Rice Owls vs East Carolina Pirates Prediction, 1/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs East Carolina Pirates

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Location: Minges Coliseum in Greenville, NC

TV: ESPNU

The Rice Owls (8-12) are traveling to Minges Coliseum on Wednesday where they will try to beat the East Carolina Pirates (6-14).

The Rice Owls stepped onto the hardwood against Tulsa and took a loss by a final of 87-81 in their last contest. Concerning fouls, the Owls ended up finishing with 22 and Tulsa racked up 15 fouls. They also buried 11 of 25 tries from long range. Tulsa finished the game shooting 78.6% at the charity stripe by burying 22 of their 28 tries. Furthermore, Tulsa totaled 29 rebounds (12 offensive, 17 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Tulsa doled out 11 assists and had 10 steals in this matchup. In relation to defense, Rice let their opponent shoot 48.2% from the field on 27 of 56 shooting. They also distributed 13 dimes in this matchup while forcing 10 turnovers and having 6 steals. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they earned 27 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Owls converted 9 of 14 tries for a rate of 64.3%. Rice wrapped up the game with a 50.0% FG percentage (30 of 60) and buried 12 of their 26 shots from beyond the arc.

Jalen Smith is one player who was important for the game. He went 60.0% from the floor and recorded 2 assists. He was on the court for 32 mins played but concluded the game with no rebounds. He racked up 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting.

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Rice steps onto the court with a win-loss record of 8-12 on the year. They turn it over 12.3 times per game and as a team they commit 18.6 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Rice is pulling in 37.4 rebounds per game and has accumulated 244 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 319th in college hoops in terms of passing. The Owls are shooting 36.6% on three-point attempts (178 of 486) and 69.4% from the charity stripe. They average 74.1 pts per contest (243rd in college) while shooting 42.4% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Owls are forcing 12.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.9 fouls. They are 77th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 243 conceded on the season. The Owls defense is giving up a FG percentage of 44.0% (510 of 1,160) and they relinquish 36.4 rebounds per game as a team. They are surrendering 34.8% on shots from distance and they are ranked 199th in the nation in opponents PPG (74.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the East Carolina Pirates got the victory with a final of 63-59 when they faced North Texas. When discussing team rebounding, East Carolina allowed North Texas to grab 23 overall (8 offensive). They finished 20.0% from 3-point land by going 4 out of 20 and ended up shooting 11 out of 16 at the free throw line (68.8%). The Pirates permitted North Texas to knock down 22 of 63 attempts from the field which left them shooting 34.9% for this contest. When the game finished, the Pirates shot 20 for 47 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.6%. In regard to three-point shots, East Carolina made 6 of their 16 tries (37.5%). They were able to make 17 of the free throws for a rate of 73.9%. North Texas earned 18 personal fouls in the game which got the Pirates to the free throw line for 23 attempts. They also turned the ball over 15 times, while getting 4 steals in this matchup. The Pirates pulled down 28 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 39 for the contest.

Jordan Riley was important for the Pirates in this matchup. He tallied 15 points in his 39 mins of playing time and totaled 2 assists for the contest. He made 3 of 12 in this game for a field goal rate of 25.0%, and had 5 rebounds.

East Carolina has a mark of 6-14 for the campaign. The Pirates commit 16.5 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 68.7% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 11.1 times per contest (346th in college) and they are giving up possession 12.9 times per game. East Carolina has totaled 1,358 points for the year (67.9 per game) and they average 36.5 boards per contest. As an offense, the Pirates are connecting on 40.3% from the field, which ranks them 349th in D-1.

The Pirates on the defensive side of the court are 245th in college in PPG allowed with 76.2. They are able to force 11.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.8% from the field (243rd in college hoops). The East Carolina defense gives up 35.5% on shots from beyond the arc (167 of 471) and opponents are converting on 73.6% of their free throw attempts. They give up 14.3 assists and 35.8 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 252nd and 259th in D-1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take East Carolina

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