The No. 4 seed Southern Utah Thunderbirds will try to book their spot in the semifinals of the 2023 CBI Tournament when they face the No. 12 seed Rice Owls on Monday afternoon. Southern Utah advanced to the quarterfinals with a 72-50 win over No. 13 seed North Alabama on Saturday. Rice pulled off an upset with an 84-78 win over No. 5 seed Duquesne on Sunday as a 7-point underdog.
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET. The Thunderbirds are favored by 6.5 points in the latest Southern Utah vs. Rice odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 161. Before entering any Rice vs. Southern Utah picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters this week 83-54 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season, returning more than $1,500 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Southern Utah vs. Rice. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Southern Utah vs. Rice:
- Southern Utah vs. Rice spread: Southern Utah -6.5
- Southern Utah vs. Rice over/under: 161 points
- Southern Utah vs. Rice money line: Southern Utah -278, Rice 222
- Southern Utah vs. Rice picks: See picks here
Why Southern Utah can cover
Southern Utah recovered from its loss to Grand Canyon in the WAC Tournament title game when it opened the CBI with a 72-50 win against North Alabama on Saturday. The game was tied at halftime, but the Thunderbirds dominated the second half by a score of 38-16. Jason Spurgin had 16 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks, while Cameron Healy added 15 points.
Senior guard Tevian Jones has been Southern Utah's best player this season, averaging 17.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The Thunderbirds have an explosive lineup, with four other players joining Jones in double figures. They are 12-4 in their last 16 games as favorites, while Rice has only covered the spread once in its last seven games.
Why Rice can cover
Rice had a disappointing finish to the regular season, but it has won two of its three games in the postseason. The Owls beat UTSA in the Conference USA Tournament earlier this month before taking down No. 5 seed Duquesne on Sunday. They were 7-point underdogs in their win over the Dukes, so they are comfortable playing in this role.
Quincy Olivari scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Rice in its win over Duquesne, while Travis Evee scored 17 points and Max Fiedler added 16 points on 8 of 9 shooting. Olivari, a junior guard, leads Rice with 18.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. The Owls have covered the spread in five of their last seven games against WAC opponents.
How to make Rice vs. Southern Utah picks
The model has simulated Southern Utah vs. Rice 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 90% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Rice vs. Southern Utah? And which side of the spread hits well over 90% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is 83-54 on its top-rated college basketball picks this season, and find out.
