The Rice basketball got back in the win column with a sweep over Southern Miss while the women look to return to the court this weekend.
Time: Friday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m. CT and Saturday, Feb. 13 at 5:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Friday – ESPN+ / Sunday – CUSAtv
Western Kentucky 13-4 (6-2), Last 5 (4-1)
- 58-63 (L) at Louisiana Tech
- 81-73 (W) vs Marshall
- 69-67 (W) at Marshall
- 82-67 (W) at Middle Tennessee
- 68-52 (W) at Middle Tennessee
Western Kentucky statistical leaders
- Scoring | Charles Bassey – 17.8 per game
- Rebounds | Charles Bassey – 12.2 per game
- Assists | Davvion McKnight – 3.2 per game
- Steals | Josh Anderson – 1.9 per game
- Blocks | Charles Bassey – 3.4 per game
Rice 12-8 (6-6), Last 5 (2-3)
- 74-86 (L) at UAB
- 74-69 (L) vs North Texas
- 53-79 (L) at North Texas
- 88-62 (W) vs Southern Miss
- 76-68 (W) vs Southern Miss
Rice statistical leaders
- Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 15.9 per game
- Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 9.2 per game
- Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.1 per game
- Steals | Travis Evee – 1.2 per game
- Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.9 per game
Rice keys to victory
Rice basketball needs a repeat showing of their most recent pair of outings. Rice shot incredibly well against Southern Miss, made careful, astute halftime adjustments and battled down the stretch to hold the lead. Rice showed they do have that extra gear needed to win close games. Taking that on the road is the next task.
Rice is 5-2 in league play at Tudor Fieldhouse, but four of their final six games are on the road where they are just 1-4 to date. This team has the pieces. They just need to find that level of consistency away from Houston.
Time: Feb. 12 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Feb. 13 at 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Feb. 12 – ESPN+ / Feb. 13 – ESPN+
Western Kentucky 6-10 (5-5), Last 5 (3-2)
- 60-77 (L) vs Middle Tennessee
- 100-99 3OT (W) vs Charlotte
- 65-54 (W) vs Charlotte
- 71-64 (W) vs Florida Atlantic
- 70-75 (L) vs Florida Atlantic
Western Kentucky statistical leaders
- Scoring | Raneem Elgedawy – 21.5 per game
- Rebounds | Raneem Elgedawy – 11.4 per game
- Assists | Hope Sivori – 3.8 per game
- Steals | Meral Abdelgawad – 2.4 per game
- Blocks | Raneem Elgedawy – 1.8 per game
Rice 10-1 (6-0), Last 5 (5-0)
- 69-57 (W) at UTSA
- 74-68 (W) vs UTEP
- 55-43 (W) vs UTEP
- 77-66 (W) at Old Dominion
- 67-59 (W) at Old Dominion
Rice statistical leaders
- Scoring | Nancy Mulkey – 16.2 per game
- Rebounds | Nancy Mulkey – 7.8 per game
- Assists | Jasmine Smith – 3.7 per game
- Steals | Jasmine Smith – 1.5 per game
- Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 3.1 per game
Whats’s at stake
The Owls haven’t played a conference game in three weeks. During that time other programs have experienced postponements as well, but the run of open weekends for Rice is approaching a critical juncture.
Rice has played six conference games. No other team in Conference USA has played fewer than eight. The vast majority have played 10 games or more. The average, including the Owls’ low-mark, is 9.71 games played per team. If that difference held, Rice would retain claim to the No. 1 Seed in the West and clinch a bye in the Conference USA Tournament.
Healthy and safety is, and should continue to be, the No. 1 priority for Rice athletes. If anything, the extended delay emphasizes the lengths to which the program will go to ensure its players’ health remains the focal point.
But if Rice were to miss another weekend, they could be playing catch up. Much in the same way the football regulations in the fall required a team to play no fewer than two games below the average games played by the conference, a similar ruling will apply to basketball. A team can’t lose a tournament bid by playing too few games, but it can lose a first round bye.
That makes the Owls’ upcoming series against Western Kentucky all the more important. As of now, that series looks to be on as scheduled. When Rice does get back on the hardwood they’ll have waited 27 days since their most recent competition, against Old Dominion on January 16. Keeping everyone healthy and shaking off the rust as quickly as possible will be imperative.
