College basketball wagering interest will be high on Wednesday when the Owls of Rice hit the hard court against the Mustangs of Southern Methodist.

This is a conference playoff game in the Conference USA Tournament. The game is being played at Haskins Center, which makes it technically a neutral site match.

This season, the Mustangs are 17-13 overall and 12-7-1 ATS ATS, while the Owls are 13-17 and 11-11-1 ATS against the number. As for the totals, Southern Methodist boasts a 7-12-1 on the OU, and Rice is 12-11.



View Rice vs Southern Methodist Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with Southern Methodist in this one will find them as 1-point favorites.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game puts the Mustangs, most recently No. 250 in the Odds Shark power rankings, up against the Owls, who rate No. 217 in the latest survey. Meanwhile, math and computer-based handicapping simulations run on this game predict a potential 69-66 victory for the Mustangs.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Southern Methodist's No. 267-ranked offense, averaging 65.5 PPG, against a Owls defense that ranks No. 153 at 67 PPG. The Mustangs field goal percentage has averaged 48.4% so far, more than the Owls marksmen have achieved on the year, 43% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Rice owns the country's No. 64-rated mark, allowing 66.1 points per game on the highway. Southern Methodist, on the other hand, rates No. 272 in scoring at home.

Rice won its last outing, a 72-57 result against Houston on March 5. They covered in that game as a 1-point underdog. Lucas Kuipers scored 15 points leading the Owls to a 72-57 victory over Houston at Hofheinz Pavilion on Saturday.

Last time out for Southern Methodist, they were a 59-56 loser as they battled Texas El Paso at home. They failed to cover in the match as a 1-point underdog. Papa Dia scored 19 points in a futile effort to lead the Mustangs to a win (they lost 59-56 to Texas El Paso at Moody Coliseum on Saturday).


Rice Owls Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 2-8
After playing Houston are 3-7
After a win are 4-6

Southern Methodist Mustangs Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 7-3
After playing Texas El Paso are 3-7
After a loss are 6-4

A few Owls at Mustangs trends to consider:
Southern Methodist is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Rice
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Southern Methodist's last 5 games when playing Rice
Southern Methodist is 9-2-1 ATS in its last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Southern Methodist's last 7 games