The North Texas Mean Green (7-5) return to the court off a lengthy layoff when they visit the slumping Rice Owls (4-4) on Friday afternoon in the opener of a two-game home-and-home series between the Conference USA rivals. The Mean Green have been idle since sweeping a two-game set from visiting Texas-El Paso on Jan 15-16. The teams were originally supposed to play Thursday and Saturday but each game was pushed back one day due to coronavirus concerns in Rice's program.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston. The Mean Green are seven-point favorites in the latest North Texas vs. Rice odds at William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 137. Before making any Rice vs. North Texas picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,300 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on North Texas vs. Rice. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Rice vs. North Texas:
- North Texas vs. Rice spread: Mean Green -7
- North Texas vs. Rice over-under: 137 points
- North Texas vs. Rice money line: Mean Green -320; Owls +250
- UNT: The Mean Green have played a conference-low four league games
- RICE: The Owls are outrebounding opponents 39.0 to 34.9
Why North Texas can cover
The Mean Green feature a balanced offense with six players averaging between 12.8 and 7.6 points, led by senior point guard Javion Hamlet. The reigning Conference USA Player of the Year, Hamlet is averaging 12.8 points -- down nearly two from last season -- and 5.2 assists while shooting a league-best 91.8 percent (45 of 49) at the free throw line. He had a combined 39 points and 12 assists in two games vs. Rice last season.
Senior guard James Reese is second to Hamlet in scoring with an average of 10.8 points and has reached double figures in seven of the past eight games. Over his last three games, he is averaging 12.7 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 50 percent (14 of 28) from the floor. Reese has elevated his play at the defensive end since the start of the new year, registering 11 steals in five games this month.
Why Rice can cover
The Owls are dangerous from the perimeter, ranking second in the conference with an average of 10.8 3-pointers made. The guard tandem of Quincy Olivari and Travis Evee are 1-2 in C-USA in 3-point shooting percentage at 46.4 and 41.4, respectively. Olivari, who leads the team in scoring (16.1) and is second in rebounding (4.8), has knocked down at least five 3-pointers in five games this season.
While Max Fiedler averages nearly a double-double with 11.1 points and 9.5 rebounds, the 6-11 forward poses even more of a difficult matchup due to his passing ability. He ranks fifth in the conference with 4.2 assists per game and eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.7) while shooting a team-leading 68.4 percent from the floor. The Owls are the top team in C-USA with an average of 16.7 assists.
How to make North Texas vs. Rice picks
The model is leaning over on the total, projecting both teams combine for 146 points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that is hitting in over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Rice vs. North Texas? And which side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
