FIU is coming into this game off of a season where they went 11-22 and they were 5-11 in their conference. They lost their top 2 scorers from last season, but they are returning 2 of their starters as well and also have some bench players who will be looking to make a big impact in a starting role this season. They are going up against a Rice team that was not that great last season either, going 11-21 and were also 5-13 in their conference. Rice has also lost a lot of their production from last season and there has been a lot of changes in this program. They are under a new head coach this season and they have lost their top 3 scorers from last year which also includes their top rebounder and their playmaker. This is going to be a very different team with not many players returning from last season and only 1 starter as well, but it is also going to take some time for this new head coach to figure out what his best lineup is. FIU has lost some players but they also have more returning players who will have an impact in this game, looking to prove to the coach why they should be a starter this season. FIU had an awful start to the season last year, winning just 1 of their first 7 games and only playing 1 home game in that span, but they also had a much tougher schedule with bigger schools from stronger conferences. This season they have a much weaker schedule to start the season and a few more home games mixed in as well so they are going to be motivated to get off to a better start and take a step as a team this season. FIU will cover the spread in this game.