Incarnate Word vs Rice Odds and Picks (Dec. 16)

  • Rice is a 17.5-point favorite over Incarnate Word on Thursday
  • Incarnate Word has won two of three games after an 0-7 start
  • The matchup and odds can be found below with a prediction

Rice will try to string together another win when it hosts Incarnate Word at 12:15 p.m. ET Thursday at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston.

Rice (6-4/3-1 home) has won its last two games, including beating Houston Baptist 88-73 on Saturday on the road. Incarnate Word (2-8/0-2 road) has won two of three games following an 0-7 start and is coming off a 72-62 victory over Grambling State at home.

In a game that will be shown on CUSA.tv, Rice is a sizable favorite.

Incarnate Word vs Rice Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Incarnate Word +1000 +17.5 (-110) Over 151 (-110)
Rice -2100 -17.5 (-110) Under 151 (-110)

Odds as of December 15th at FanDuel.

Incarnate Word Outlook

Incarnate Word got top scorer Josh Morgan back last Saturday after he missed the previous five games. The sophomore guard shook off the rust to score 13 points and grab seven rebounds.

Morgan is averaging 16.6 points a game.

Senior guard RJ Glasper had another big game as he torched Grambling for 21 points. That came after he scored a season-high 23 points in a loss to Abilene Christian in Incarnate Word’s previous game.

A transfer from Oral Roberts, Glasper is averaging 13.5 points and 3.2 assists.

Senior forward Johnny Hughes notched his second double-double of the season as he finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The graduate transfer was 7 of 9 from the floor.

Hughes played four seasons at Division II Mount Olive before making the jump to Division I. He has averages of 13.4 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 81.8% from the free throw line and scoring in double figures in six of the last seven games.

Junior guard Drew Lutz has a 12.7 scoring average and is dishing 3.6 assists a game while freshman forward Benjamin Griscti is scoring at a 10.2 clip. Griscti made four three-pointers against Grambling as he had 12 points and eight rebounds.

Incarnate Word held Grambling to 35.5% shooting (22 of 62), a good sign as the Cardinals stand 346th out of 358 Division I teams in defensive rating, allowing 111.4 points per 100 possessions. However, Incarnate Word gave up 43 second-half points after leading 37-19 at halftime.

The Cardinals shot 51.0%, connecting on 25 of their 49 field goal attempts.

Rice Outlook

Sophomore guard Quincy Olivari seemed to have his breakout game against Houston Baptist as he scored a season-high 27 points. Olivari shot 11 of 15 and made four three-point field goals.

Last season, Olivari averaged a team-leading 16.3 points a game. That figure has slipped to 9.3 in 2021-22.

Senior guard Carl Pierre leads the Owls in scoring with a 15.3 average in his first season after transferring from Massachusetts.

Pierre had 21 points, five rebounds, three steals Saturday. He also knocked down five three-pointers.

Rice is ninth in the country with an average of 11.3 made threes a game. The Owls have drained 13.3 a game over their last five outings.

Pierre is one of four Owls scoring in double figures along with sophomore guard Travis Evee (14.2), junior guard Chris Mullins (10.7) and sophomore forward Max Fiedler (10.6).

Fiedler is having an outstanding all-round season as he is also averaging 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 blocked shots. While Fiedler scored just four points Saturday, he had eight rebounds, seven assists and six blocks.

Rice shot 50.0% (32 of 64) while holding a 43-31 advantage in rebounds. The Owls built a 51-32 halftime lead, scoring their most points in a half this season.

Incarnate Word vs Rice Prediction

The teams also met last season and Rice notched a 68-53 road win.

Mullins had 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steal for the Owls while Fielder contributed 14 points, 13 rebounds and four assists and Evee added 10 points. Incarnate Word got 11 points and five assists from Lutz.

Look for Rice and its potent offense to roll again against Incarnate Word’s shaky defense.

The Pick: Rice -17.5 (-110)

The post Incarnate Word vs Rice Odds and Picks (Dec. 16) appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.

Source: https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/news/ncaab/incarnate-word-vs-rice-odds-picks-december16/

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