Halftime Report

The last time Rice and Northwestern State met, the game was decided by 25 points, but it sure doesn't look like the final score will be so lopsided this time. After one quarter, neither team has the match in the bag, but Rice leads 27-25 over Northwestern State.

Rice has yet to string together two consecutive wins, but this may be their chance. We'll see if they can pull it off.

Who's Playing

Northwestern State Demons @ Rice Owls

Current Records: Northwestern State 1-1, Rice 2-1

How To Watch

What to Know

Rice is 6-0 against Northwestern State since December of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Rice Owls will host the Northwestern State Demons at 3:00 p.m. ET at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Demons took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on the Owls, who come in off a win.

Rice took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They took down UL Monroe 66-50.

Rice got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Alem Huseinovic out in front who went 5 for 7 en route to 15 points plus two steals. Another player making a difference was Trae Broadnax, who posted 14 points along with seven assists.

Meanwhile, things could have been worse for Northwestern State, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 73-57 loss to Oklahoma on Monday. The Demons have struggled against the Sooners recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Willie Williams, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. He had some trouble finding his footing against Texas Tech last Friday, so this was a nice turnaround. Micah Thomas was another key player, going 8 for 15 en route to 20 points plus five rebounds.

Rice now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Northwestern State, their loss dropped their record down to 1-1.

Going forward, Rice is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 9.5 points. Both have both performed well against the spread, with Rice at 3-0 and Northwestern State at 2-0 ATS.

Everything went Rice's way against Northwestern State in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, as Rice made off with a 76-51 win. Does Rice have another victory up their sleeve, or will Northwestern State turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.

Odds

Rice is a big 9.5-point favorite against Northwestern State, 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 9.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 140 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Rice has won all of the games they've played against Northwestern State in the last 8 years.

  • Dec 16, 2023 - Rice 76 vs. Northwestern State 51
  • Dec 17, 2022 - Rice 110 vs. Northwestern State 73
  • Nov 12, 2019 - Rice 80 vs. Northwestern State 74
  • Nov 17, 2018 - Rice 102 vs. Northwestern State 74
  • Nov 17, 2017 - Rice 87 vs. Northwestern State 65
  • Dec 19, 2016 - Rice 100 vs. Northwestern State 93