East Carolina Pirates vs Rice Owls Prediction, 2/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: East Carolina Pirates vs Rice Owls

Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026

Location: Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN+

The East Carolina Pirates (8-16) are en route to Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday where they will take on the Rice Owls (11-14).

The East Carolina Pirates played UTSA and went home with a win by a final score of 88-72 in their last contest. East Carolina walked away from the game with a 46.3% FG percentage (31 out of 67) and knocked down 8 of 30 three-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Pirates converted 18 of 20 attempts for a percentage of 90.0%. In relation to grabbing boards, they collected 40 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 18 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and earning 5 steals. Pertaining to the defense, East Carolina allowed the other team to shoot 37.0% from the floor on 27 out of 73 shooting. UTSA earned 16 assists and had 5 steals for the contest. Additionally, UTSA grabbed 37 rebounds (15 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't notch a block. UTSA finished the game shooting 50.0% at the charity stripe by converting 8 of 16 attempts. They also knocked down 10 out of their 30 attempts from 3-point range. Concerning fouls, the Pirates walked away with 14 while UTSA recorded 14 fouls.

Jordan Riley is a guy who was a major factor for the matchup. He totaled 19 points on 5 of 14 shooting. He was on the court for 36 minutes played and also collected 6 rebounds. He went 35.7% from the floor and also dished out 4 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

East Carolina enters this one with a win-loss mark of 8-16 this season. They are turning it over 12.1 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.3 personal fouls every game. As a team, East Carolina is grabbing 36.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 276 dimes for the season, which ranks 338th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Pirates are shooting 27.3% on 3-point shots (121 of 444) and 70.8% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 69.7 points per contest (320th in Division 1) while connecting on 41.0% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Pirates have forced 11.6 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.9 fouls. They are relinquishing 35.5% on shots from downtown while they are 252nd in college in points per game allowed (76.4). The Pirates defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 44.7% (643 of 1,438) and they relinquish 36.3 boards per game as a team. They are 248th in college hoops in allowing assists with 351 relinquished for the season.

In their last game, the Rice Owls went home victorious with a score of 81-73 against Florida Atlantic. The Owls collected 23 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 30 for the matchup. They turned the ball over 5 times, while recording 6 steals in the matchup. Florida Atlantic committed 17 fouls in this matchup which got the Owls to the free throw line for 20 tries. They were able to make 12 of those for a percentage of 60.0%. With regard to shots from downtown, Rice made 9 of 28 attempts (32.1%). When this game wrapped up, the Owls finished shooting 30 out of 63 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.6%. The Owls permitted Florida Atlantic to knock down 26 of their 62 tries from the field which had them shooting 41.9% in this contest. They wrapped up this game 18.8% from three-point range by connecting on 3 out of 16 and finished the game at 18 out of 25 from the charity stripe (72.0%). In regard to how they attacked the glass, Rice permitted Florida Atlantic to pull down 37 in all (12 offensive).

Nick Anderson ended up having an impact for the Owls for this game. He made 7 of 12 for this contest for a rate of 58.3%, and added 3 rebounds. He recorded 23 points in his 31 mins of playing time and tallied 2 dimes for the matchup.

Rice has a record of 11-14 this year. The Owls are committing 18.7 fouls per game and they shoot 68.4% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 12.3 times per contest (299th in D-1) and they turn it over 12.2 times per contest. Rice has totaled 1,867 points for the season (74.7 per game) and they collect 38.3 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Owls are hitting on 42.3% from the field, which is 314th in the nation.

The Rice defense gives up 33.3% on shots from 3-point land (174 of 523) and their opponents are knocking down 73.2% of their free throw attempts. They give up 12.0 dimes and 36.8 total rebounds per game, which is 77th and 314th in those categories on the defensive end. The Owls on the defensive side of the court are 209th in college in points per game surrendered with 74.5. They are forcing their opponents into 11.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 43.8% from the field (168th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Rice

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.