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AAC Basketball 2024: Early-February Roundup

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AAC Basketball is in the middle of the conference slate. Here’s where each team stands in early February.

Team NET  KenPom Record
FAU 25 24 18-4 (8-1)
USF 106 114 15-5 (8-1)
Charlotte 95 103 14-7 (8-1)
SMU 46 47 15-7 (6-3)
UAB 131 136 14-8 (6-3)
UNT 82 82 12-9 (5-4)
Memphis 80 77 16-6 (5-4)
ECU 197 190 11-12 (4-6)
Tulane 115 112 13-9 (4-6)
Tulsa 180 171 12-9 (3-6)
Rice 211 196 9-13 (3-6)
UTSA 279 283 8-14 (2-7)
Temple 252 246 8-14 (1-8)
Wichita St 153 156 9-13 (1-8)
Kenpom, NET, and standings reflect games as of 2/4/2024

Key Storylines

Tight at the Top

Roughly at the halfway mark, three teams sit tied atop the AAC standings. FAU, the preseason favorite was expected to be there. South Florida (No. 9 preseason) and Charlotte (No. 11) were not. The surprises have made for an interesting race down the stretch with preseason No. 2 Memphis struggling this month with four consecutive conference losses. If you’re marking calendars, circle Feb. 6 (Charlotte at USF), Feb. 18 (FAU at USF) and Mar. 2 (USF at Charlotte).

Memphis Free Fall

Speaking of Memphis, the Tigers are firmly in the danger zone when it comes to their postseason hopes. If they want to make the NCAA Tournament without an automatic berth, they more or less have to be flawless for the remainder of the regular season. Even then, that might not be enough.

Flip flopped

A lot has changed since early October. South Florida was picked to finish ninth in the league in the preseason. They entered this past weekend tied for first place. Sitting at 8-1 in conference play, they have absolutely proved some doubters wrong. On the other side of the ledger, Tulane is not living up to lofty preseason expectations. The Green Wave are 4-6 in league play despite being picked to finish third in the preseason.

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Rice Basketball edges UTSA for third straight road win

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Rice basketball avoided a late collapse against UTSA, holding off a late rally to beat the Roadrunners. It was the Owls’ third straight road win.

After struggling to shoot the ball for weeks, Rice basketball knocked down a trio of three pointers in the first two and a half minutes of their Saturday afternoon contest against UTSA. Staked to a strong start from three, the Owls’ shooting from the rest of the court followed. Rice shot 46 percent from the floor in the first half, all the while keeping UTSA off balance on the other side the court.

By the time halftime arrived Rice had accumulated a double-digit lead. Wary of losing a large lead for the umpteenth time over the last several weeks, the Owls came out of halftime composed and aggressive. Mekhi Mason added to what would become a career day with 10 points in the first six minutes of the half, pushing the Rice lead to as many as 16.

UTSA would rally. Rice would counterpunch. Leading by 15 with five minutes to go, it looked as if Rice was going to avoid a second-half swoon. But rather than play out the final minutes in peace, UTSA would go on a 15-3 run, all-but erasing the Rice lead and getting the game within one score in the final 30 seconds.

Fortunately for the Owls, Anthony Selden would knock down a pair of free throws, getting the Owls’ edge back to four points before UTSA ran out of time.

Rice basketball head coach Scott Pera hit the nail on the head in his postgame remarks following a nail-biting win against UTSA on Saturday afternoon. “If they make the layup, who knows what crazy stuff can happen, especially in this series. What would this series be if something crazy didn’t happen? It’s just been an unbelievable series of close games.”

“I’m just glad we could get out of here with a win,” he said, exhaling after a stressful 40 minutes in San Antonio.

Final Box | Rice 80 – UTSA 76

Key takeaway | Mekhi rising

When Quincy Olivari departed for Xavier, it was widely assumed Travis Evee would take over as the Owls’ de facto scorer. Even with some of his struggles, Evee is leading the team with 15.7 points per game. Right behind him? Mekhi Mason, now sitting at 14.7 points per game after a 30-point outburst against the Roadrunners.

Even before his career day, though, Mason was becoming one of the most consistent scorers on this roster. You have to go back to January 3 against Tulane to find the last time he didn’t reach double figures in points (he had nine). He’s only had one game below eight points since Thanksgiving.

Mason is ninth in the American Conference in scoring in league games. He’s become a force all opponents must account for which, in turn, is freeing up Evee and the rest of his teammates for more opportunities.

Up Next: vs SMU (Wednesday, Feb. 7)

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Rice Women’s Basketball fizzles late, falls to FAU

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Rice women’s basketball has now dropped three of its last four, falling to FAU to kick off a road trip to Florida on a low note.

Still without the services of veteran guard Malia Fisher, Rice women’s basketball got off to a strong start on the road against FAU on Saturday. The Owls scored the first five points and controlled the contest for much of the early goings, trailing for a total of 19 seconds in the first half.

Nine different Rice players scored in that first half, producing one of the most balanced box scores you’ll see in the sport today. Eight different players made at least one field goal. It truly was a team effort that enabled the Owls to keep pace with a feisty FAU team that forced the Owls into several mental mistakes.

A strong third quarter for Dominque Ennis nearly put the game out of reach. Rice went up by as many as 12 points and entered the final quarter with an 11-point advantage. It would not be enough.

Rice shot 30.8 percent from the field in the last frame. FAU knocked down 70 percent of their shots, including a sterling 5-for-5 from three. That led to a 30-point outburst for the home team and a come-from-ahead Rice loss. The loss drops Rice to 6-4 in league play.

Final Box | FAU 68 – Rice 63

Key takeaway | Turnover troubles

Rice women’s basketball probably should have won this game. They were better from the field. They had more rebounds, more second-chance points and more blocks. Other important measures — free throws, points in the paint, assists — were all relatively even. The one glaring statistic not in the Owls’ favor? Turnovers.

Rice turned the ball over 21 times compared to FAU’s 12 turnovers. To make matters worse, FAU had 10 steals. Rice had none. Practically, that translates to extra opportunities for the other team. FAU attempted five more shots and made two more threes. But it was how those opportunities arose, FAU chances given at the expense of Rice getting a shot off, that cost the Owls this game.

Up Next: at USF (Wednesday, Feb. 7)

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2024 Rice Football Recruiting Class pickup up steam before NSD

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As National Signing Day nears, the 2024 Rice Football Recruiting class (and the 2025 class) keeps getting better and better. Here’s the latest.

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Big moves since the Early Signing Period

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Sussy Ngulefac powers Rice Women’s Basketball past SMU

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Sussy Ngulefac came off the bench and delivered a monster performance, propelling Rice women’s basketball to a big win over SMU.

In their lone season as mutual members of the American Conference, Rice women’s basketball and SMU have played some tightly contested games. That was true of the first game between these basketball programs on the gridiron a few weeks ago. The lead changed hands nine times in that game, with Rice winning in Dallas on a buzzer-beating shot from Destiny Jackson.

On Wednesday night in the final regular season rematch between the two squads, the lead had changed nine times… before the fourth quarter began. Rife with injuries, Rice benefited from a career performance off the bench from Sussy Ngulefac.

Ngulefac, who hadn’t made more than a single field goal in a game for Rice this season after transferring from Samford, became the go-to offensive weapon for the Owls. She was a mesmerizing 8-of-9 from the field, scoring 19 points, blowing past her previous Rice-high of five points by the widest of margins.

As Ngulefac dominated inside, Rice got key perimeter shots from Dominque Ennis, Maya Bokunewicz and the final dagger from Emily Klaczek, putting the Owls up by double-digits with just over 90 seconds to play. There would be no need for a buzzer-beater this time around. Rice dribbled out the clock and celebrated.

“I think this was a must-win game. We had our backs against the wall and it was like, how are we going to respond? How are we going to step up?” head coach Lindsay Edmonds shared after the game. Her team provided quite an emphatic answer.

The victory gives Rice women’s basketball a regular season sweep over SMU. It also breaks a deadlock in the all-time series. Before this game, Rice and SMU were tied 36-36 in wins in series history. Rice now sends SMU off from the AAC with a losing record against the Owls.

“It’ll help with recruiting,” Edmonds said with a grin.

Final Box | Rice 69 – SMU 60

Key takeaway | Ngulefac Attack

Injuries have dealt Rice women’s basketball a tough hand in recent weeks. Without Shelby Hayes for seemingly the long haul, getting limited minutes from Jazzy Owens Barnett and none at all from veteran leader Malia Fisher, Rice was going to need someone else to come through to beat a talented SMU squad.

“We needed someone to step up big in the worst way and I wasn’t sure who that was going to be,” Edmonds admitted.

That mystery didn’t last long. Ngulefac was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor in the first half with three rebounds and an assist. Then she exploded for another 12 points in the second half, bringing her evening totals to 19 points, seven rebounds and assist and a block. In need of a spark, Ngulefac provided a bonfire.

“I think this is what we knew Sussy could be. From the moment she went into the portal, the moment we had that first conversation and I was able to watch film on her, this is what I saw her bringing to this team,” Edmonds said. “I’m just really happy for her, because I know it’s been an uphill battle for her and she’s had hard days, as anyone would and she just now can get rewarded for her hard work.”

As for Ngulefac herself, she’s just happy to be back on the court. Injuries have limited her ability to contribute this season. Finally healthy, to see her explode like this was encouraging for everyone. “It feels really good to be back and feel like myself,” she said. “But we like to celebrate each other. We love each other. That’s one of those things that makes us a family. So I go off like that, they’re going to celebrate with me.”

The evening ended with Ngulefac, mobbed by her teammates after the stands sang out Rice’s honor.

Up Next: at FAU (Saturday, Feb. 3)

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