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2021 Conference USA Basketball Tournament: Men’s and Women’s Previews

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The 2021 Conference USA Basketball Tournament tips off in Frisco, TX on Monday. Here’s a preview of the action.

Conference USA Basketball – Men’s Tournament

The Favorite: Western Kentucky

The No. 1 seed for a reason, Western Kentucky is the clear favorite to cut down the nets. Charles Bassey will be the best player on the court whenever the Tops play and the supporting cast is equally as impressive and experienced.

The Contender: Louisiana Tech

Although they received less fanfare than Western Kentucky along the way, Louisiana Tech won a divisional title as well. Kenneth Lofton and Isaiah Crawford, both of whom somehow were only named to the All-Conference Third Team and not higher, are a formidable tandom capable of taking down anyone — even WKU.

The Sleeper: North Texas

One of the best defensive teams in the conference, North Texas can win ugly. When they’re in a rhythm and Javion Hamlet is making his shots, they’re a tough out. If anyone’s making out of the “first round”, the Mean Green might have a decent shot.

Conference USA Basketball – Women’s Tournament

The Favorite: Rice

Rice has lost four conference games in their last three seasons. They’ve proven themselves to be mortal, but it’s hard to pick anyone to beat them outright. Led by Nancy Mulkey and a deep bench, the Owls’ defense has led them to three consecutive regular-season conference titles. They enter 2021 as the defending tournament champions after last season’s event was halted after the first round.

The Contender: Middle Tennessee

Despite the run of success from Rice, Middle Tennessee was picked to win the conference in the preseason polls. The two teams never met in the regular season. Could they meet in the Tournament? Led by 26.8 points per game from Anastasia Hayes, the Blue Raiders can run up the score quickly.

The Sleeper: Marshall

Marshall was far from the most consistent team this season, but they earned a unique distinction in the final weeks of the regular season. They won games against Rice and Middle Tennessee, something no other team in Conference USA can claim. Sometimes tournaments are all about getting hot at the right time. If Marshall can beat those two teams, they’ve got the ammo to beat just about anyone else.

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Rice Baseball: Owls finish 1-2 at 2021 Shriners Classic

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Rice baseball picked up one win at the Shriners Classic, a bright spot in an up-and-down weekend for the Owls.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

1. Better at the top … still getting there at the bottom

Rice baseball had a top-heavy lineup last year but was supposed to be more balanced in 2021 with the influx of a strong recruiting class. There’s no doubt the lineup is better than it was, but there’s still some work to do.

The Owls had two players finish the shortened 2020 season with a batting average better than .280. Shortstop Trei Cruz, now in the Detroit Tigers system, was one of two regulars with an OPS better than .750.

This year seven players are batting .280 or better. Six have an OPS better than .750. Justin Dunlap and Guy Garibay, two of the Owls’ most productive hitters so far this season, have only seen limited action. The top half is going to be good.

Finding production from the 7-8-9 spot might be what stands between this offense being good and taking the next step to great. Saturday’s 16 run outburst was a positive development. But Sunday’s quick recession was a sobering reminder things are still a work-in-progress.

2. Still searching for reliable pitching

A true shutdown option out of the bullpen hasn’t risen to the surface quite yet. The Owls have a stable of talented arms that can throw with velocity, but many of them are still young with room to grow into their roles on South Main. What Rice needs are a few key arms they can turn to in a bind and get outs.

Dillon Janac threw another scoreless inning on Saturday and tossed his hat into the ring. He and Dalton Wood have had multiple outings without having any runs charged against them. Reed Gallant was in that conversation too, prior to Sunday’s outing. But after that, the bullpen has been hit and miss.

Look for a guy like Brandon Deskins to bounce back, but it’s also possible we still haven’t seen some of the guys who will throw some important innings once conference play arrives.

3. Halfway to C-USA play

There’s no way to ensure Rice baseball will play every game as scheduled from here onward, but as things currently stand the Owls are halfway through conference play. They’ve outdone themselves in the win column compared to last season, but that wasn’t a very tall mountain to climb. To date, they’re more or less beaten who they should beat and fallen to teams that project to be better than them.

They’ll have a good mix of opponents over the next few weeks, ending with a four-game weekend series against Southern and a midweek road trip to Texas A&M. This team needs a jolt, either through a notable upset of the Aggies or an emphatic weekend outing. They’ll have opportunities. They need to take advantage of them.

If there were a few key objectives to sort out of the next two weeks, they’d include formalizing the weekend rotation, identifying two to three “shut down” options out of the bullpen and finding better production with runners in scoring position. Those are some big asks, but none of those items seem to be an insurmountable challenge.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Sam Houston 12 – Rice 4

Head coach Matt Bragga made the move to rotation forward one day, throwing Blake Brogdon on Friday. The plan was twofold: get one step closer to Roel Garcia being the Friday guy and have a better start on the mound during the weekend.

Brogdon had his moments but was fairly shaky. He left midway through the fifth inning with three runs charged against him. Brandon Deskins would allow a pair of inherited runners to score, putting Rice in a 5-2 hole from which they never recovered. Guy Garibay and Bradley Gneiting homered, but the Owls lost 12-4.

SATURDAY | Rice 16 – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 5

Rice entered their Saturday tilt with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi averaging five runs per game. They surpassed that number in the fourth and sixth innings alone, ending the afternoon with 16 runs on 16 hits, both season highs. The game after seven-innings by a tournament run rule.

Justin Dunlap went deep. Bradley Gneiting, Antonio Cruz, Will Karp and Justin Long all had three-hit days. Starting pitcher Roel Garcia allowed five runs in five innings, far from his best day in the office, but battled to keep his team in the game before the offense caught fire and won the day.

SUNDAY | Texas State 9 – Rice 1

Reed Gallant encountered some early trouble in the tournament finale, allowing three runs before catching an early hook in favor of Mitchell Holcomb, who failed to stem the bleeding. That 7-0 run put a damper on any remaining elation from the run-rule victory the day prior.

Braden Comeaux stole a run back on a ground out in the seventh, but Texas State got it right back. Guy Garibay made his collegiate pitching debut and picked up two strikeouts, but it was a rather underwhelming night for both the bats and the arms.

ON DECK | Rice Baseball vs Houston Baptist (Tues) and weekend tournament with Northern Illinois and Kansas State (Fri-Sun).

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Rice Football 2021: Spring Practice Week 1 Notebook

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Rice football returned to the practice field this week. Here are a few initial reactions from the first week of spring ball.

For the first time in three months, Rice football put on the pads and hit the practice field. It was a refreshing sight that seemed almost normal after a winter that was anything but conventional.

There were a few new faces this time, including quarterback Jake Constantine. But there were things to be learned from players head coach Mike Bloomgren would dub “the old heads” as well. We dug into some initial thoughts on the depth charts earlier this week. This edition will focus on what transpired on the grass itself.

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Rice Football: 2021 Spring Practice Depth Chart takeaways

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The first Rice football practices are in the books. This is the first of several updates of how the Owls are looking on the grass.

Rice football announced its spring roster in mid-February. Two new coaches, including new offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo, were introduced on Tuesday. In between those events, the Owls kicked off spring practice.

The 15 sessions are scheduled to run throughout the month of March with the spring game set for April 2. Last year’s practices were halted abrupted when COVID-19 restrictions thrust all sports into an unexpected halt. With precautions in place, Rice expects to not only finish but continue to improve during this year’s spring practices.

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2021 Rice Football initial spring depth chart

Rice Football

There’s a lot to unpack here. How those players look on the field and what sort of movement we could see over the next few weeks will be covered in the next post. On this occasion, we’ll dive into the most important takeaways from the initial layout of the depth chart.

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Rice Women’s Basketball Preview: Owls vs North Texas

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The Rice women’s basketball wraps up the regular season with a two-game set with North Texas. Here’s how the Owls stack up with the Mean Green.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Thursday, Mar. 4 at 7:00 p.m. CT and Saturday, Mar. 6 at 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Thursday – The Super Pit / Saturday – Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Thursday – CUSAtv / Saturday – CUSAtv

North Texas 12-5 (9-3), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 63-58 (W) at Louisiana Tech
  • 76-55 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 72-64 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 52-51 (W) vs Marshall
  • 56-55 (L) vs Marshall

North Texas statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Quincy Noble – 18.0 per game
  • Rebounds | Madison Townley – 8.2 per game
  • Assists | N’Yah Boyd – 3.6 per game
  • Steals | N’Yah Boyd – 1.5 per game
  • Blocks | Rochelle Lee – 0.6 per game

Rice 15-2 (11-1), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 77-74 (W) vs Western Kentucky
  • 54-48 (W) at Marshall
  • 56-68 (L) at Marshall
  • 73-50 (W) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 64-53 (W) vs Louisiana Tech

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Nancy Mulkey – 16.1 per game
  • Rebounds | Nancy Mulkey – 8.2 per game
  • Assists | Jasmine Smith – 4.1 per game
  • Steals | Jasmine Smith and Sydne Wiggins – 1.2 per game
  • Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 2.9 per game

Whats’s at stake

Rice women’s basketball can clinch the best regular season record in Conference USA for the third straight season with a win over North Texas in either scheduled contest this weekend. The Owls were handed some extra breathing room when North Texas lost to Marshall last weekend. As things currently stand, Rice has a two-game lead in the West and can only lose the divisional race by dropping both games this weekend.

A closer look at the Mean Green

North Texas is one of the most well-rounded teams in Conference USA. They aren’t particularly elite in any single phase of the game, but they’re above average to great in just about every aspect. Their efficiency and poise stands out the most. North Texas is second in C-USA in turnover margin. They don’t give the ball away and they create extra opportunities consistently.

Rice is going to have to contain Quincy Noble and force the remainder of the North Texas roster to execute at a high level. On the other side of the court, the Mean Green will work to keep Rice out of a rhythm on offense, something Marshall was able to do to the Owls in their most recent defeat.

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