Free Pick | NCAA | Wednesday | March 13

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#661 Rice +2.5 over Wichita State 12:00 PM CT

Rice lost by 21 at Wichita State on March 2 but this is a manageable draw for the Owls, who closed the regular season losing four consecutive games to fall to 5-13 in AAC play. Rice did beat Memphis and UAB this season on the road and has five road wins while this will be a more favorable venue for the Owls in Fort Worth. Wichita State also finished just 5-13 this season in conference play and a lot went right in the convincing head-to-head win in this pairing as the Shockers shot 64% with 14 3-point makes. Wichita State has decent defensive numbers, but Rice has been the superior offensive team this season. Wichita State has the worst turnover rate in the conference and shot below 35 percent from 3-point range for the conference season as the success against Rice was an extreme outlier. Rice has decent rebounding potential with a size edge in this matchup and the season numbers suggest Rice should expect to have a slight shooting edge in this pairing, particularly with more long range success. Wichita State has a grand total of three wins away from home this season and only one since mid-November as a Shockers team that can go through great offensive droughts will be a risky favorite today.