By virtue of a bizarre scheduling quirk, Rice basketball opened conference play in the middle of November at MTSU. It did not go well.
This wasn’t one to write home about. On a cold night in the middle of November in Murfreesboro, TN, Rice basketball started Conference USA play against Middle Tennessee. Well, “started” is a bit of a misnomer. Neither squad will play another league game until late December, part of a strange scheduling quirk that put the Owls on the road in a meaningful game in the first week of their season.
To be fair, Middle Tennesee was dealt a similar hand. They had to play this early game, too. For whatever reason, they were much more prepared at tip than Rice was.
More: Rice Basketball Season Preview
Rice scored the opening basket, a jumper by Quincy Olivari, then proceeded to fall apart. Against Pepperdine in their opener, Rice was decimated by a tremendous shooting performance from the Waves. This time around, it was the Blue Raiders’ smothering defense.
MTSU held Rice to 33 percent shooting from the field in the first half and no three-pointers. Rice would only go 2-of-14 from three for the game, but much of those missed triples came after the game was well in hand. Only one starter, Travie Evee, reached double digits. Max Fiedler led the team in rebounds, but the Owls’ were outrebounded as a whole 35-25.
Final Box | MTSU 81 – Rice 46
FINAL | @RiceMBB falls 81-46 to MTSU.
Yikes. This one was rough. pic.twitter.com/G1OlTij1iG
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) November 16, 2022
Up Next | Full Schedule
Rice basketball can’t get home soon enough. Fortunately, they’ll have four straight in Houston before having to brave the road again. The Owl Invitational starts this weekend: Fri. (vs Georgia Southern), Sat. (vs Western Michigan) and Sun. (vs HCU). Rice will then host Prairie View A&M on Nov. 30.
