Memphis basketball vs. Rice: Right team at right time? Score prediction, scouting report

Memphis basketball's home game against Rice could not have come at a better time.

The Tigers (15-5, 4-3 AAC), losers of three in a row, desperately need a reversal of fortune. Having face-planted after reaching the top 10 in the national polls, the schedule lightens up a bit starting Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+), when the Owls visit FedExForum.

Rice (7-13, 1-6) has lost seven of its past eight games. Its best win this season came on Nov. 30, when it beat Tennessee-Martin (No. 243 in the NET) at home.

Here are three things to keep an eye on ahead of Wednesday's game.

Malcolm Dandridge coming into his own

Malcolm Dandridge's first four seasons were marred by inconsistency and littered with nagging injuries. But in his fifth season with the Tigers, the big man from Memphis has never played as well as he has the past month.

In the past eight games, Dandridge is averaging 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. That stretch has been punctuated his past two times out, when he put up 13 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks in a loss at Tulane, then dropped a career-high 19 points with four steals, three rebounds and two assists versus UAB on Sunday.

Dandridge will need to keep it up. Rice's Max Fiedler leads the AAC in rebounding with 9.9 per game and is fourth in the league with a 64.7% field goal percentage.

David Jones and the turnover plague

There is an argument to be made for taking the bad with the good when it comes to everything David Jones brings to the table.

He is the leading scorer in the AAC (21.8) and ranks 10th in rebounding (6.9 per game). He is tied for fourth in the league with 2.0 steals per game.

Jones has also nearly become a turnover-waiting-to-happen. He committed nine by himself Sunday at UAB, bringing his season total to 61. His career-high is 66, which he totaled in 28 games at DePaul in 2021-22. He is on pace to sail past that number.

Rice scouting report

The Owls, in their first season as members of the AAC, have not had an easy go of it.

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Scott Pera's team sports a minus-2.6 scoring margin through 20 games, largely because its perimeter defense is highly suspect. Rice opponents are averaging 8.6 made 3-pointers per game this season. The Owls are allowing teams to connect on 37.1% of their 3-point attempts, which ranks 334th in the country.

Rice's primary scorers are Travis Evee (15.7) and Mekhi Mason (13.9). Fiedler is scoring 9.8 points per game.

Memphis basketball score prediction vs. Rice

Memphis 80, Rice 68: It won't fix everything, but it's a start.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball vs. Rice: Score prediction, scouting report