The FAU Owls (26-3, 16-2 C-USA) and Rice Owls (17-12, 8-10) meet Thursday at the Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the FAU vs. Rice game odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
FAU wrapped up its 1st Conference USA regular-season title with a 75-49 win last time out over UTEP in Boca Raton on Saturday. The Owls have struggled against the number lately, going 3-5 ATS in the last 8 games overall, although it did cash in the last 2 outings.
Rice suffered a 90-81 loss to FAU in South Florida on Feb. 9, although it did cover a 13.5-point number as the Over connected. Rice has dropped 3 of the last 4 games overall, while also going 1-3 ATS during the span.
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FAU at Rice odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:14 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): FAU -425 (bet $425 to win $100) | Rice +310 (bet $310 to win $100)
- Against the spread: FAU -8.5 (-115) | Rice +8.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 154.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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FAU at Rice picks and predictions
Prediction
FAU 81, Rice 77
Moneyline
FAU isn’t worth pursuing as an expensive heavy favorite.
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Against the spread
RICE +8.5 (-105) is worth a look on its home floor in this battle of Owls.
FAU -8.5 (-115) has the Conference USA title wrapped up, as well as the No. 1 seed in the upcoming league tourney, so it remains to be seen how motivated FAU will be in the final 2 games.
Rice still has a chance to leapfrog Charlotte for the 5th seed in the upcoming C-USA tournament, and a signature win over the conference champ would give it plenty of momentum going forward.
Over/Under
OVER 154.5 (-105) is worth playing lightly, but go a half-unit at most.
The Over has cashed at a 3-1-1 clip in the last 5 games overall for FAU, while going 20-9-2 in the past 31 road games against teams with a winning home record.
For Rice, the Over is on a 15-5 run in the last 20 games, while going 6-1 in the last 7 games after a straight-up loss, and 6-1 in the last 7 following a non-cover, too.
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