CBB Matchups

Every D1 game with tempo-free ratings, four factors and market lines, one place.

College basketball is being built for the 2026-27 season (tip-off Nov 3). What's here fills in as games are played.
Non-conferenceFirst National Bank Arena, Jonesboro, AR
Rice
Efficiency #255
2025-26: 13-18 · 7-11 conf
@
Arkansas St
Efficiency #132
2025-26: 20-12 · 11-8 conf
Sun, Nov 29 · TBD
72.9
win 22%
Projected
81.7
win 78%
No line posted yet.
Model: ARST −8.8 · total 154.6 · ratings as of Sat, Oct 3
Preseason ratings start from 2025-26's final adjusted ratings, regressed toward the D1 average. The stats below are 2025-26's too; both update once 2026-27 games are played.

How the projection is built

each step, from an average D-I game to this one
Projected total
Average D-I game
148.2
PaceAdjusted tempo: Arkansas St 71.4, Rice 67.2 → 70.2 possessions
+4.1
Arkansas St offense vs Rice defense
+3.5
Rice offense vs Arkansas St defense
−1.3
Projected total
154.6
Axis starts at 145 pointsPoints added or removed at each step
Projected margin
Even game
0.0
Arkansas St offense vs Rice defense
+3.5
Rice offense vs Arkansas St defense
+1.3
Home court+2.9 points per 100 possessions to the home offense, −2.9 to the visitors
+4.0
Arkansas St by 8.8
8.8
Rice side ◂▸ Arkansas St side

Steps are rounded to one decimal, so they can differ from the total by 0.1: the total steps add to 154.5 against a projected 154.6. The margin is the same build seen from the home side; positive numbers help Arkansas St.

Pace & total

possessions per 40 minutes
Tempo, possessions per 40 minutes

Projected possessions: 70.2, from each team's opponent-adjusted tempo. On raw 2025-26 season pace, Arkansas St is the faster team (72.5, #15 of 365) and Rice the slower (66.7, #254). When tempos clash, the slower team usually pulls the pace harder (study weights 0.80 vs 0.66).

Projected possessions
70.2
per team, 40 min
Projected total
154.6
model
Projected team totals
72.9 / 81.7
Rice / Arkansas St
Adjusted tempo, vs an average opponent
67.2#276
Rice
71.4#11
Arkansas St

How this game plays

what the study found each side's numbers actually do when these two teams meet
AdvantageArkansas St
Where Arkansas St scores: the offensive glass
Arkansas St rebounds 38.2% of its own misses (#6); Rice lets opponents grab 34.6% of their own misses (#329). Expect about 37.9%, 7.5 points above an average D1 matchup — worth roughly +4.6 points per 100 possessions.
AdvantageRice
Where Rice struggles: shooting
Rice shoots an effective 48.5% (#303); Arkansas St allows 50.3% (#117). Expect about 49.2%, 2.1 points below an average D1 matchup — worth roughly -3.0 points per 100 possessions.
Pace
Tempo tug-of-war
Arkansas St averages 72.5 possessions per 40, Rice 66.7. Slower teams pull the pace toward themselves more than fast teams push it (0.80 vs 0.66 in five seasons of games), so expect about 70 — more possessions mean more points in the total and more chances for the better team to separate.
ClashRice
Strength vs strength: offensive rebounding
Rice (#38 in offensive rebounding) against Arkansas St (#36 in the same stat allowed) — both rank inside the national top 60. Expect about 32.2%. Historically Rice's own number has carried a bit more weight in that exchange (0.70 vs 0.49).
ClashArkansas St
Style clash: 3-point volume
Arkansas St takes 44.9% of its shots from three; Rice runs teams off the line (35.5% of shots allowed from three) (D1 average 39.5%). Expect about 41.3% — the offense's habit usually carries a bit more weight (0.80 vs 0.64).
Rice has the ball
OffenseArkansas St allowsvs D1 avg
48.5% #303
50.3% #117
-3.0 pt/100
17.9% #265
14.9% #299
+0.7 pt/100
35.3% #38
27.0% #36
+1.1 pt/100
33.9% #214
37.0% #237
+0.1 pt/100
68.1% #326
—
-0.4 pt/100
Rice net across the four factors + FT%, vs. a D1-average matchup: -1.5 pts/100
Arkansas St has the ball
OffenseRice allowsvs D1 avg
51.7% #164
51.0% #160
+0.1 pt/100
19.8% #345
15.7% #237
-1.3 pt/100
38.2% #6
34.6% #329
+4.6 pt/100
39.1% #78
40.4% #306
+0.6 pt/100
73.3% #160
—
+0.1 pt/100
Arkansas St net across the four factors + FT%, vs. a D1-average matchup: +4.1 pts/100

Shot diet

Where each offense shoots from and where each defense lets teams shoot · 2025-26 numbers
Riceoffense vsArkansas Stdefense
Share of shots by zone
Rice shoots
Arkansas St allows
D-I average
FG% by zone
ZoneD-I avg
Rim55.4%#29058.4%#16258.6%
Short 2 (≤9 ft)36.7%#25242.7%#24339.5%
Mid 2 (10 ft+)36.5%#25038.7%#18738.0%
Three34.3%#15332.9%#11533.7%
Arkansas Stoffense vsRicedefense
Share of shots by zone
Arkansas St shoots
Rice allows
D-I average
FG% by zone
ZoneD-I avg
Rim59.6%#13762.5%#31058.6%
Short 2 (≤9 ft)35.0%#28833.3%#3139.5%
Mid 2 (10 ft+)35.6%#27236.2%#11538.0%
Three32.9%#24034.0%#18433.7%
RimShort 2 (≤9 ft)Mid 2 (10 ft+)Three

Zones from play-by-play shot descriptions; garbage time removed. Bars show the share of field-goal attempts in each zone; where a slice is too thin for its number, the shares are listed under the bar. FG% ranks: #1 = best for that side (most accurate shooting, stingiest defense).

Shot volume

Extra scoring chances from rebounds, turnovers and the foul line · 2025-26 numbers
Rice
−2.7extra scoring chances per game vs a D-I average team#292 of 365
Off reb %
35.3%
#38
Def reb %
65.4%
#329
Turnover %
17.9%
#265
Forced TO %
15.7%
#237
FT rate
33.9%
#214
FT allowed
40.4%
#306
Where the chances come from (per game)
Offensive rebounding+1.6
Defensive rebounding−1.3
Ball security−0.8
Forcing turnovers−0.7
Foul shots drawn−0.3
Foul shots allowed−1.3
Arkansas St
+1.0extra scoring chances per game vs a D-I average team#139 of 365
Off reb %
38.2%
#6
Def reb %
73.0%
#36
Turnover %
19.8%
#345
Forced TO %
14.9%
#299
FT rate
39.1%
#78
FT allowed
37.0%
#237
Where the chances come from (per game)
Offensive rebounding+2.5
Defensive rebounding+1.2
Ball security−2.1
Forcing turnovers−1.2
Foul shots drawn+1.1
Foul shots allowed−0.5

Arkansas St has more extra scoring chances per game: +1.0 (#139 of 365) to Rice’s −2.7 (#292).

Grade = extra shots and foul-line trips per game compared with a D-I average team, built from six season rates. Cell shading is the national rank for each rate (greener = better for that team).

Rotation

Rice2025-26 numbers
#PlayerPosClHtGP-GSMPGPPGRPGAPGTOVeFG%3P%3PA/gFT%UsageStatus
2Jalen SmithGSr6'4"31-3132.612.52.92.32.153.2%38.3%6.764.4%24.8%
12Trae BroadnaxGSr6'4"31-3130.615.65.23.32.348.9%31.0%4.280.1%32.5%
23Nick AndersonGSr6'3"31-2929.215.54.31.21.055.9%40.0%6.881.2%28.6%
1Cam CarrollGFr6'2"31-2423.56.82.52.31.740.7%28.2%3.884.3%23.2%
24Jimmy Oladokun Jr.FJr6'9"31-1817.44.34.90.60.747.9%—0.025.0%18.9%
8Eternity EguagieFSo6'6"31-117.46.02.80.50.948.2%39.0%1.362.5%22.8%
32Stephen GiwaCSr6'9"31-1315.53.44.80.40.760.6%—0.047.6%14.2%
13Andrew AkuchieFSr6'11"31-613.83.83.80.30.556.5%20.0%0.272.7%15.6%
7Bodey HowellGFr6'4"25-010.63.40.60.60.451.8%40.4%1.9—20.3%
0Dallas HobbsGJr6'1"9-118.05.41.41.82.332.2%21.6%4.168.8%31.8%
21Evan CochranFFr6'9"5-06.00.41.40.00.212.5%0.0%0.4—16.7%
30George PerkinsFJr6'8"3-13.01.30.70.00.050.0%0.0%0.7—24.9%
10Cole Andrews-HeitzGJr6'1"2-02.51.00.00.50.00.0%0.0%0.5100.0%21.2%
14Presley PattersonGSr5'11"2-02.00.01.50.50.5——0.0—14.0%
11Aaron PowellGSo6'1"0-00.00.00.00.00.0——0.0——
Rosters come from ESPN and are still filling in; incoming transfers and freshmen may be missing.

Tale of the tape

national rank toned left for away, right for home
RiceArkansas St
Efficiency
107.2
109.9
112.0
107.9
67.2
71.4
—
—
Shooting
48.5%
51.7%
46.2%
53.6%
34.3%
32.9%
68.1%
73.3%
33.9%
39.1%
Ball control & glass
17.9%
19.8%
15.7%
14.9%
35.3%
38.2%
34.6%
27.0%
11.0%
12.2%
10.8%
10.2%
Style
44.1%
44.9%
34.5%
43.0%
13.1%
13.8%
46.2%
55.8%
32.9%
38.2%
Roster
3.20
3.24
6'5.1"
6'5.8"
96.2%
91.0%

Offseason

roster movement into this season — descriptive, not a model input
Rice
Returning minutes: 96.2%Returning production: 98.6%
Lost
  • Jordan Williams 4.4 mpg, 0.8 ppg · not on a D1 roster yet
  • Trey Patterson 3.4 mpg, 0.6 ppg · transferred to Saint Peter's
Added
  • Aaron Powell no D1 minutes last season

No incoming D1 transfers are listed on ESPN's roster yet — until they are, returning shares read high.

Returns 96% of last season's minutes. Teams returning at least 65% of last season's minutes have historically gained about 2.2 points of AdjEM (n=156 team-seasons, 2022-2026).

Arkansas St
Returning minutes: 91.0%Returning production: 91.7%
Lost
  • Aly Tounkara 18.2 mpg, 4.3 ppg · transferred to Boston College
Added
  • Tim Matthews no D1 minutes last season
  • Weston Honeycutt no D1 minutes last season
  • Rho Omed no D1 minutes last season
  • CJ Geathers no D1 minutes last season
  • Grayson Bennett no D1 minutes last season

No incoming D1 transfers are listed on ESPN's roster yet — until they are, returning shares read high.

Returns 91% of last season's minutes. Teams returning at least 65% of last season's minutes have historically gained about 2.2 points of AdjEM (n=156 team-seasons, 2022-2026).

Head-to-head

this season and last
DateSeasonResult
Sat, Dec 132025-26Arkansas St 76 – 77 Rice

The CBB Matchups tab lays out the day's Division I slate: matchup, tip time, records and rank, and — once posted — Pinnacle's spread and total (the median across books when Pinnacle has no line). Three views switch the table between projected scores, pace and totals, and each team's offensive and defensive tendencies. Each game opens into opponent-adjusted possessions, efficiency and four-factor tendencies for both teams, plus recent form, rotation and head-to-head history. Every game also carries our projected score, spread and total, built bottom-up from those same numbers: expected possessions times each side's opponent-adjusted points per possession, plus home court.

What these numbers mean: line shopping.