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Rice Basketball 2020: Owls blow out UAB to stay white-hot

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Rice basketball snapped out of a cold spell with a blazing shooting streak, riding their hot hands to a huge road win over UAB on Thursday.

The last time Rice basketball was on the court they posted a potentially season-altering win over Conference USA leading North Texas that, quite frankly, came out of nowhere. A switch flipped at some point during that win. The Owls duct taped that switch to the floor, maintaining their torrid shooting pace on the road against UAB.

Entering Thursday’s contest, the Blazers were far less consistent than the Mean Green. But it really didn’t matter how well UAB was playing. Rice couldn’t miss.

UAB scored first. Then Rice took over. Rice led by 19 at the break, their largest lead at halftime in any game this season. They stretched that lead to as many as 29 points, squeezing the fight out of a UAB team that had won their last two C-USA games.

Rice shot 52.7 percent from the field and made 13 three-pointers. That’s a step down from their 61.5 percent shooting performance against North Texas, but more than enough to get Rice beyond 80 points for the third straight game.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Drew Peterson

Not only did Peterson lead the Owls in scoring, but he was also the point man who commanded the team on both sides of the court. He was the only player on either team to play more than 31 minutes — he played 39. His six assists marked the second game in a row with at least six assists and he added five rebounds, second-most on the team.

Up Next

Rice basketball will play its final road game of the season prior to pod play on Saturday. They’ll travel to Murfreesboronext to play Middle Tennessee. That game is scheduled to tip off on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

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Rice Football Recruiting 2020: Corner Lamont Narcisse commits to Owls

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Corner Lamont Narcisse has committed to the Owls. He’ll be one of the highest-rated members of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class.

The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class had some room to bolster the secondary on National Signing Day. Corner was a spot the Owls had been looking to reinforce. They ended the cycle with a bang, earning a commitment from 3-star cover man Lamont Narcisse from Calabasas, CA hours after signing 3-star defensive back Gabe Taylor.

The Owls weren’t alone in their desire to pick up an impact corner or two down the stretch. Washington State was neck and neck with Rice to earn Narcisse’s pledge. He visited the Cougars on January 24 and Rice on January 31. After evaluating his options, Narcisse opted to leave the Pac-12 footprint and head south.

Narcisse is the second-highest-rated prospect in the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class. He’s the third-highest-rated commitment of the Mike Bloomgren era, rating just below 2019 wide receiver Jake Bailey. Along with Taylor, Narcisse and Bailey were among the top 10 highest-rated players to commit to Rice in the 247 Sports era. In Narcisse’s case, that makes two consecutive years that Rice has pulled an elite player out of California, beating out a Power 5 team in the process.

More: Rice football 2020 recruiting class commitment list

Rankings don’t mean much in a vacuum, but Narcisse has the play to back up his standing. He’s 5-foot-11 and 175-pounds and can run like the wind. He has legitimate track speed. Narcisse will have the speed to line up against most everyone in Conference USA.

Narcisse joins Taylor and previously committed Jordan Dunbar and freaky fast Sean Fresch to form a stellar collection of corners in the 2020 class. The Owls’ could not be happier with their haul in the secondary, especially with Plae Wyatt manning the top at safety.

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Rice Football Recruiting 2020: DB Gabe Taylor commits to Owls

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National Signing Day started fast. The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class officially includes defensive back Gabe Taylor, the highest-rated signee in program history.

The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class started off National Signing Day with a bang. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Gulliver Prep cornerback Gabe Taylor signed with the Owls. A three-star prospect, Taylor brings with him the distinction of becoming the highest-rated recruit in Rice football program history.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren made a statement in 2019 when he landed St. John Bosco wideout Jake Bailey. The star member of that group, Bailey was the sixth-highest rated player to sign with the Owls. Now Bloomgren and the Rice recruiting staff have raised the bar.

More than just a high ranking recruit, Taylor carries with him a well-known bloodline. Gabe is the younger brother of former Miami star safety Sean Taylor. He’s seen what excellence looks like in person and now he’s ready to ply that craft on his own.

More: Rice football 2020 recruiting class commitment list

The younger Taylor joins a Rice secondary in the midst of a dramatic improvement. Backed up by a host of ball-hawking safeties, the Owls were looking for defenders capable of winning one-on-one battles on the outside.

Taylor can cover. That’s was the expectation of any defensive back Rice was going to sign in this class. More than that, he has impeccable awareness and vision on the field. There’s a reason his senior season highlights show interception after interception after interception (there were 10, six of which he returned for touchdowns). Rice had six picks in 12 games last season.

He’s a game-changer, and someone the Owls will rely on to make plays on the next level. Although you’ll see a lot of safety on his film, Taylor likely profiles as a corner when he makes the jump to college ball, but he could stick at safety as well.

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Rice Football Recruiting 2020: Owls to add JUCO LB Jaren Banks

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JUCO linebacker Jaren Banks will transfer to South Main and be part of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class as the Owls pluck another transfer.

The final weekend before National Signing Day was productive for the 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class. Along with the already announced transfer of former Stanford kicker Collin Riccitelli, Rice will add another transfer for the upcoming season. Junior College linebacker Jaren Banks has committed to the Owls.

Originally from Junction City, Oregon, Banks spent the last two seasons at the New Mexico Military Institute. He had 61 tackles in nine games last season, including five tackles for a loss, one fumble forced and one fumble recovery. That’s in addition to 34 tackles the year before. After a productive start to his collegiate career, Banks is ready to make the jump to Division 1.

Blaze Alldredge was the last linebacker Rice nabbed from the JUCO ranks. He set a high bar to achieve, but the Owls’ success rate on additions from junior colleges remains above the norm. Brad Rozner and Naeem Smith both excelled in their first seasons removed from JUCO in 2019. The academic rigors alone make the transition from the junior college to Rice a road less traveled. Banks’ ability to fulfill both requirements speaks to his desire and ability to continue to excel.

More: Rice football 2020 recruiting class commitment list

Banks will have two seasons of eligibility at Rice, ostensibly setting him up to play a key role in 2020 as an experienced hand, if not sooner. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound backer has prototypical size and power. He attacks the ball with ferocity and will make his presence felt in opposing backfields. Watch him explode into the backfield on the first play of his highlights below. He’s going to be fun to watch at South Main.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Stanford kicker Collin Riccitelli transfers to Owls

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The Stanford-to-Rice pipeline continues to flow toward South Main. Former Cardinal kicker Collin Riccitelli will be join the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class.

Mike Bloomgren made it clear upon his hiring that he intended to bring the Stanford culture of Intellectual Brutality to South Main. The 2019 Rice Football recruiting class features two of his former pupils: offensive lineman Brian Chaffin and fullback Reagan Williams. The 2020 class will feature another, former Cardinal kicker Collin Riccitelli.

Riccitelli appeared in three games as a junior in 2018. He made 8-of-10 extra point tries. He converted his lone field goal attempt, a 21-yarder in his collegiate debut at Washington.

Riccitelli will have one season remaining when he arrives at South Main. He’ll be the clear favorite to be the Owls’ starting kicker for 2020. Rice hopes he’ll provide stability at a position that had its share of ups and downs during the 2019 campaign. At the punter position, Rice has high hopes for Charlie Mendes, a freshman who redshirted last season.

With the field goal duties spoken for in Palo Alto, a change in scenery made since for Riccitelli. The Owls were a logical fit. In addition to the obvious connection he already shared with Bloomgren, Rice had an opening at the kicker position for the 2020 season. Seniors Jack Fox and Haden Tobola tag-teamed the job in 2018 before ceding to senior Chris Barnes for the 2019 season.

Originally slated to be the Owls’ punter, Barnes beat out Will Harrison and Zach Hoban for the place kicking duties as well. Hoban announced his decision to transfer in January, leaving the door wide open for a potential new arrival to win the job next season.

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