Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men at North Texas

Rice Basketball is on the final leg of a three-game road trip, in need of a win when they visit North Texas for a Monday night contest.

Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: The Super Pit
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

North Texas 11-8 (5-1), Last 5 (5-0)

67-64 (W) at Marshall
74-56 (W) vs FIU
81-58 (W) vs FAU
72-52 (W) at Southern Miss
51-50 (W) at Louisiana Tech

Rice 9-10 (1-5), Last 5 (1-4)

66-61 (L) at WKU
81-76 (L) vs FAU
92-78 (W) vs FIU
72-56 (L) at LA Tech
81-68 (L) at Southern Miss

North Texas statistical leaders

Scoring | Umoja Gibson – 14.2 per game
Rebounds | Deng Geu – 6.3 per game
Assists | Javion Hamlet – 4.7 per game
Steals | Umoja Gibson – 1.82per game
Blocks | Deng Geu – 0.9 per game

Rice keys to victory

Rice needs to play defense. The Owls haven’t held a D1 opponent below 40 percent from the field since they topped East Carolina in the Bahamas Showcase during Thanksgiving week. Sporadic shooting performances of their own have been enough to get a few wins here and there, but the vast majority of the outcomes have been determined by the Owls’ lack of focus on the defensive end of the court.

Once they’ve sorted that out, they’ll need to find consistency from scorers not named Trey Murphy. Drew Peterson and Josh Parrish have had their moments, but getting a trio of players rolling at the same time has been a challenge. North Texas has a middle of the pack scoring offense, but a stingy defense.

Rice has the firepower to win a slugfest, but they’re going to have to put all the pieces together. Doing that at home has been tough, making for a potential statement opportunity on the road against a surging North Texas squad.