Halftime Report

Louisiana is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Rice 40-26.

If Louisiana keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 7-5 in no time. On the other hand, Rice will have to make due with a 6-7 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns @ Rice Owls

Current Records: Louisiana 6-5, Rice 6-6

How To Watch

What to Know

The Rice Owls will be home for the holidays to greet the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns at 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Tudor Fieldhouse. The timing is sure in Rice's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while Louisiana has not had much luck on the away from home, with seven straight road losses dating back to last season.

Rice has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 20 points or more this season. They took their game at home on Wednesday with ease, bagging a 82-56 win over the Panthers. Winning is a bit easier when your shooting is a whole 19% better than the opposition, as Rice's was.

Travis Evee was the offensive standout of the matchup as he scored 28 points along with five rebounds. Max Fiedler was another key contributor, scoring six points along with 14 rebounds.

Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought contest, but the Ragin Cajuns had to settle for a 74-72 defeat against the Cowboys on Sunday.

The Owls have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-6 record this season. As for the Ragin Cajuns, their loss dropped their record down to 6-5.

Friday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Rice have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 38.1 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Louisiana, though, as they've been averaging only 32.3 rebounds per game. Given Rice's sizeable advantage in that area, Louisiana will need to find a way to close that gap.

Looking ahead, Rice is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by four points. For those looking to play the spread, take note: they are a solid 5-2 against the spread when expected to win.

Odds

Rice is a 4-point favorite against Louisiana, 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 Owls as a 3.5-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 148 points.

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