Rice Owls vs Wichita State Shockers Prediction, 1/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs Wichita State Shockers

Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Location: Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, KS

TV: ESPN+

Charles Koch Arena is the location where the Wichita State Shockers (9-6) will go up against the Rice Owls (6-9) on Wednesday.

The Rice Owls faced off with Memphis and took a loss by a score of 76-70 in their last contest. In relation to fouls, the Owls left the arena with 23 while Memphis accumulated 26 fouls. They also made 4 of 13 attempts from 3-point land. Memphis finished the game at 86.7% from the charity stripe by knocking down 26 of their 30 shots. Moreover, Memphis totaled 32 rebounds (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Memphis earned 10 dimes and had 11 steals in this game. In regard to the defense, Rice allowed their opponent to shoot 46.9% from the floor on 23 out of 49 shooting. They also dished out 10 dimes for the contest in addition to forcing 14 turnovers and having 10 steals. When talking about rebounding, they earned a total of 27 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Owls knocked down 23 of 30 tries for a rate of 76.7%. Rice wrapped up the contest having earned a 36.5% FG percentage (19 out of 52) and converted 9 out of their 29 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Nick Anderson is a guy who was important in this matchup. He ended up shooting 33.3% from the field and also recorded 2 dimes. He saw the court for 34 mins and grabbed 5 boards. He finished with 17 points on 5 of 15 shooting.

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Rice will take the court with a win-loss mark of 6-9 for the year. They are averaging 73.9 pts per game (264th in the nation) while hitting 41.2% from the field. The Owls are shooting 35.6% on shots from downtown (131 of 368) and 69.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Rice is pulling down 37.9 boards per contest and has tallied 188 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 299th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 12.8 times per game and as a team they are committing 18.4 personal fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Owls are forcing 13.4 turnovers per game and they draw 18.5 fouls. They currently rank 188th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 199 relinquished on the campaign. The Owls are giving up a FG percentage of 44.3% (390 of 881) and they surrender 37.1 rebounds per contest as a team. They are relinquishing 34.7% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 203rd in college in points per game from their opponents (74.1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Wichita State Shockers took a loss by a final score of 104-100 against Charlotte. In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Wichita State permitted Charlotte to get 29 in total (14 offensive). They went 37.9% from beyond the arc via 11 of 29 and finished the game at 29 out of 38 from the charity stripe (76.3%). The Shockers allowed Charlotte to convert 32 of 66 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.5% in the game. In all, the Shockers shot 36 for 75 from the field which had them shooting 48.0%. When talking about shooting from distance, Wichita State knocked down 10 of their 26 tries (38.5%). They were able to convert 18 of them for a percentage of 81.8%. Charlotte committed 18 fouls for the matchup which took the Shockers to the charity stripe for 22 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while earning 3 steals in this matchup. The Shockers were able to pull down 21 defensive rebounds and 19 offensive rebounds totaling 40 in this matchup.

Kenyon Giles ended up being a major contributor for the Shockers for the game. He accumulated 27 points in his 48 minutes on the court and accounted for 3 assists for the game. He made 9 of 21 for the game for a field goal percentage of 42.9%, and added 1 rebound.

Wichita State has a record of 9-6 this year. The Shockers are committing 17.3 fouls per contest and they connect on 70.1% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 12.3 times per contest (312th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.9 times per contest. Wichita State has tallied 1,188 points so far this year (79.2 per game) and they collect 40.6 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Shockers are shooting 45.6% from the floor, which ranks 177th in the nation.

The Shockers on defense are ranked 87th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 69.2. They are forcing 10.7 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.0% from the field (107th in the country). The Wichita State defense gives up 31.7% on 3-point shots (102 of 322) and opponents are converting on 71.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 12.4 dimes and 31.9 boards per game, which has them ranked 103rd and 62nd in Division 1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Wichita State

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