College basketball wagering interest will be high on Wednesday when the Owls of Rice hit the hard court against the Cougars of Houston.

The Cougars are 16-11 so far on the season, and 9-8-1 ATS vs. the number. The Owls, meanwhile, are 5-23 and 10-11 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Houston go 13-5 and the Owls go 13-6 on the totals.



View Rice vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as 12.5-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark, including Sportsbook. The total was set to open a bit later (check out Sportsbook for the latest situation(.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Cougars sit at No. 127 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Owls sit at No. 347 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Cougars will win this game 75-60.



How They Match Up:
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Owls rank No. 348 in NCAA Division 1 with 25.7 per game. That compares with Houston’s No. 25 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Houston is college basketball's No. 138-ranked team at 6.4 per game, while the Owls rate No. 72 with 7.3 per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Rice owns the country's No. 211-rated mark, allowing 71.2 points per game on the highway. Houston, on the other hand, rates No. 13 in scoring at home.

Rice lost its last outing, a 67-56 result against Texas El Paso on March 2. They failed to cover in that game as a 10.5-point underdog. Rice got 20 points from Tamir Jackson but lost anyway, 67-56, to Texas El Paso on Saturday at Autry Court.

Houston won its last outing, a 103-76 result against Marshall on March 2. They covered in that game as a 2.5-point favorite. The battle between the Cougars and Thundering Herd didn’t turn out to be much of a battle at all as Marshall was handed a 103-76 defeat on Saturday at Hofheinz Pavilion.


Rice Owls Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 3-7
Before playing Tulsa are 3-7
After playing Texas El Paso are 2-8
After a loss are 2-8

Houston Cougars Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Tulane are 5-5
After playing Marshall are 4-3
After a win are 6-4

A few Owls at Cougars trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Rice's last 6 games on the road
Rice is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Houston
Rice is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Houston's last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing Rice
Houston is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games at home


Next up:
Rice home to Tulsa, Saturday, March 9
Houston at Tulane, Saturday, March 9