Who's Playing

Rice @ UAB

Current Records: Rice 17-10; UAB 20-8

What to Know

The Rice Owls are 2-9 against the UAB Blazers since January of 2016, but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit Thursday. Rice and UAB will face off in a Conference USA battle at 7:30 p.m. ET at Bartow Arena. These two teams seek to continue their momentum from their previous wins.

Even if it wasn't a dominant performance, the Owls beat the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 83-77 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Blazers didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup with the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners on Saturday, but they still walked away with an 83-78 win.

Rice have to know they'll be fighting an uphill battle given the 12-point spread they are up against. The odds have been favorable for them against the spread on the road this season, even if it's been tough sledding overall. They are 8-3 ATS in away games but only 14-10 all in all.

Rice is now 17-10 while UAB sits at 20-8. Two offensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Owls come into the contest boasting the 31st most points per game in college basketball at 78.9. But the Blazers are even better: they enter the game with 82.1 points per game on average, good for 10th best in college basketball. Tune in for what's sure to be a high-scoring game.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Where: Bartow Arena -- Birmingham, Alabama
  • TV: ESPN Plus
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $16.50

Odds

The Blazers are a big 12-point favorite against the Owls, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 12-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

UAB have won nine out of their last 11 games against Rice.

  • Jan 28, 2023 - UAB 70 vs. Rice 52
  • Feb 17, 2022 - UAB 92 vs. Rice 68
  • Jan 08, 2022 - Rice 85 vs. UAB 80
  • Mar 11, 2021 - UAB 73 vs. Rice 60
  • Jan 23, 2021 - UAB 86 vs. Rice 74
  • Jan 22, 2021 - UAB 78 vs. Rice 68
  • Feb 06, 2020 - Rice 86 vs. UAB 72
  • Jan 26, 2019 - UAB 89 vs. Rice 86
  • Feb 10, 2018 - UAB 61 vs. Rice 56
  • Jan 07, 2017 - UAB 88 vs. Rice 81
  • Jan 21, 2016 - UAB 82 vs. Rice 70