Rice Basketball is three games into conference play with the men 0-3 and the women 3-0. Each seeks a win on Saturday against FIU. Here’s a preview of both games.
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)
FIU 11-5 (2-1), Last 5 (3-2)
- 83-67 (W) at Stetson
- 89-62 (L) at Minnesota
- 69-67 (W) vs UTEP
- 90-83 OT (W) vs UTSA
- 74-56 (L) at North Texas
Rice 8-8 (0-3), Last 5 (1-4)
- 103-70 (W) vs St. Thomas
- 75-61 (L) vs Sam Houston St
- 89-69 (L) at Marshall
- 66-61 (L) at WKU
- 81-76 (L) vs FAU
FIU players to watch
Devon Andrews will man the point of attack for the Panthers on Saturday. He’ll enter the game fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game. Andrews will be flanked Osasumwen Osaghae, who is a rebound and a half shy of averaging a double-double this season. Osaghae leads C-USA with 68 blocks, 42 more than the runner up. Antonio Daye Jr will set the table at guard. He leads the team in assists.
Rice keys to victory
Rice has beaten themselves in their last three conference games just as much as their opponents have gotten the better of them. Playing 40 minutes of focused, controlled basketball has eluded this team. If Rice can keep things close and avoid a double-digit deficit at home, they’re capable of going on a few scoring runs and beating FIU. They’ll need to shoot better to do that; FIU leads C-USA in scoring with 80.4 points per game.
Time: 1:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Ocean Bank Convocation Center
TV: C-USA TV
FIU 4-10 (1-2), Last 5 (1-4)
- 58-56 (L) vs Austin Peay
- 72-57 (L) vs Brown
- 64-34 (L) at UTEP
- 60-45 (L) at UTSA
- 58-56 (W) vs North Texas
Rice 7-6 (2-0), Last 5 (3-2)
- 54-45 (L) vs Virginia Tech
- 54-52 (L) vs Georgia Tech
- 81-43 (W) vs Marshall
- 73-65 (W) vs WKU
- 78-699 (W) at FAU
FIU players to watch
FIU is led by a trio of players: center Chelsea Guimaraes and guards Jiselle Thomas and Fujika Nimmo. All three are averaging roughly 10 points per game, with Guimaraes providing a steady presence inside. At 6-foot-3, she leads the team with 110 rebounds and 12 blocks.
Rice keys to victory
The FIU women rank dead last in the conference in scoring offense, averaging 53.1 points per game. If Rice plays their brand of basketball, they’ll keep FIU from putting up too many points. The real battle will be on the other side of the court where a middle-of-the-pack FIU defense will try to limit a Rice offense that has been streaky at times.
