bettings Trends:
- During their last five games, the Golden Eagles have scored an average of 76.4 points per game (3.7 above their season average) and allowed an average of 64.6 points per game (2.3 above their season average).
- The Owls have outscored opponents by an average of 6.2 points in their last five games. For the season, Rice has been defeated by an average of 5.4 points.
