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Rice Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs Western Kentucky

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The Rice basketball got back in the win column with a sweep over Southern Miss while the women look to return to the court this weekend.

Rice Basketball

Time: Friday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m. CT and Saturday, Feb. 13 at 5:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Friday – ESPN+ / Sunday – CUSAtv

Western Kentucky 13-4 (6-2), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 58-63 (L) at Louisiana Tech
  • 81-73 (W) vs Marshall
  • 69-67 (W) at Marshall
  • 82-67 (W) at Middle Tennessee
  • 68-52 (W) at Middle Tennessee

Western Kentucky statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Charles Bassey – 17.8 per game
  • Rebounds | Charles Bassey – 12.2 per game
  • Assists | Davvion McKnight – 3.2 per game
  • Steals | Josh Anderson – 1.9 per game
  • Blocks | Charles Bassey – 3.4 per game

Rice 12-8 (6-6), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 74-86 (L) at UAB
  • 74-69 (L) vs North Texas
  • 53-79 (L) at North Texas
  • 88-62 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 76-68 (W) vs Southern Miss

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 15.9 per game
  • Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 9.2 per game
  • Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.1 per game
  • Steals | Travis Evee – 1.2 per game
  • Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.9 per game

Rice keys to victory

Rice basketball needs a repeat showing of their most recent pair of outings. Rice shot incredibly well against Southern Miss, made careful, astute halftime adjustments and battled down the stretch to hold the lead. Rice showed they do have that extra gear needed to win close games. Taking that on the road is the next task.

Rice is 5-2 in league play at Tudor Fieldhouse, but four of their final six games are on the road where they are just 1-4 to date. This team has the pieces. They just need to find that level of consistency away from Houston.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Feb. 12 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Feb. 13 at 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Feb. 12 – ESPN+ / Feb. 13 – ESPN+

Western Kentucky 6-10 (5-5), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 60-77 (L) vs Middle Tennessee
  • 100-99 3OT (W) vs Charlotte
  • 65-54 (W) vs Charlotte
  • 71-64 (W) vs Florida Atlantic
  • 70-75 (L) vs Florida Atlantic

Western Kentucky statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Raneem Elgedawy – 21.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Raneem Elgedawy – 11.4 per game
  • Assists | Hope Sivori – 3.8 per game
  • Steals | Meral Abdelgawad – 2.4 per game
  • Blocks | Raneem Elgedawy – 1.8 per game

Rice 10-1 (6-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 69-57 (W) at UTSA
  • 74-68 (W) vs UTEP
  • 55-43 (W) vs UTEP
  • 77-66 (W) at Old Dominion
  • 67-59 (W) at Old Dominion

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Nancy Mulkey – 16.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Nancy Mulkey – 7.8 per game
  • Assists | Jasmine Smith – 3.7 per game
  • Steals | Jasmine Smith – 1.5 per game
  • Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 3.1 per game

Whats’s at stake

The Owls haven’t played a conference game in three weeks. During that time other programs have experienced postponements as well, but the run of open weekends for Rice is approaching a critical juncture.

Rice has played six conference games. No other team in Conference USA has played fewer than eight. The vast majority have played 10 games or more. The average, including the Owls’ low-mark, is 9.71 games played per team. If that difference held, Rice would retain claim to the No. 1 Seed in the West and clinch a bye in the Conference USA Tournament.

Healthy and safety is, and should continue to be, the No. 1 priority for Rice athletes. If anything, the extended delay emphasizes the lengths to which the program will go to ensure its players’ health remains the focal point.

But if Rice were to miss another weekend, they could be playing catch up. Much in the same way the football regulations in the fall required a team to play no fewer than two games below the average games played by the conference, a similar ruling will apply to basketball. A team can’t lose a tournament bid by playing too few games, but it can lose a first round bye.

That makes the Owls’ upcoming series against Western Kentucky all the more important. As of now, that series looks to be on as scheduled. When Rice does get back on the hardwood they’ll have waited 27 days since their most recent competition, against Old Dominion on January 16. Keeping everyone healthy and shaking off the rust as quickly as possible will be imperative.

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Rice Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs Southern Miss

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The Rice basketball hopes to right a losing streak with a set of home games against Southern Miss. Here’s how the Owls stack up against the Golden Eagles.

Rice Basketball

Time: Friday, Feb. 5 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Saturday, Feb. 6 at 2:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Friday – ESPN+ / Sunday – CUSAtv

Southern Miss 7-10 (3-7), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 64-59 (W) vs Middle Tennessee
  • 64-70 (L) at UTSA
  • 72-78 (L) at UTSA
  • 63-76 (L) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 62-65 (L) at Louisiana Tech

Southern Miss statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Tyler Stevenson – 14.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Tyler Stevenson – 7.4 per game
  • Assists | Tae Hardy – 3.0 per game
  • Steals | Tae Hardy – 1.4 per game
  • Blocks | DeAndre Pickney – 0.5 per game

Rice 10-8 (4-6), Last 5 (0-5)

  • 58-61 (L) vs Old Dominion
  • 68-78 (L) at UAB
  • 74-86 (L) at UAB
  • 74-69 (L) vs North Texas
  • 53-79 (L) at North Texas

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Travis Evee – 15.4 per game
  • Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 9.3 per game
  • Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.1 per game
  • Steals | Travis Evee – 1.3 per game
  • Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.8 per game

Rice keys to victory

Southern Miss doesn’t shoot well, but they’ve become a fairly stout defense squad under the direction of head coach Jay Ladner. The Golden Eagles allow just 1.6 more points per game than the North Texas squad that gave the Rice guards fits all last weekend. The short bench and lack of free shooting space made for a long series against the Mean Green.

On the opposite side of the court, Rice should be able to grind things out. Southern Miss shoots 43.5 percent from the field and isn’t a particularly high volume shooting team. The Owls need to take it one possession at a time, create opportunities, and take advantage of them.

Rice Women’s Basketball Update

For the third consecutive weekend, Rice women’s basketball will be unable to compete because of COVID- and injuries. Their series against Southern Miss was postponed. The program remains on pause, with six games missed during the delays.

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Rice Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs North Texas

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The Rice basketball men fell at UAB last time out. The women remain sidelined, but the men return to the court next against North Texas.

Rice Basketball

Time: Friday, Jan. 29 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Sunday, Jan. 31 at 3:00 p.m.
Venue: Friday – Tudor Fieldhouse / Sunday – Super Pit
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Friday – ESPN+ / Sunday – ESPN+

North Texas 7-5 (3-1), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 59-57 (L) vs Loyola
  • 77-70 (W) at UTSA
  • 69-77 (L) at UTSA
  • 63-33 (W) vs UTEP
  • 74-65 (W) vs UTEP

North Texas statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Jaylon Hamlet – 12.8 per game
  • Rebounds | Zachary Simmons – 6.1 per game
  • Assists | Jaylon Hamlet – 5.1 per game
  • Steals | James Reese – 1.3 per game
  • Blocks | Thomas Bell – 1.3 per game

Rice 10-6 (4-4), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 71-68 (W) at UTEP
  • 69-59 (W) vs Old Dominion
  • 58-61 (L) vs Old Dominion
  • 68-78 (L) at UAB
  • 74-86 (L) at UAB

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 16.1 per game
  • Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 5.9 per game
  • Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.2 per game
  • Steals | Travis Evee – 1.4 per game
  • Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.7 per game

Rice keys to victory

Head coach Scott Pera was assembling lineups on the fly last weekend against UAB. The absence of Travis Evee on Friday and others on Saturday saw the Owls use combinations they hardly employed at all in their first 15 games of the season. No matter who is available against North Texas, the Owls must find a way to gel on the defensive side of the court.

Rice has enough shooters to get by, especially if Quincy Olivari or Evee gets into a groove early on. What they didn’t showcase in either of the Owls’ games this past weekend was the ability to defend well when put in situations outside of their comfort zone. As COVID-19 and injuries continue to throw wrenches into the best-laid plans, this team is going to have to find some sort of happy medium in that area.

Rice Women’s Basketball Update

For the second consecutive weekend, Rice women’s basketball will be unable to compete because of COVID-19. The Owls announced a postponement to their series against North Texas earlier in the week as the program remains on pause.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: COVID-19 forces second pair of postponements

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Rice Women’s Basketball remains on pause, missing its second weekend of action. When can the Owls return and what is at stake when they do?

Last week marked the first time Rice Athletics had initiated a postponement for a scheduled competition. Now, the Rice Women’s Basketball has postponed their third and fourth contests, delaying this coming weekend’s series against North Texas. Because of the arrangement of the schedule, every weekend off bumps two games off the docket.

Rice (10-1, 6-0) enters the weekend atop Conference USA West in winning percentage (1.00) and wins (six). The Owls can’t fall behind in the percentage column without playing and suffering their first conference defeat, but not returning to the court in the somewhat near future could put their No. 1 overall seed in jeopardy.

Unlike the football championship, there are no established quotas to make the conference tournament field. UAB had to play one more game during the final week of the regular season to fulfill those requirements. Missing too many weekends won’t disqualify Rice from the tournament. But, seeding is not guaranteed.

According to a source familiar with the revised procedures, a team must play within four games of the average number of games completed by conference members during the regular season to be eligible for a first round bye.

Rice has played six league games to this point and 11 total games. Without playing this weekend they’ll be roughly two games behind both measures. That’s well within the window stipulated, but losing additional weekends could push the Owls’ closer to the line than they’d prefer.

No verdict has been given to this point on when any postponed games would be rescheduled. If football did indeed set a precedent, one would assume those added games would be decided in the next few weeks. There are only four more scheduled weekends of conference play once February arrives. Until then, we sit and wait, hoping for a safe return to competition and uncertain of what the future holds.

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Rice Soccer: Owls ready for 2021 spring season

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Rice Soccer was one of the sports bumped from fall to spring because of COVID-19 concerns. After a long layoff, the Owls are ready to get rolling. Here’s everything you need to know.

This past offseason has been one like no other for Rice soccer head coach Brian Lee and his team. For one there were no games played before Christmas, an oddity for what is traditionally a fall sport. For another, the vast majority of his team was on campus and ready to play.

Aside from one incoming freshman from England, Catarina Albuquerque, whose arrival was delayed with the unfortunate circumstances, the remainder of the freshman class has been on campus since the fall semester began. “The rest of our freshmen, as part of this delayed season, they don’t feel like freshmen the same way they would in the fall.” Lee said, “Those kids who are back with us, they feel like sophomores already.”

They’ll need all the capable options they can get if they’re going to navigate a shrunken season with the chance for postponed games and last-minute changes. One notable addition was recently announced, Serena Pham, a transfer from Alabama. While in Tuscaloosa, Pham she recorded the most assists by a freshman in school history. She’ll sit this spring but be eligible to play in the fall.

Notable games

Rice Soccer opens its season with an exhibition against Houston at Holloway Field on Jan. 30. After one tune-up game, the condensed season begins with a road trip to face McNeese State on Feb. 4.

Rice is scheduled to face UTSA twice, Houston once more in a regulation game, and five additional Conference USA opponents. Consecutive weekend games against HBU and Texas Southern (twice), round up the schedule, which finishes at home on Apr. 8 against UTEP.

The Conference USA Tournament, hosted by Rice, begins on Apr. 13. You can see the complete schedule here.

Preseason C-USA Poll

Rice was picked to finish second in the West, runners up to a North Texas program that knocked the Owls out of the conference tournament last season before going on to win it all. Here is the complete poll:

West Division
  1. North Texas
  2. Rice
  3. UTSA
  4. Louisiana Tech
  5. UTEP
  6. UAB
  7. Southern Miss
East Division
  1. Florida Atlantic
  2. Charlotte
  3. WKU
  4. Middle Tennessee
  5. Marshall
  6. FIU
  7. Old Dominion

Preseason All C-USA Team selections

Mijke Roelfsema and Delaney Schultz were both honored as preseason All-Conference selections. Rice was one of three teams with multiple selections. FAU (two selections) and North Texas (three selections) also received multiple nods. Here is the complete team:

  • Ambere Barnett, WKU
  • Kelsey Brann, North Texas
  • Allie Byrd, North Texas
  • Luisa Daikeler, FAU
  • Peyton DePriest, Middle Tennessee
  • Julia Patrum, Charlotte
  • Ellis Patterson, UTSA
  • Berklee Peters, North Texas
  • Caitlin Pierce, Southern Miss
  • Mijke Roelfsema, Rice
  • Delaney Schultz, Rice
  • Cassidy Wasdin, FAU
  • Autumn Woodard, Louisiana Tech

Offseason notes:

Rice Soccer was featured in part of our extended offseason showcase, featuring stories about the growth of the program under coach Lee, which players could step up in the future and how Rice is using the Transfer Portal to their advantage. You can check those five pieces out here.

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