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Florida State vs. Rice Prediction College Basketball Picks 11/9/24

Rice (1-0) vs. Florida State (1-0)



Game info: Saturday, November 9, 2024, 7:00 p.m. (Toyota Center)

Betting Odds: Rice +9 / Florida State -9 — Over/Under: 154 Click here for the latest odds

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The Florida State Seminoles visit the Rice Owls on Saturday, November 9th at Toyota Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and identify the best bets for this game. Here is a Florida State Seminoles vs. Rice Owls prediction.

Rice Owl Preview

The Rice Owls have had a disappointing season with a record of 11-21 and sit last in the AAC with a conference record of 5-13. Rice had a subpar home record of 6-10 and was 5-7 on the road. The Owls were 12-17-1 against the spread and 14-16 in the over/under.

In their season opener on Monday, the Owls beat Florida International at home 77-70. Rice managed to cover the -6.5 point spread and the game fell short of the 152 point total. The Owls' 77 points ranked just 219th nationally, while their 70 points allowed ranked 188th. Rice played excellent defense, holding Florida International to just 37% from the field while drawing a total of 31 fouls, which led to 38 free throw attempts.

Junior forward Caden Powell led Rice's offense with a major double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, a team-high 11 rebounds. Senior guard Trae Broadnax added 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, a team-high.

Florida State Seminoles Preview

The Florida State Seminoles have had a balanced season with a 17-16 record and are 11th in the AAC with a 10-10 conference record. Florida State did decently at home with a record of 10-7, but was below average on the road at 4-7. The Seminoles were 15-15-1 against the spread and 19-11-1 in the over/under.

In their season opener on Monday, the Seminoles defeated Northern Kentucky at home, 74-62. Florida State erased the -8 point gap and kept the game under the point total of 146.5. The Seminoles' 74 points were just 248th nationally, while their 62 points allowed ranked 115th. Florida State struggled to shoot just 18% from distance, but managed to force 22 turnovers with 14 steals from Northern Kentucky.

Sophomore forward Taylor Bol Bowen and senior forward Jamir Watkins led Florida State's offense with 17 points each, with Bowen also grabbing a team-high six rebounds. After that, Florida State will play Tarleton State.

Why the Rice Owls will win

  • Florida State has lost eight of its last 10 games against non-AP ranked opponents at a neutral site.

  • Rice has won four of its last five games against non-conference opponents.

  • Florida State has lost the first half in each of its last four games played at neutral sites.

Why the Florida State Seminoles will win

  • Rice has lost each of its last five games at neutral sites.

  • Florida State has won 10 of its last 12 night games against non-AP ranked opponents at a neutral site.

  • Florida State has won the first half in 10 of its last 12 night games against non-AP ranked opponents at a neutral site.

Florida State Seminoles vs Rice Owls Prediction

In this Florida State Seminoles vs. Rice Owls prediction, Florida State is the away favorite at -9 points. Rice is projected to be ranked No. 208 nationally this season, while Florida State is expected to finish at a strong No. 87. Both teams showed off their defensive prowess in their opening games, holding their opponents to just 62 and 70 points respectively, and neither showed any fireworks offensively. I expect it to be a slow and low scoring game, so I expect the total score to be lower.

The selections in this article are the opinion of the author and not a consensus of the PickDawgz site.

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