Halftime Report

Rice is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 34-24 lead against Northwestern State.

If Rice keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 5-6 in no time. On the other hand, Northwestern State will have to make due with a 1-10 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Rice Owls @ Northwestern State Demons

Current Records: Rice 4-6, Northwestern State 1-9

How To Watch

What to Know

Rice is 5-0 against Northwestern State since December of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Rice Owls will head out on the road to face off against the Northwestern State Demons at 3:00 p.m. ET at Prather Coliseum. Rice is hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.

Rice's and Incarnate Word's game on Wednesday was close at halftime, but Rice turned on the heat in the second half with 43 points. The Owls were the clear victor by a 80-57 margin over the Cardinals. The result was nothing new for Rice, who have now won three matches by 20 points or more so far this season.

Travis Evee was the offensive standout of the match as he scored 29 points along with three steals. Max Fiedler was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.

Meanwhile, Northwestern State's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their ninth straight loss. They were dealt a punishing 95-54 defeat at the hands of the Broncos. Northwestern State was surely aware of their disadvantage in the point spread, but the foreknowledge did nothing to prevent the result.

Northwestern State's loss came about despite a quality game from Cliff Davis, who scored 21 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Davis has scored all season.

The Owls are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 4-6 record this season. As for the Demons, they have fallen quite a ways from their 21-10 record last season and are now at 1-9.

Saturday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Rice have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Northwestern State, though, as they've been averaging only 32 rebounds per game. Given Rice's sizeable advantage in that area, Northwestern State will need to find a way to close that gap.

Everything came up roses for Rice against Northwestern State in their previous matchup back in December of 2022 as the squad secured a 110-73 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rice since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.

Odds

Rice is a big 10.5-point favorite against Northwestern State, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Owls as a 7.5-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 148.5 points.

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Series History

Rice has won all of the games they've played against Northwestern State in the last 7 years.

  • Dec 17, 2022 - Rice 110 vs. Northwestern State 73
  • Nov 12, 2019 - Rice 80 vs. Northwestern State 74
  • Nov 17, 2018 - Rice 102 vs. Northwestern State 74
  • Nov 17, 2017 - Rice 87 vs. Northwestern State 65
  • Dec 19, 2016 - Rice 100 vs. Northwestern State 93