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Conference USA Women’s Basketball 2020: Mid-conference play update

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The Conference USA women’s basketball season is creeping closer and closer to March. Here’s where things stand with roughly half the conference games in the books.

The driving story of Conference USA women’s basketball remains the incredible undefeated run from the Rice Owls. Through eight games of the current season, Rice has won an astounding 27 consecutive games against C-USA foes. The Owls are as good as advertised, and they’ve done it while missing games from two of their most prominent stars: Erica Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey.

UTEP has been a pleasant surprise, after being picked to finish near the cellar the Miners are two games out of first place. With Old Dominion, Middle Tennessee and UAB have emerged as a tier above the rest, but matchups between the remaining teams (save for 1-7 FIU) feel like a toss up on any given night.

The Standings

Early Player of the Year pick

It’s hard to pick against Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year Erica Ogwumike. The Owls’ do-it-all guard has scored 51 points in the past two games after missing the two prior contests with an injury. She’s had double-digit rebounds in six straight contests and continues to wow every time she takes the court. As long as she’s healthy, it’s going to be hard to beat this team.

Panic buttons

For the most part, the women’s standings reflect preseason expectations. The teams that were supposed to be good have proven to be good and vice-versa. The only possible exception could be Middle Tennessee. The Lady Raiders were the only other non-Rice team to receive first-place votes. Since the preseason, though, they’ve fallen three games behind the Owls in the standings. There would be no shame in finishing runner up to the Owls, but it would mean to NCAA bid and a disappointing season for MTSU.

February game to watch

Circle February 8 on your calendars for the matchup which could decide who wins Conference USA. Middle Tennessee visits Rice for a 2:00 p.m. tip. The Owls could be playing for their 30th consecutive C-USA win at that point. A stumble against a quality opponent could open the door for someone else to win the conference crown down the stretch.

Bracketology

Conference USA women’s basketball is projected to remain a one-bid league in the latest Bracketology. Charlie Breme has current frontrunner Rice as a 12-seed in the Portland region, squaring off against Kentucky in the first round. Whether it’s Rice or someone else, the odds off C-USA being anything more than a single-bid, double-digit seed seems decidedly unlikely.

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Conference USA Basketball 2020: Mid-conference play update

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The Conference USA basketball season is creeping closer and closer to March. Here’s where things stand with roughly half the conference games in the books.

Credit first belongs to WKU, who withstood the injury to Charles Bassey and have remained neck-and-neck with North Texas atop the conference standings. The Hilltoppers were supposed to be there. The Mean Green were not. Picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll, North Texas has been by far the most impressive team through the first several months of the season.

The Standings

Early Player of the Year pick

UTSA guard Jhivvan Jackson has been on another world this season. He leads C-USA in scoring, averaging 26.3 points per game. That’s the second-highest total in the nation, trailing only Marquette’s Markus Howard (28.3 ppg). Jackson has failed to reach 20 points in one conference game. If it weren’t for him, UTSA’s already surprisingly challenging season could be in a much more dour spot.

Panic buttons

The conference has shown remarkable balance this season. Outside of North Texas and WKU, teams three through 11 have been fairly evenly matched. Then there’s Southern Miss, MTSU and Rice. Each has their own shortcomings and is running out of time to turn things around before the conference tournament in March.

February game to watch

Bonus play has yet to be decided, so the latter portion of the month’s schedule is still TBD. WKU should play North Texas in what could be the deciding game for the No. 1 seed. For the time being, circle Thursday, February 6 when Louisiana Tech visits WKU. If the Bulldogs are going to make a push, that might be their best chance.

Bracketology

Conference USA Basketball is projected to remain a one-bid league in the latest Bracketology. Joe Lunardi has current frontrunner North Texas as a 13-seed in the East region, squaring off against Kentucky in the first round. Whether it’s North Texas or someone else, the odds off C-USA being anything more than a single-bid, double-digit seed seems decidedly unlikely.

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Rice Basketball: Owls drop another heartbreaker, this time to UTSA

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Rice basketball made plenty of big shots, but missed their last attempt. That lead to a crushing last-second UTSA layup and the Owls’ fifth straight loss.

Trailing 13-5 after barely five minutes of game time had elapsed, Rice basketball was on the verge of another lopsided defeated. Not only did the Owls manage to avoid that pain, they thundered back from the eight-point deficit, outscoring UTSA 14-2 over the next five minutes to take a 19-15 lead. Game on.

The energy and strain Rice exuded in their narrow loss to UTEP on Thursday galvanized this team to keep fighting. They did not execute perfectly, but their will to battle through eight lead changes was noticeably different from where they’d been even a week ago.

It was Rice that jumped out to the double-digit lead in this one. Josh Parrish pushed the lead to 10 midway through the first half. Trey Murphy made it 11 with a three, one of a season-high 18 three-point baskets the Owls made during the contest. Rice hadn’t made that many threes in a game since November 29, 2013, an overtime loss to Rider.

Like the Rider game, the Owls’ hot hand eventually cooled. With the game tied at 88, Rice had the ball and a chance for the go-ahead bucket. Not only did they miss the shot, UTSA corralled the ball and dashed down the court for a layup of their own. A halfcourt heave fell short, dooming Rice to another strenuous defeat. Midway through C-USA play, Rice sits in last place.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Ako Adams

Ako Adams had 21 points, 18 of which came from six three-pointers. The senior’s final trey pushed his career total to 201, officially the most in school history. His timely shots, three assists and four rebounds continued to will Rice back into the game. Thanks to Adams’ resolve, this was a slugfest that Rice very much could have won.

Up Next

Rice basketball will get a brief respite after playing five games in the last 10 games. They won’t play on Thursday, returning to the court for the next time on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Tudor Fieldhouse against North Texas.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs UTSA

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Both Rice Basketball squads are in the midst of streaks. The men hope to break off a losing rut against UTSA while the women aim for yet another C-USA win.

Rice Basketball

Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

UTSA 9-11 (3-4), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 89-73 (W) vs LA Tech
  • 80-70 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 80-70 OT (L) at UTEP
  • 86-70 (W) vs UTEP
  • 98-78 (L) at North Texas

Rice 9-12 (1-7), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 92-78 (W) vs FIU
  • 72-56 (L) at LA Tech
  • 81-68 (L) at Southern Miss
  • 79-59 (L) at North Texas
  • 72-64 (L) vs UTEP

UTSA statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Jhivvan Jackson – 26.4 per game
  • Rebounds | Byron Frohnen – 7.1 per game
  • Assists | Keaton Wallace – 3.3 per game
  • Steals | Keaton Wallace – 1.6 per game
  • Blocks | Jacob Germany – 1.0 per game

Rice keys to victory

The key to victory against UTEP was stopping star big man Bryson Williams. The Owls did that and found themselves in position to close out down the stretch. The formula will be similar on Saturday against C-USA leading scorer Jhivvan Jackson.

He’s a completely different kind of player than Williams, but Rice hadn’t really shut down a physical inside presence until they found a way to contain Williams. They also held UTEP at bay from distance. The bottom line remains clear: if Rice can play that level of defense, they’ll have a shot.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Convocation Center
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

UTSA 6-11 (2-4), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 60-45 (W) vs FIU
  • 82-73 (W) at LA Tech
  • 82-65 (L) at Southern Miss
  • 94-54 (L) at UTEP
  • 79-55 (L) vs North Texas

Rice 11-6 (7-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 78-69 (W) at FAU
  • 68-47 (W) at FIU
  • 60-47 (W) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 75-64 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 69-61 (W) at UTEP

UTSA statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Mikayla Woods – 14.8 per game
  • Rebounds | Timea Tooth – 6.4 per game
  • Assists | Karrington Donald – 2.6 per game
  • Steals | Mikayla Woods – 2.2 per game
  • Blocks | Timea Tooth – 1.1 per game

Rice keys to victory

The Rice women’s basketball defense has continued to be the anchor of their team. Erica Ogwumike’s return to the court on Thursday was a huge boost as well. UTSA ranks 11th in C-USA in scoring offense and would have trouble getting points on the board even without the like of Nancy Mulkey patrolling the paint. If the defense shows up, Rice should roll.

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Rice Basketball 2020: Late-game lapses cost Rice against UTEP

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With the result hanging in the balance, late-game miscues cost Rice basketball a shot at their second win in conference play.

There was a lot to like from Rice basketball in the Owls’ most recent outing against UTEP. They held C-USA No. 2 scorer Bryson Williams to three points, kept the Miners to a woeful 5-of-28 from three and led late into the second half. It was a competitive game from start to finish, but Rice couldn’t close it out, falling to 1-7 in C-USA play.

Both teams started slow, missing a combined seven consecutive shots from the field before the scoring started. They traded narrow leads throughout the first half with neither side leading by more than two possessions. Up four with three minutes to play prior to the break, Rice allowed UTEP to close the half on a 6-0 run, narrowly preventing their first halftime lead since January 11 at FIU, their only prior C-USA win.

Ako Adams knocked down a three to start the second half, continuing a back-and-forth which lasted until the final minutes. Rice had done the big things right, executing their gameplan almost flawlessly. But they didn’t do the small things. That’s what ultimately cost them a very winnable game. Rice had not one, but two instances in the final moments of the game in which they failed to rebound off a missed free throw.

The first miscue gave UTEP a free possession which ended in two successful free throws, a three-point swing after the initial free throw to start the sequence. The second lapse allowed UTEP guard Daryl Edwards to secure a rebound off the front end of a 1-and-1, finishing with a layup and two free points after failing to convert from the line.

Head Coach Scott Pera was almost at a loss for words. “Those are plays you count on,” he said. That adds up.” UTEP’s largest lead of the day — 8 points — came with eight seconds to play in regulation. Most, if not all of that differential, can be explained by mental lapses from the Owls.

“They made winning plays,” Pera said. An apt summary of a game Rice basketball watched get away from them on their home court.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Robert Martin

Robert Martin hadn’t played since January 4 against Western Kentucky. He was the catalyst Rice needed off the bench in his return to action. He made his first four shots, including three from distance. “I thought he kickstarted us in the first half,” Pera said. “We were kind of stale with the offense and he made some buckets to get us going. It’s good to have him back on the court.”

Martin finished with a team-high 20 points, adding five rebounds and two assists.

Up Next

Rice basketball hosts UTSA on Saturday, January 25 and doesn’t play against until February. They’ll have one more at home on February 1 against North Texas before returning to the road.

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