The C-USA conference tournament continues Wednesday as the No. 3 seed Marshall Thundering Herd (15-6) face off against the No. 6 seed Rice Owls (14-12) at FORD CENTER AT THE STAR, starting at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN+. Marshall is a 9.5-point favorite to move one step closer to an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament bracket.
The betting insights and predictions in this article reflect betting data from DraftKings as of March 10, 2021, 1:16 PM ET. See table below for current betting odds and CLICK HERE to bet at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Betting Odds
Computer Picks
Pick ATS:
Thundering Herd (-9.5)
The DraftKings line for this game has the Thundering Herd favored by 9.5, while the model predicts they’ll win by slightly more (10.4 points).
Pick OU:
Under (157.5)
The model projects a total (149.7 points) much lower than the one set by DraftKings for this matchup (157.5 points). Take the under.
Prediction: Marshall 80, Rice 70
Predictions are calculated by a data-driven algorithm (raw power score) that ranks head-to-head matchup results within a closed network of games. Prediction confidence is determined by the delta between each team’s raw power score.
Examining the Over/Under
- The average implied total for the Thundering Herd this season is 78.8 points, 5.2 fewer points than their implied total of 84 points in Wednesday’s game.
- Marshall will try to surpass its implied point total for this matchup (84) for the eighth time this season.
- The average implied point total on the season for the Owls (77) is three more points than the team’s implied total in this matchup (74).
- Rice will try to outscore its implied point total for this matchup (74) for the 12th time this season.
Implied totals are projected point totals for each team based on totals and spreads set by sportsbooks.
Marshall and Rice Records ATS
| ATS Record | ATS Record Against 9.5+ Point Spread | Over/Under Record (O-U-P) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thundering Herd | 8-11-1 | 3-4-1 | 13-7 |
| Owls | 12-9-1 | 1-1 | 11-11 |
Against The Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
Betting Tips – Shooting Stats
- This season, the Thundering Herd have a 47.9% shooting percentage from the field, which is 2.7% higher than the 45.2% of shots the Owls’ opponents have hit.
- Marshall is 7-5 against the spread and 11-1 overall in games when it collectively shoots higher than 45.2% from the field.
- Rice’s record is 12-5 overall and 8-4-1 against the spread when its opponents make more than 47.9% of their shots from the field.
- The Owls have shot at a 43.9% rate from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 43.5% shooting opponents of the Thundering Herd have averaged.
- Rice has put together an 8-4 record against the spread and a 9-5 straight up record in games it shoots over 43.5% from the field.
- Marshall is 7-3-1 against the spread and 12-0 overall in games its opponents shoot greater than 43.9% from the field.
- The Thundering Herd are knocking down 36.5% of their three-point shots this season, 0.6% higher than the 35.9% the Owls allow opponents to shoot from deep.
- Marshall has a 5-7 record against the spread and a 9-3 record overall when the team connects on more than 35.9% of its attempts from three-point distance.
- Rice is 9-1-1 against the spread while putting together a 10-4 straight-up record when its opponents shoot over 36.5% from three-point distance.
- The Owls’ three-point shooting percentage this season (35.5%) is just 0.3 percentage points lower than opponents of the Thundering Herd are averaging (35.8%).
- Rice has an 8-4-1 ATS record and has gone 7-8 straight-up when hitting more than 35.8% of its three-point attempts.
- Marshall has a 6-4-1 ATS record and an 8-3 straight-up record this season when it connects on more than 35.5% of its three-point shots.
- The Thundering Herd connect on 9.2 three-pointers per game this season, 1.1 fewer makes per game than the Owls give up (10.3).
- Rice is 9-3-1 against the spread and 10-6 overall when it connects on more three-pointers than its opponents, while Marshall is 3-2 ATS and 6-0 straight up in games when it is out-shot from the three-point line.
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