College basketball wagering interest will be high on Thursday when the Owls of Rice hit the hard court against the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa.

This game is part of the Conference USA Tournament which will decide the conference champion and help decide March Madness seedings. This matchup is a neutral-site affair being played at Haskins Center.

The Golden Hurricane sit at 18-12 (16-10 ATS) on the season. By comparison, the Owls are currently 14-17 (12-11-1 ATS). Looking to wager on the totals? Tulsa is 15-11 OU, and Rice is 12-12 OU.



View Rice vs Tulsa Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Golden Hurricane at No. 44 and the Owls at No. 217 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 71-68 result in favor of the Golden Hurricane.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Tulsa's No. 126 nationally ranked offense (70.7 points per game) against a Owls defense that sits as the No. 141 at 66.7 PPG. The Golden Hurricane have been averaging 43.7% from the field, more than the Owls have managed so far this season (42.7% on average).

Defensively, Rice features the nation's No. 48-rated defense on the road, allowing 65.3 points per game. Tulsa, meanwhile, comes in at No. 109 nationally in scoring at home.

Rice was a 58-57 Sportsbook in its last match against Southern Methodist. They covered the 2–point spread as underdogs.

Tulsa was a 78-70 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Southern Miss. They covered the 1.5–point spread as favorites. Justin Hurtt scored 25 points for Tulsa on Saturday, leading the Golden Hurricane to a 78-70 win over Southern Miss at Reynolds Center.


Rice Owls Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
After playing Southern Methodist are 2-8
After a win are 5-5

Tulsa Golden Hurricane Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
After playing Southern Miss are 3-2
After a win are 5-5

A few Owls at Golden Hurricane trends to consider:
Tulsa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Rice
Tulsa is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tulsa's last 7 games when playing Rice
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tulsa's last 6 games