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Rice Owls @ Memphis Tigers

Current Records: Rice 7-13, Memphis 15-5

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Rice has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They and the Memphis Tigers will face off in an American Athletic battle at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at FedExForum. Both of these teams will be coming in off a loss in a game they were expected to win.

Rice pushed their score all the way to 83 on Saturday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell just short of the Golden Hurricane by a score of 85-83.

Max Fiedler put forth a good effort for the losing side as he dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Mekhi Mason, who scored 19 points along with seven assists and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Rice smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tulsa only pulled down two offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, Memphis' recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Sunday after their third straight loss. They fell 97-88 to the Blazers. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.

Memphis' loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Malcolm Dandridge, who scored 19 points along with four steals, and David Jones who shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and almost dropped a double-double on 24 points and nine rebounds. Jones hasn't dropped below 24 points for three straight games.

The Owls' loss was their fifth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 7-13. As for the Tigers, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-5.

This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Rice have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Memphis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Rice is hoping to beat the odds on Wednesday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. Neither team has fared well against the spread this season; they is 7-12-1, while Memphis is 7-13.

Odds

Memphis is a big 14.5-point favorite against Rice, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Tigers as a 15-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 155 points.

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