College hoops betting interest focuses on the Texas El Paso vs Rice battle Wednesday at Haskins Center as the Miners look to defend home court and cover the NCAA basketball point spread.

The Miners sport records of 12-8 and 9-8-1 ATS heading into this battle, while the Owls have 5-16 and 7-7 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 9-7 for the Miners and 9-3 for the Owls.



View Rice vs Texas El Paso Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with Texas El Paso in this one found them as 18.5-point favorites earlier in the day. Watch for line moves and updates at Sportsbook before gametime.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 159-ranked Miners and the No. 341-rated Owls in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 67-55 win for the Miners on Wednesday.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Owls is ranked No. 349 in NCAA hoops at 25.3 per game. Contrast that with Texas El Paso’s No. 303 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Texas El Paso is the No. 274-ranked team in the country at 5.1 per game, while Rice rates No. 54 at 7.6 per game.

Defensively, Rice features the nation's No. 216-rated defense on the road, allowing 71.5 points per game. Texas El Paso, meanwhile, comes in at No. 245 nationally in scoring at home.

Rice lost its last outing, a 79-63 result against East Carolina on February 2. They failed to cover in that game as a 5-point underdog. Tamir Jackson scored 19 points in a futile effort to lead the Owls to a win (they lost 79-63 to East Carolina at Autry Court on Saturday).

Texas El Paso was a 62-50 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Tulane. They covered the 7-point spread as favorites. Texas El Paso earned a 62-50 victory over Tulane on Saturday, getting 14 points from McKenzie Moore at Haskins Center.


Rice Owls Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing Southern Methodist are 4-6
After playing East Carolina are 3-7
After a loss are 3-7

Texas El Paso Miners Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 9-1
Before playing Tulsa are 9-1
After playing Tulane are 6-4
After a win are 6-4

A few Owls at Miners trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Rice's last 6 games on the road
Rice is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Texas El Paso
Rice is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Texas El Paso is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Texas El Paso is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Rice
Texas El Paso is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Texas El Paso is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Rice


Next up:
Rice home to Southern Methodist, Saturday, February 9
Texas El Paso home to Tulsa, Saturday, February 9