The Rice Owls take on the Memphis Tigers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Rice Memphis prediction and pick. Find how to watch Rice Memphis.

The Memphis Tigers were rolling along in the 2023-2024 college basketball season. They were projected at one point to be as high as a No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament and had a good chance of being a No. 4 seed. That dream seems to have died. Memphis has lost three straight games to South Florida, Tulane, and most recently, UAB. One loss represents a slight to modest hit to a resume. Three straight losses to non-NCAA Tournament teams have taken Memphis down several seed lines and have significantly worsened Memphis's eventual bracket path in March Madness. If Memphis wants to put a halt to its downward slide and make sure its eventual NCAA Tournament seeding doesn't take any additional hits, it needs to stop the bleeding here against the Rice Owls and stabilize its season.

Here are the Rice-Memphis College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Rice-Memphis Odds

Rice Owls: +14.5 (-102)

Memphis Tigers: -14.5 (-120)

Over: 154.5 (-110)

Under: 154.5 (-110)

How To Watch Rice vs Memphis

Time: 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT

TV: ESPN Plus

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Rice Could Cover the Spread

The Memphis Tigers are in a very bad slump. Their loss to South Florida came in a game in which they had a 20-point lead at home and blew it. They lost at Tulane when giving up more than 80 points. They lost to UAB when allowing more than 95 points. This team has a problem with playing defense, communicating on the court, and displaying a modest level of consistency. Coach Penny Hardaway has mentioned how exhausting and difficult it has been to manage internal dynamics on his team. The Tigers are not playing together. The locker room is not harmonious. Hardaway would love to simply coach basketball, but other problems are getting in the way. In addition to the distracted and disjointed nature of the team itself — with players not pulling together for each other — there is also the reality that star Caleb Mills is injured and out for the season. Memphis is not as good a team without Mills, and that is contributing to the Tigers' downward slide. The point spread is large here, meaning Rice can lose by 14 and still cover. If you think this is a layup for Memphis, remember that the Tigers had to go to overtime at home against UTSA. They have not hammered every inferior opponent at home. This is a frail team unlikely to max out, and that's how Rice will cover.

Why Memphis Could Cover the Spread

The Tigers are embarrassed, humiliated, angry, immersed in conflict, and generally not in a good place. This might seem like a reason to pick against the Tigers instead of betting on them to cover, but this team has played so much bad basketball that a course correction is bound to happen sooner or later. Rice has just one win in conference play and is a very weak team, playing Memphis on the road. This is exactly the kind of “get right” opponent Memphis needs. The feeble quality of opposition is what will enable the Tigers to blow the doors off this game and win by 20 to 25 points.

Final Rice-Memphis Prediction & Pick

This is a total mismatch. Memphis will play well and run away with the game. Take Memphis.

Final Rice-Memphis Prediction & Pick: Memphis -14.5