Rice Owls vs Pepperdine Waves Prediction, 12/20/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs Pepperdine Waves

Date: Saturday, December 20, 2025

Location: Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, CA

TV: ESPN+

The Rice Owls (5-6) are hitting the road to Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday where they will play the Pepperdine Waves (4-7).

The Rice Owls faced Southwestern Christian and earned the victory with a final of 94-47 in their last contest. Rice walked away from the contest having earned a 53.8% FG percentage (35 of 65) and made 11 out of their 27 shots from distance. When they shot from the free throw line, the Owls buried 13 of their 19 attempts for a percentage of 68.4%. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned 52 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 25 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. In the matter of the defense, Rice allowed 27.3% from the field on 18 out of 66 shooting. Southwestern Christian distributed 9 assists and had 10 steals for the matchup. In addition, Southwestern Christian totaled 22 rebounds (4 offensive, 18 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Southwestern Christian finished the contest at 50.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 3 of their 6 tries. They also converted 8 of their 39 attempts from downtown. With respect to fouls, the Owls ended up with 8 while Southwestern Christian accounted for 13 fouls.

Jalen Smith is a player who was a contributor in the matchup. He finished 61.5% from the floor and distributed 4 assists. He saw the court for 29 mins played and also collected 7 boards. He walked away with 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting.

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Rice heads into this one with a mark of 5-6 for the campaign. They average 75.8 pts per game (224th in the nation) while connecting on 42.2% from the field. The Owls are connecting on 37.7% on shots from downtown (100 of 265) and 69.0% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Rice is pulling in 38.2 boards per game and has accounted for 139 dimes on the year, which ranks 288th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 12.8 times per contest and as a team they are committing 19.4 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Owls have forced 13.4 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.0 fouls. They rank 182nd in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 145 relinquished for the campaign. The Owls are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 43.7% (283 of 647) and they concede 37.5 rebounds per game as a team. They are giving up 32.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 194th in D-1 in points per game allowed (73.5).

In their last game, the Pepperdine Waves took home the win by a final score of 70-62 against CSU Bakersfield. In reference to cleaning the glass, Pepperdine allowed CSU Bakersfield to snag 34 overall (14 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 16.7% from distance by hitting 4 out of 24 and finished the contest at 24 out of 25 at the free throw line (96.0%). The Waves permitted CSU Bakersfield to make 17 out of their 57 attempts from the floor which had them at 29.8% in the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Waves shot 25 out of 55 from the field which gave them a rate of 45.5%. Concerning three-point shots, Pepperdine made 7 out of 21 attempts (33.3%). They were able to convert 13 of those for a rate of 68.4%. CSU Bakersfield earned 19 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Waves to the charity stripe for 19 shots. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while earning 8 steals for the game. The Waves were able to corral 22 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 in the game.

Aaron Clark ended up being a factor for the Waves in this game. He earned 25 points in his 38 mins on the court and accumulated 3 assists for this game. He knocked down 10 of 15 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and totaled 3 rebounds.

Pepperdine has a mark of 4-7 for the campaign. As an offensive team, the Waves are shooting 42.9% from the field, which is 294th in the nation. Pepperdine has 806 points on the campaign (73.3 per contest) and they collect 36.6 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 14.5 times per contest (184th in college hoops) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.5 times per contest. The Waves are committing 15.5 fouls per contest and they go 78.1% from the free throw line.

The Waves defensively are ranked 216th in college hoops in PPG given up with 74.3. They are forcing 11.7 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 43.6% from the floor (199th in the country). The Pepperdine defense allows 32.7% on 3-point attempts (99 of 303) and opponents are making 74.2% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 14.2 dimes and 33.3 boards per game, which has them ranked 242nd and 127th in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Rice

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