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Conference USA Basketball: Where each team stands entering the home stretch

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Conference USA basketball is in the home stretch. Where does every team stand heading into the final weekends of league play?

There are four* weekends left of Conference USA basketball before the start of the Conference USA Basketball Tournament. Well, there are three scheduled weekends before a catch-all makeup weekend to open March. UAB leads the West. WKU leads the East. How do the rest of the teams stack up? Are there any teams that could emerge from the pack over the course of the next month?

West

Leading: UAB

UAB is the clear front runner in all of Conference USA. The Blazers have utilized a league-leading defense that allows 56.9 points per game. They also boast one of the most fundamentally sound rosters on both ends of the court. UAB leads C-USA in turnover margin, forcing 5.8 more turnovers from their opponents while committing only 10.2 turnovers per game, the best mark in the conference.

In the Hunt: North Texas, Louisiana Tech

North Texas and Louisiana Tech are the two teams most ready to challenge UAB in the West. They split their series this past weekend, playing two tight games in Denton. Both play great defense and can grind out games when shots aren’t falling. The Mean Green tend to shoot a bit better thanks in large part to the contributions of Javion Hamlet, but the Bulldogs’ league-leading rebound totals offer a strong counter.

Treading water: Rice, UTSA

Rice was hot early. UTSA has been on fire of late. When fully healthy and playing at their best, these are two teams that could make runs in the last few weekends.

The Owls’ have C-USA’s top two three point shooters; Quincy Olivari (45.6 percent) and Travis Evee (42.6) are machines from deep. UTSA has top scorer Jhivvan Jackson. For both squads, consistency is the key ingredient they’ll need to find if they want to be relevant come conference tournament time.

On Alert: UTEP, Southern Miss

Southern Miss has lost six in a row. UTEP has lost seven of their last nine. These two squads split their series in Hattiesburg in early January and could be playing to avoid the bottom spot in the West. Neither team shoots particularly well or plays consistent defense.

There’s talent on both rosters and UTEP’s win over Arizona State is one of the most impressive non-conference victories by any Conference USA team. They just haven’t been able to deliver that quality of performance on a regular basis.

East

Leading: WKU

The East is much closer than the West, but the Hilltoppers still deserve the benefit of the doubt at this point in the season. They’ve got a weekend sweep of Marshall under their belts and a split with Charlotte. Charles Bassey has been a difference maker and leads the conference in rebounding by a significant margin (12.2 per game compared to runner-up Max Fielder of Rice who has 9.2 per game).

In the Hunt: Old Dominion, Charlotte, Marshall

Marshall is Kenpom‘s highest-ranked C-USA squad and might have been in the driver’s seat in the East had they done as much as split with Western Kentucky. Nevertheless, Taevion Kinsey and jarrod West are one of the best tandems in the league and will pose problems for opponents down the stretch.

Old Dominion and Charlotte are neck-and-neck with the Herd in the standings. The Monarchs probably have a subtle edge after the 49ers were swept for the first time this past weekend by Middle Tennessee. That said, picking between ODU’s Malik Curry and Charlotte’s Jahmir Young would seem to be an impossible task.

Treading Water: Florida Atlantic

Florida Atlantic has played the fewest league games of any of the men’s teams (six), so it’s hard to get a good read on where they fit in the pecking order. Their remaining schedule includes games against UTSA, UTEP and Southern Miss from the West, keeping them very much in the conversation in the East. They lead all teams in scoring, averaging 80.7 points per game.

On Alert: Middle Tennessee, FIU

Middle Tennessee picked up two thirds of it’s conference wins this past weekend. They count, but before last Saturday the Blue Raiders were 1-7 in league play, with the lone with coming over fellow cellar-dweller FIU.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Guard Terrance McBride commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice basketball recruiting class has added another significant piece. Cornell transfer guard Terrance McBride has committed to the Owls.

One more member of the 2021 Rice basketball recruiting class is officially on board. Terrance McBride, a combo guard from Cornell, will transfer to Rice. McBride did not play last fall or this spring as the Ivy League opted to not participate in basketball competitions this season.

When he was on the court, McBride averaged 12.7 points and 3.2 assists per game, second most on the team. He seldom came off the court, averaging 32.9 minutes per game. Having a ball handler to pair with dangerous shooters like Quincy Olivari and Travis Evee could take an already dangerous offense to another level next season.

McBride is a facilitator who will set others up for success. The audio is a bit off on the clip below, but this play showcased some of his decision making and vision on the court.

As things currently stand, Rice only has two seniors on its roster, both graduate transfers in Ege Havsa and Tre Clark. The Owls will still be young next season. When McBride is eligible to play, he’ll presumably join Payton Moore and Chris Mullins as the elder statesmen on the roster. Beyond that pair, the team primarily consists of underclassmen.

Diversifying classes with veterans and younger players was an important takeaway from the Owls’ roster churn in previous years. Rice doesn’t want to become dependent on the Transfer Portal. That said, they’re going to have to adapt to that aspect of recruiting in today’s game. McBride is a positive development on that front.

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Rice Football: Owls to hire Jim Jackson as tight ends coach

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There’s a new coach in town. Rice football is expected to hire UMass assistant Jim Jackson to coach tight ends for the Owls.

First reported by The Athletic, Rice football is expected to hire former UMass run game coordinator Jim Jackson. He’ll coach tight ends for Rice, a position held last year by Chris Monfiletto, who will move to the vacant special team’s coordinator role. That position opened early this offseason when Drew Svoboda left for Memphis.

Jackson comes to Rice following a two-year stint at UMass where he served as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Prior to joining the Minutemen, Jackson served as the offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator at the University of San Diego. His offenses led the way for the Toros, who went 38-2 in his five years on staff, averaging north of 34 points per game.

He takes over the tight ends job previously held by Monfiletto, who was in his first season in an on-field role following a promotion from his role as an offensive quality control assistant. Last fall he helped guide versatile tight end Jordan Myers to one of the most productive seasons of his career in which he led the team in receptions.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren has held a fairly consistent on-field staff during his first three seasons at South Main. The majority of the coaching staff he initially hired when he arrived in December of 2017 is still on staff at this time. Jackson will be the third tight ends coach for Bloomgren.

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Rice Football and the Super Bowl: Owls’ connections to the Big Game

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There won’t be any Rice football alums participating in Super Bowl LV, but the Owls do share a few connections with the Big Game.

Super Bowl LV marks the end of the 2020 NFL Season. Seven former Rice football players have made an appearance in the Big Game. And although there won’t be any Owls’ on the field this Sunday, several share a few connections to this year’s Super Bowl.

The first link comes by way of a very recent Rice offensive lineman. Nick Leverett, who played for the Owls in 2019 as a grad transfer before going pro, was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad for the entire 2020 season. He didn’t make any regular season appearances for the Bucs and was released following the NFC Championship Game. If things work out, he could be back with the Bucs next season.

The next close call is current NFL Pro Bowler Jack Fox. Now a Lion, Fox spent a good portion of last season on the Chiefs’ practice squad following a training camp battle with incumbent Dustin Colquitt. The Chiefs have since moved on from Colquitt and turned to rookie Tommy Townsend in his place. Had the stars aligned differently, Fox could have been playing in this game wearing red and white.

The Roost Podcast: Offseason recap and National Signing Day review

Another Rice alum had a close call in 2015. James Casey, now the tight ends coach with the Cincinnati Bengals, was a member of the Super Bowl Champion Broncos at the beginning of the season, but was released in October, prior to the team’s Super Bowl 50 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

The year prior to that marked the last time Rice football was represented on the Super Bowl field by one of their own. Luke Willson, tight end for the Seattle Seahawks, appeared in Super Bowl XLVIII following the 2013 season and Super Bowl XLIX following the 2014 season.

Willson caught two passes for 17 yards against the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, becoming the all-time leader in Super Bowl receiving yards for a Rice player. Earl Cooper, who caught a touchdown pass from Joe Montana in Super Bowl XVI, had held the record previously. Willson returned to the big stage the following season, playing in the Seahawks’ last-second loss to the New England Patriots.

Beyond the individual athletes, Historic Rice Stadium shares a Super Bowl connection, too. The Owls’ home field served as the host site for Super Bowl VIII where the Dolphins beat the Vikings, 24-7.

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Rice Basketball: Owls right ship, sweep Southern Miss

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Rice basketball put together back-to-back strong performances this weekend, propelling the Owls to a home sweep of Southern Miss.

Losers of five straight, Rice basketball needed to get back in their groove this weekend against a Southern Miss team that has hung around the bottom of the conference standings. If the Owls didn’t bounce back, they’d find themselves in the cellar with the Golden Eagles. Fortunately, that worst-case-scenario did not materialize. In fact, the Owls might have had the best possible weekend they could have asked for.

Rice controlled both games from the opening tip, starting with a runaway win on Friday afternoon. Southern Miss would take their largest lead of the game (two points) in the first three minutes, but it was all Owls from that point on. Olivari finished with 29 points and tied Max Fielder with a team-high seven boards. Freshman Mylyjael Poteat had a career-best 12 points on a career-high 17 minutes.

Saturday’s win required a bit more resiliency. Rice opened up a hefty 12-1 lead to start the game as Southern Miss struggled on offense, opening 0-for-7 from the field. The Golden Eagles cut the Owls’ edge to one near the end of the first half, but never took the lead.

Travis Evee finished the first half with a three, the first of a barrage of deep balls that buoyed Rice over the visitors. Rice hit five consecutive threes out of the break, staking themselves to a double-digit lead. Southern Miss would rally, but the Owls’ held the line, made their free throws and secured the win.

This was the second weekend sweep for Rice in conference play. They previously took both games from UTSA on January 1 and January 2, also at home.

Player Spotlight | Cameron Sheffield

The 6-foot-6 guard from Alpharetta, Georgia was one of a large influx of new players added to the roster in the past year.  The freshmen quickly settled into his role as a key reserve off the bench, averaging 10.3 minutes per game in non-conference play.

Sheffield saw a bit more action as the season progressed. It was only recently, though, that he became a regular in the rotation. He’s stepped up to fill minutes vacated by guard Chris Mullins who has been sidelined for the better part of two weeks.

He made his first start in Game 2 against UAB and has started four of the Owls’ last five contests. In that time, he’s tripled his playing time and scoring output while taking care of the basketball. Head coach Scott Pera was quick to point out he had zero turnovers in 54 minutes this weekend, speaking highly of the freshman guard, “that kid is going to be a really great player for us.”

Sheffield had a career-high nine points on a career-high three three-pointers on Saturday.

Stat Corner | Two for three

February 05, 2021 : During the game between the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and the Rice Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas. Rice falls to UNT 79-74. (Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics). Used with permission.

Rice basketball has an easily discernable identity. They’re going to shoot threes in volume and push you up and down the court. How closely that adhere to that ideal is a strong proxy for how the results of individual games will turn out.

A quick look at the box scores bears that out, and one only needs to look at the Owls’ top two shooters: Quincy Olivari and Travis Evee. Rice is 9-2 when that duo makes six or more three pointers and 3-6 when they don’t. Rice is 7-1 when they combine for 15 or more three point attempts (regardless of how many they make) and 5-7 when they’re held under that shot count.

It might just be that simple. If Olivari and Evee get volume, the Owls are probably going to win.

Up Next

Conference play is starting to wind down. The Owls will hit the road next weekend for what should be a tough test against Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers have paced the East for the majority of the season. They will enter the weekend atop the East standings at 6-2 after an off weekend. Their scheduled series against Florida Atlantic was postponed.

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