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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Rice-Tulsa prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Rice-Tulsa.
The Rice Owls begin 2025 with a lot of questions. They have a modest 9-4 record against less-than-elite competition. Coach Rob Lanier has a lot of work to do with his team. Rice suffered a horrible loss to a non-Division I school, UNT Dallas, earlier in December. That's a brutal development for a team which is trying to establish itself in the college basketball world but has not made the NCAA Tournament since 1970. Lanier himself has a lot to prove as a head coach after being released by SMU after just two seasons. Lanier was, in the eyes of many people in the college basketball industry, not given a fair chance at SMU, which hired former USC basketball coach Andy Enfield to lead the program this season. Lanier, if he can make Rice at least a bubble team which contends for the NCAA Tournament, will make a name for himself in this business. Losing to UNT Dallas is exactly how to fall short of that goal and squander all momentum in his rebuilding effort. The pursuit of a renewed Rice basketball program begins afresh on New Year's Day with this battle against Tulsa, a familiar foe to the north.
Tulsa has hovered near .500 this season. The Golden Hurricane have struggled to find any sort of consistency this season. To their credit, though, their nonconference scheduling has been ambitious. Tulsa has played UCF and Oklahoma State, two Big 12 programs, and the Golden Hurricane have tried to use the nonconference portion of their slate to get better and learn lessons the team can apply for the conference season. Those UCF and Oklahoma State games need to pay off here against Rice, a team which has more wins than Tulsa but not the stronger schedule. Bettors have to weigh those competing facts when they size up this game, and as you will see below, Vegas does not have a strong favorite in this game, though the Tulsa spread is slightly shaded.
Here are the Rice-Tulsa College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Rice-Tulsa Odds
Rice: +2.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +128
Tulsa: -2.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -154
Over: 140.5 (-115)
Under: 140.5 (-105)
How to Watch Rice vs Tulsa
Time: 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Rice Will Cover The Spread/Win
Rice's loss to UNT Dallas was horrible, but it was a real wake-up call for the team and a moment for this coaching staff, led by Rob Lanier, to recalibrate heading into Christmas break. After having extended time off, Rice should be refocused and ready to play at a much higher level. If the Owls do show that they have learned a lot from the UNT Dallas loss, they will be able to beat a Tulsa team which is the definition of mediocre this season and has not been able to stack together consecutive wins over good opponents.
Why Tulsa Will Cover The Spread/Win
Tulsa has fewer wins than Rice, but the Golden Hurricane's more ambitious and aspirational scheduling — playing some Big 12 teams and trying to test themselves against more rugged competition compared to Rice — should but Tulsa in a very good position to win this game. Tulsa is playing at home, too, which is not to be discounted in the bigger scheme of things.
Final Rice-Tulsa Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Tulsa, but this game is very much a coin flip. Pass.
Final Rice-Tulsa Prediction & Pick: Tulsa -2.5
