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Rice Basketball falls short against Louisiana

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Rice basketball dropped its final contest of 2023 to Louisiana and will enter AAC play 6-7 overall in the New Year.

Finally back to .500 at 6-6 following a tough start to the season, Rice basketball was hoping to finish off their final game before a lengthy holiday break with a win. Those dreams died rather quickly on Friday night, however, as Louisiana marched into Tudor Fieldhouse and dropped 10 first-half three-pointers on the Owls, knocking down seven of their first nine from distance.

Rice got off to a much slower start, making just 29.6 percent of their shots from the field in the first half. They attempted just nine threes as their normal leading scorer, Travis Evee, was held to just three points before halftime.

Trailing by 14 points at the break, Rice was able to trim the lead on a few separate occasions. The Owls had run of five consecutive baskets and two free throws early in the second half to get within six. They fell behind once more only for Evee and Alem Huseinovic to rain down several threes and get back within single digits. But that was always roughly the margin and never much closer.

Back within eight in the final three minutes, Louisiana would go on a 9-0 run to close it out sending Rice into their Christmas break 6-7.

Final Box | Louisiana 84 – Rice 67

Key takeaway | Time for a reset

It’s been an unforgiving schedule for Rice basketball to start the season. They wanted to be tested and give themselves an opportunity to pick up a marquee win or two. Not only did they not achieve the latter, but they’ll enter their conference slate below .500 on the season.

There’s a lot to unpack and there will be a midseason state of the program coming for our subscribers during the Owls’ long break from the court. The most important thing for this team right now is to exhale, take a deep breath and reset.

Conference play is coming. It’s going to be significantly tougher than it was a season ago in Conference USA. This iteration of Rice basketball has flashed moments of being up to the challenge, but it’s clear they need a break and some time for the coaching staff to make a few additional tweaks. How the season goes from here hangs in the balance.

Up Next: at Tulane – Jan. 3 (Wed.)

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Rice Football Recruiting: Penn State P Alex Bacchetta commits to Owls

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The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class landed a big special teams piece. Penn State punter and kicker Alex Bacchetta has committed to the Owls.

The Early Signing Period arrived with a bang for the 2024 Rice Football recruiting class in addition to eight high school additions, the Owls also received a boost from the Transfer Portal at multiple spots. One such boost comes in the special teams department where Penn State punter Alex Bacchetta has committed to the Owls.

Bacchetta was the No. 1 rated punter in the nation when he committed to Penn State out of high school. Baccetta saw in action in two games in 2022 as a true freshman and did not play in all in 2023. In search of an opportunity to contribute on the field, Bacchetta entered the portal and Rice scooped him up.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren noted during media availability on Wednesday that Bacchetta brought more to the table than just his punting ability. The Atlanta, Georgia native is also a field goal specialist and can kick off as well thanks to a very strong leg.

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Rice could use reinforcements at every specialist role after a frustrating 2022 season on that front. Bacchetta will immediately be inserted into the competition at those positions this spring and will offer special teams coordinator Pete Alamar at least one more option to improve the production of those units come next season.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Dartmouth DE Charlie Looes commits to Owls

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The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class added an impact player in the defensive trenches. Dartmouth defensive end Charlie Looes has committed to the Owls.

The Early Signing Period arrived with a bang for the 2024 Rice Football recruiting class in addition to eight high school additions, the Owls also received a boost from the Transfer Portal at multiple spots. One such boost comes along the defensive line where Dartmouth transfer Chalie Looes has committed to the Owls.

Looes was a finalist for the Ivy League’s Bushnell Cup, given annually to the league’s best defensive player following a year in which he led the Ivy League in sacks, quarterback hits and total pressures. Primarily an edge rusher, Looes is expected to come in and play that role at Rice.

In his introductory press conference about the class, head coach Mike Bloomgren made the comparison to Coleman Coco, who came in from an academic school in the Northeast and became an integral part of the Rice defense from day one.

One of five transfers in the class so far, Looes is the only defensive lineman. The Owls have a full roster at the position, but given Looes’ production and potential, taking one more impact player in the trenches seems like an absolute must.

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The length and quickness jump out immediately when you turn on the tape. Looes can get to the quarterback. As any defensive coach would be quick to tell you, accumulating pass rushers is always a good idea. Adding Looes to the fold gives this defense yet another weapon at its disposal.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Harvard OL Spencer Cassell commits to Owls

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The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class added an impact player in the offensive trenches. Harvard offensive lineman Spencer Cassell has committed to the Owls.

The Early Signing Period arrived with a bang for the 2024 Rice Football recruiting class in addition to eight high school additions, the Owls also received a boost from the Transfer Portal at multiple spots. One such boost comes along the offensive line where Harvard transfer Spencer Cassell has committed to the Owls.

Cassell was highly sought after in the portal, receiving scholarship offers from Buffalo, Arkansas State, Marshall, North Texas, App State, Georgia State, Old Dominion, UMass and others. Amidst all the interest, Rice was able to close, securing the services of the second-team All-Ivy offensive lineman. Bloomgren is optimistic Cassell will have two years to play at Rice, pending a medical redshirt.

Cassell played tackle at Harvard and said he’s willing to play “wherever I can help the team” in the offensive trenches at Rice. The plan, as of now, is for him to get started at guard in the spring and see where things go from there.

One of five transfers in the class so far, Cassell is the third offensive lineman. High school signees Lane Jeffcoast and Luke Miller made their commitments official Wednesday morning.

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A former high school tight end, Cassell does appear pretty quick on his feet for a 6-foot-6, 282-pound man. He told The Roost he loves to pull and be a lead blocker on runs and screens, something the Owls have utilized heavily in their offense in recent years. That quickness and power is evident when you turn on his film. Cassell is a great addition for the Owls.

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Small but mighty, 2024 Rice Football Recruiting Class another historic haul

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For the fourth time in the past five years, head coach Mike Bloomgren has inked the highest-rated Rice football recruiting class in program history.

The 2024 Rice football recruiting class only contained eight high school signees, but what the Owls gave up in quantity they got tenfold in quality. This small class boasts the highest rating in program history.

“We got stronger today,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said, later adding, “I think our recruiting staff crushed it.”

Internet recruiting rankings have been around since roughly 2003, making the 2024 class the 22nd in the modern rankings era. Bloomgren has now been the head coach at Rice through six of those complete cycles, excluding the 2018 cycle in which he was hired in December. He owns six of the top eight classes in program history.

In addition to Bloomgren’s six complete cycles, spanning the 2019 class to the 2023 class, only the 2010 and the 2013 classes rank in the top eight in school history. At the time, Bloomgren’s 2020 class was the best-ever Rice had signed. He then topped that haul with the best class in program history in 2022, 2023 and now once again in 2024.

Since he arrived, every recruiting class Bloomgren has signed has been a top-five class in program history at the time pen was put to paper. Four of them have been No. 1 overall.

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* Blue represents top five classes in program history

On aggregate, Rice is listed as the No. 12 class (out of 13) in the AAC. However, it’s important to remember those rankings are cumulative and they don’t include transfers, like high-profile quarterback addition EJ Warner.

Every player you sign is assigned a point value. If you sign 38 recruits (and counting) like North Texas, you’re going to have more points and rank higher than a school that signs eight. But more doesn’t always mean better.

Additionally, Rice finds itself in an interesting predicament. They haven’t had an exodus of outgoing players. The outgoing senior class that is ineligible to return is small and only one scholarship has been opened through announced departures (Jordan Dunbar). They can’t sign 25 players. There simply aren’t enough scholarships to go around.

“It’s hard to say we’re going to sign a high school kid that’s going to be better than Josh Pearcy if he decides to come back,” Bloomgren half-joked, half-explained just how the Owls have arrived in such an interesting position.

The Owls’ low ranking on aggregate reflects the reality of the Owls’ strong roster, an accumulation of top class in program history, in addition to a remarkable retention rate not seen anywhere else in college football.

“I think it’s going to be hard to evaluate it as we once did when we all signed 20 to 25 kids and [had] somewhat of a level playing field because when you look at ratings, you’re looking at some [of the full picture], We’re not going to win that when signing eight,” Bloomgren said. “If we had 12 people go into the portal like most teams then we’d have a much bigger class and a much higher rank, you would assume. I’m personally glad we don’t.”

Rather than vaulting up the recruiting charts through unprecedented amounts of roster turnover, Rice is building its roster one brick at a time. And just like the recruiting rankings have steadily ticked upward, so have the wins on the field.

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