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!
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