Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Texas State and the win they were favored to collect coming into this afternoon. They have jumped out to a quick 35-31 lead against Rice.
Texas State entered the match having won four straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it five, or will Rice step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.
Who's Playing
Rice Owls @ Texas State Bobcats
Current Records: Rice 7-2, Texas State 6-3
How To Watch
- When: Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 3 p.m. ET
- Where: Strahan Coliseum -- San Marcos, Texas
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
What to Know
The Rice Owls' road trip will continue as they head out to face the Texas State Bobcats at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at Strahan Coliseum. The Owls might want some stickum for this one as the team gave up 19 turnovers on Sunday.
Rice's season wasn't pretty last year but it's starting to look like struggles are in the rearview. They managed a 70-66 victory over Iona. The score was all tied up 35-35 at the break, but the Owls were the better team in the second half.
Rice can attribute much of their success to Caden Powell, who went 6 for 8 en route to 14 points plus seven rebounds. Powell's performance made up for a slower match against Hofstra last Friday.
Meanwhile, Texas State had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.3 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Wednesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Patriots 97-49. With that win, the Bobcats brought their scoring average up to 76.8 points per game.
Texas State smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in November of 2023.
Rice's victory bumped their record up to 7-2. As for Texas State, they pushed their record up to 6-3 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Rice has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 41.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Texas State struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37.7. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Rice is hoping to beat the odds on Sunday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss.
Odds
Texas State is a 4.5-point favorite against Rice, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bobcats as a 3.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 134.5 points.
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Series History
Texas State has won 3 out of their last 4 games against Rice.
- Dec 04, 2022 - Rice 83 vs. Texas State 71
- Nov 30, 2021 - Texas State 80 vs. Rice 69
- Nov 28, 2018 - Texas State 74 vs. Rice 60
- Dec 22, 2017 - Texas State 74 vs. Rice 66