Rice Basketball is four games into conference play with the men 1-3 and the women 4-0. Both teams take on Louisiana Tech next. Here’s a preview of those games.
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Venue: Thomas Assembly Center
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)
LA Tech 12-4 (3-1), Last 5 (4-1)
- 87-47 (W) vs Southern-New Orleans
- 80-49 (W) at Southern Miss
- 78-50 (W) vs Southern Miss
- 89-73 (L) at UTSA
- 64-61 (W) at UTEP
Rice 9-8 (1-3), Last 5 (1-4)
- 75-61 (L) vs Sam Houston St
- 89-69 (L) at Marshall
- 66-61 (L) at WKU
- 81-76 (L) vs FAU
- 92-78 (W) vs FIU
LA Tech players to watch
The Bulldogs are led by a trio of guards. Daquan Bracey will be the biggest threat the Owls will have to stop first. LA Tech’s leading scorer averaging 12.5 points per game, Bracey has finished with less than 10 points twice in his team’s 16 games. Normally a lights out shooter from deep, he’s been a bit cold from outside, a drought Rice will attempt to extend.
Kalob Ledoux and Amorie Archibald are both strong shooters, too, with an equally impressive 92 percent free throw rate. Mubarak Muhammed is the man inside. He leads the team with 8.9 blocks per game.
Rice keys to victory
Louisiana Tech doesn’t have the best record in C-USA by accident. They’ve been a complete team averaging in the top four in both scoring offense and scoring defense so far this season. They don’t commit turnovers (12 per game, fewest in C-USA) and play smart. They rank 11th in three-point defense, an advantage Rice needs to exploit. The Owls got their first C-USA win with a big game from three. An encore performance is needed to take down Louisiana Tech.
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
TV: CUSA TV
LA Tech 9-5 (1-2), Last 5 (3-2)
- 70-66 (W) vs Grambling
- 67-54 (W) vs Arkansas St
- 66-60 (L) at Southern Miss
- 82-73 (L) vs UTSA
- 87-80 (W) vs UTEP
Rice 9-6 (4-0), Last 5 (4-1)
- 54-52 (L) vs Georgia Tech
- 81-43 (W) vs Marshall
- 73-65 (W) vs WKU
- 78-69 (W) at FAU
- 68-47 (W) at FIU
LA Tech players to watch
Keiunna Walker and Amber Dixon are the primary shooters for Louisiana Tech. Each has had good games, but they’ve struggled to both find simultaneous success. Walker is coming off games of 28 points against UTEP and 21 against UTSA. Prior to those contests, Dixon had tallied double-digits in five straight games. Anna Larr Roberson and MeMe Amand lead the team in rebounds.
Rice keys to victory
The health of Erica Ogwumike is the biggest question entering this game. She went down midway through the second half of the FIU game and has since undergone tests. It was a scary moment, but there’s optimism she will be available again soon, possibly as soon as tonight against Louisiana Tech. Losing her on the court would be a tremendous blow, but freshman Lauren Schwartz has shown flashes and would be tasked with keeping things moving if Ogwumike does miss time.
