The Florida International Panthers battle the Rice Owls in a season-opening matchup on Tuesday. FIU is coming off an 11-22 season, while Rice was 11-21 in 2023-24. The Panthers, who were ninth in Conference USA at 5-11, were just 1-12 on the road a year ago. The Owls, who tied for 10th in the American Athletic Conference at 5-13, were 6-10 on their home court last season.
Tip-off from Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Owls are 6.5-point favorites in the latest FIU vs. Rice odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 150.5, up two points from the opening line. Before making any Rice vs. FIU picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024-25 season on a 153-110 betting roll (+1891) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Florida International vs. Rice. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines and trends for Rice vs. FIU:
- FIU vs. Rice spread: Rice -6.5
- FIU vs. Rice over/under: 150.5 points
- FIU vs. Rice money line: Rice -259, FIU +209
- FIU: The Panthers hit the Over in seven of their last eight games last season (+5.95 units)
- RICE: 13-18-1 ATS last season
- FIU vs. Rice picks: See picks at SportsLine
- FIU vs. Rice streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why you should back Rice
Redshirt senior guard Alem Huseinovic is the Owls’ top returning scorer. In 32 games a year ago, including 26 starts, he averaged 7.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 26.6 minutes. He connected on 45.1% of his field goals, including 40.2% from 3-point range. He scored a season-high 20 points on a career-best 6 of 7 from 3-point range in a 95-69 loss to SMU on Feb. 7.
Graduate student Trae Broadnax, who is in his first year with the program, played three seasons at South Carolina Upstate after one season at Navy. The guard earned second team All-Big South Conference honors in 2023-24. He played in 30 games and led the team in both scoring (14.2) and assists (3.5). He was fourth in the Big South in field goal percentage (.465), sixth in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.5, 10th in free throw percentage (.716) and 12th in scoring. See which team to pick here.
Why you should back FIU
Junior Dashon Gittens is the Panthers’ top returning scorer. In 22 games, all starts, Gittens averaged 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 27.5 minutes of action. He connected on 40.6% of his field goals and 82% of his free throws. He scored a career-high 20 points in an 83-74 win over Houston Christian on Nov. 15, 2023.
Senior guard Travis Gray is expected to step in and help the offense after redshirting in 2023-24. He played his first two seasons at Mohawk Community College. In 20 games his sophomore year, he started 16 and averaged 18.1 points on 49.4% shooting from the field, including 46.2% from 3-point range. He also averaged 7.2 rebounds and 5.6 assist. As a freshman, he was a third-team NJCAA All-American, averaging 22.9 points and 10.3 rebounds. See which team to pick here.
