Rice Owls vs Charlotte 49ers Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs Charlotte 49ers

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: Halton Arena in Charlotte, NC

TV: ESPNU

The Charlotte 49ers (12-9) are welcoming the Rice Owls (9-12) at Halton Arena on Saturday.

The Rice Owls stepped onto the hardwood against East Carolina and notched a win by a score of 83-77 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Owls left the arena with 17 and East Carolina finished the game with 18 fouls. They knocked down 4 out of their 19 attempts from beyond the arc. East Carolina finished 88.5% at the charity stripe by knocking down 23 of 26 attempts. Moreover, East Carolina grabbed 27 rebounds (7 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. East Carolina distributed 15 dimes and had 5 steals in the game. In terms of defending, Rice allowed the other team to go 41.7% from the floor on 25 of 60 shooting. They also recorded 14 assists for this game while forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When it comes to getting rebounds, they earned a total of 34 with 11 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Owls made 15 of 25 tries for a percentage of 60.0%. Rice finished the contest having earned a 49.1% field goal percentage (28 of 57) and buried 12 out of their 28 three-point attempts.

Jalen Smith is a player who was a factor in this contest. He left the arena with 21 points on 8 of 16 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 minutes and also pulled down 3 boards. He finished shooting 50.0% from the field and also recorded 1 assist.

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Rice will enter this matchup with a mark of 9-12 for the season. They are averaging 74.5 points per game (234th in college hoops) while hitting 42.7% from the field. The Owls are shooting 37.0% on 3-pointers (190 of 514) and 68.9% from the charity stripe. As a team, Rice is pulling in 37.3 boards per game and is sitting with 258 assists on the season, which ranks 300th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 12.3 times per contest and as a squad they commit 18.5 fouls every game.

On defense, the Owls are forcing their opponents into 12.1 turnovers every game and they draw 17.9 fouls. They give up 34.2% on shots from distance while they are 197th in D-1 in opponents PPG (74.1). The Owls are giving up a FG percentage of 43.9% (535 of 1,220) and they relinquish 36.3 boards per contest as a unit. They rank 102nd in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 258 relinquished so far this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Charlotte 49ers got the victory with a final of 80-76 when they played Temple. When talking about how they attacked the glass, Charlotte allowed Temple to grab 23 in total (9 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 30.4% from 3-point land by shooting 7 of 23 and finished the game at 27 out of 29 at the free throw line (93.1%). The 49ers allowed Temple to make 21 out of their 48 attempts from the floor which had them at 43.8% for this contest. At the conclusion of this game, the 49ers walked away from this one shooting 26 out of 54 from the field which gave them a rate of 48.1%. Concerning shooting from distance, Charlotte made 9 of their 23 attempts (39.1%). They were able to knock down 19 of the free throw tries for a rate of 67.9%. Temple committed 20 personal fouls in the game which took the 49ers to the free throw line for 28 shots. They turned the ball over 8 times, while recording 3 steals for this game. The 49ers earned 13 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards totaling 26 in this matchup.

Anton Bonke ended up having an impact for the 49ers for this contest. He converted 11 of 14 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 78.6%, and had 9 rebounds. He scored 25 points in his 33 minutes of playing time, but finished this game without an assist.

Charlotte has a mark of 12-9 this season. As an offense, the 49ers are hitting on 46.1% from the field, which has them ranked 141st in the nation. Charlotte has earned 1,562 pts for the year (74.4 per game) and they grab 34.9 boards per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 13.1 times per contest (250th in D-1) and they lose possession via turnover 12.0 times per game. The 49ers are committing 17.7 fouls per game and they go 71.3% from the charity stripe.

The 49ers are ranked 183rd in college in PPG given up with 73.5. They are forcing their opponents into 9.8 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.9% from the floor (242nd in the country). The Charlotte defense allows 35.0% on 3-pointers (164 of 468) and their opponents are converting on 70.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 12.3 assists and 30.5 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 95th and 19th in college.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Rice

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