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The No. 2 Texas Longhorns will face the Rice Owls in a meeting between former Southwest Conference rivals on Monday night. Texas head coach Chris Beard was arrested on a felony assault charge early Monday morning, but the school has not released a statement regarding his status for this game as of Monday morning. Rice is on a five-game winning streak following an 83-71 win at Texas State last Sunday. 

Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET. The Longhorns are favored by 24.5 points in the latest Texas vs. Rice odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 142.5. Before entering any Rice vs. Texas picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated more than $1,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Texas vs. Rice. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Texas vs. Rice:

  • Texas vs. Rice spread: Texas -24.5
  • Texas vs. Rice over/under: 142.5 points
  • Texas vs. Rice money line: Texas -10000, Rice +2000
  • Texas vs. Rice picks: See picks here

Why Texas can cover

Texas suffered its first loss of the season in overtime last Tuesday against then-No. 17 Illinois, but it bounced back with a demonstrative performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday. The Longhorns played one of their best halves of the season in the second half, holding a 42-13 scoring edge following the intermission. They have proven their ability to win games in blowout fashion, with six of their seven wins coming by at least 15 points. 

Rice has lost 10 straight meetings in this head-to-head series, and two of its three road games this season resulted in blowout losses. The Owls lost to Pepperdine in a 106-67 final at the beginning of November, and they were crushed in an 81-46 loss to Middle Tennessee one week later. Texas is riding a six-game winning streak and has too much talent for Rice to deal with on Monday night. 

Why Rice can cover

Rice has recovered from its slow start to the season with a five-game winning streak, covering the spread in four of those victories. The Owls notched their first road win of the campaign last Sunday, pulling off an upset as 4.5-point underdogs in an 83-71 win over Texas State. They received 30 points from Quincy Olivari in that win, while Cameron Sheffield and Mekhi Mason each scored 13 points. 

Junior guard Travis Evee leads Rice with 16.9 points and 2.6 assists per game, reaching double figures in all but one game this season. Olivari (16.3) and Mason (10.1) are both in double digits as well, with junior forward Max Fiedler adding 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists. The Owls have had eight days to prepare for this game, and they will be fully motivated for a matchup with one of the top teams in college basketball. 

How to make Rice vs. Texas picks

The model has simulated Texas vs. Rice 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Rice vs. Texas? And which side of the spread is hitting well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Texas vs. Rice spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $1,400 on its college basketball picks the last six years, and find out.