Tenn-Martin Vs Rice (Tenn-Martin + 7.5)

Tenn-Martin + 7.5 (-110)

The Skyhawks head to Houston in a mid-major clash with the Rice Owls. The Owls are laying 7.5 at home as they try to find their first win since the season opener. They've faced a very tough schedule thus far but I think the 7.5 here is just too much considering they have not been covering well either (2-4 ATS so far). This has a lot to do with the fact their defense has just been downright terrible:

Rice Defense

OPP Effective FG% - 59.9% (ranked 358th)

OPP Turnover% - 14.2% (ranked 328th)

OPP Assists/Game - 17.2 (ranked 342nd)

Rice has not been a good rebounding team thus far either, on the offensive boards specifically:

Rice Rebounding

Rebounds Game - 31.8 (ranked 310th)

Offensive Rebound% - 23.6% (ranked 325th)

Tenn-Martin on the other hand has obtained much more balanced results with Effective FG% & OPP Effective FG% right near league averages with their defense coming in a little stronger. One thing they've done quite will is avoid giving away free buckets. The Skyhawk defense is only giving up .272 FTA/FGA (ranked 70th). Keep in mind Rice is getting 22.4% (ranked 68th most) of their total points from the charity stripe! The Tenn-Martin defense's inability to force turnovers is a concern along with the lopsided strength of schedule to start the season but I think they can keep it close enough to cover here.

Go Skyhawks!