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Rice Women’s Basketball: 2020-2021 Midseason State of the Program

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Rice women’s basketball is off to a strong start to their 2020-2021 season. Where do the Owls stand as they enter the heart of Conference USA play?

In a year filled with so much change and uncertainty, the Rice women’s basketball season has proceeded according to plan. The Owls cruised through non-conference play, notched a marque road win against Texas Tech and gave a ranked Texas A&M squad a run for their money on the road.

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With non-conference play finished and the team two weekends into conference play, Rice women’s basketball sits at 8-1, owners of the best overall record in Conference USA and one of three teams yet to lose a C-USA game. Rice is 4-0 in league play for third consecutive season and won 38 of their last 40 C-USA games.

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Rice Football: 10 Takeaways from 2020 season

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The 2020 Rice football season was filled with highs and lows. After time to reflect, what can we take away from the Owls’ five-game campaign?

From rocky beginnings to the National Championship Game, the 2020 season is finally in the books. Rice football participated in five games, experiencing the full range of emotions. There was the quadruple-doink and an upset for the ages.

For those that haven’t relive some of the highpoints in the season with The Roosties, an annual Rice football awards show from The Roost Podcast. You can also check out our 2020 Rice Football Team Superlatives, featuring more traditional awards like Team MVP, Offense and Defensive Player of the Year and more.

And with that, a few final thoughts on the 2020 season with some forward-thinking questions about how the Owls’ former season will impact the ones to come.

1. Rice proved they can score

Rice football played 24 games against FBS opponents in Bloomgren’s first two seasons at South Main. The Owl reached 30 points in just two of those contests. Those two occasions came in the midst of their three game winning streak that capped off the 2019 season. Rice opened 2020 with back-to-back 30-point performances. That marks five outings of 30 or more points in the Owls’ most recent eight games compared to zero in the first 21. That’s a pretty stark difference.

2. Rice has some weapons on offense

Part of the reason for further optimism with the offense is the playmakers Rice will return in 2020. Even if they do lose senior Austin Trammell, wideout Jake Bailey proved to be a chain mover and a big play threat this season. Andrew Mason showed sparks. Running backs Juma Otoviano and Khalan Griffin were both productive. And more talent is on the way, especially in the wide receiving corps.

3. This defense could be the best in C-USA

The 20-0 shutout on the road at Marshall will forever be etched among the best wins Rice has seen in this century. The list of accolades and firsts from that game was exhausting (in a good way), but the performance also served as an exclamation point on work Rice was already building. Rice finished third in scoring defense, fourth against the run, sixth against the pass and third in total defense this season. And they have lots of depth returning in 2021.

4. The Transfer Portal has been kind to the Owls

Hitting on more than half of your transfers is a fairly robust number. Rice has batted much closer to 1.000 in Bloomgren’s tenure than many might realize. Mike Collins was tremendous in his three games. Former JUCO addition Miles McCord was a crucial starter for the Rice secondary this year. Jovaun Woolford played well on the offensive line. Once more, Rice filled the holes they needed with talented additions from the portal.

5. Rice is close

Rice won by three scores in both of their wins in 2020. They lost by a touchdown or less in two contests and fell by 10 points in the other. A cruel field goal bounce separated the Owls from a 2-3 season and a possible bowl berth. The Owls’ only 10 point win in 2019 came in their season finale against UTEP. They lost by more than a touchdown five times in nine defeats. The wins are getting better and the losses are getting closer. A few better bounces and the record should come around, too.

Rice Football, postseason survey

Areas of Concern

6. The offense wasn’t nearly as good without Mike Collins

The drop off in production was stark when Mike Collins was not on the field. When JoVoni Johnson and Wiley Green were taking snaps the same offense that averaged 30 points per game with Collins dropped to 14.5 offensive points per game without him. If Collins does not return in 2020, Rice is going to have to find a way to get better production out of the quarterback spot. The addition of another grad transfer quarterback certainly suggests that room may look different in 2021.

7. The running game hasn’t really broken out

Rice averaged 2.8 yards per carry this season, a fair deal below the 3.5 and 3.9 yards per carry they averaged in 2019 and 2018, respectively. For an offense as committed to moving the chains on the ground, coming in below three yards per carry should sound some alarms. That number is skewed to some degree, by a disastrous game against North Texas, but Rice didn’t run the ball particularly well against UAB either.

8. Rice saved all their turnovers for one game

The Rice defense picked off six passes in 12 games in 2019. They had five in one afternoon against Marshall in 2020. Beyond that, Rice only had one other interception in four additional games. They added three fumble recoveries. Turnovers are somewhat of a fluky stat, but Rice has consistently finished in the bottom half of the league in takeaways in recent years.

9. Too many special teams mistakes

Rice has been among the league leaders in special teams over the last three years. NFL Pro Bowler Jack Fox helped the Owls get there, but the rest of the coverage and return units have done their part even with him in the pros. The return units did not deliver this season. Rice fumbled three punts and had a return touchdown called back via penalty.

10. Uncertain 2021 roster makeup

2020 was circled as the year Rice would have all of their proverbial ducks in a row. Then the pandemic hit. Then the injuries came. Rice did the most with what they had, snatching a marquee win, but it wasn’t quite the season anyone expected. The senior class has another free year of eligibility, should they chose to exercise it. The unknown of who will (and won’t) be back, makes it hard to look to far into what rosters will look like in 2021.

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Rice Football 2020: NFL Owls Wildcard Round update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action on Wild Card weekend.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Four Rice football alums are on playoff teams this year.

Wildcard Round Results

Buffalo def. Indianapolis, 27-24
Los Angeles Rams def. Seattle, 30-20
Tampa Bay def. Washington, 31-23
Baltimore def. Tennessee, 20-13
New Orleans def. Chicago, 21-9
Cleveland (Sendejo) def. Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald), 48-37

Divisional Round Schedule

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay, Saturday – 3:35 p.m.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans, Sunday – 5:40 p.m.
Baltimore at Buffalo, Saturday – 7:15 p.m.
Cleveland (Sendejo) at Kansas City, Sunday – 2:05 p.m.

NFL Owls Update

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald was targeted twice, but did not catch any passes in the Steelers’ Wildcard Round defeat by the Browns. He has 17 career playoff receptions, but none in the Wildcard round. His 2020 season has come to an end.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

After being listed as a limited participant in practice, Boswell returned to action this week following a few missed games over the latter third of the season. He made his only field goal attempt in the Steelers’ Wildcard Round defeat by the Browns, also converting a pair of extra points. His 2020 season has come to an end.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo missed the Browns’ regular season finale against the Steelers after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list but made a return to the field for their Wildcard Round rematch. He tallied five tackles and one pass deflection in the victory. The Browns will visit the Chiefs in the Divisional Round next weekend. The game is set for Sunday at 3:05 p.m.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

Willson rejoined the Seahawks in time for their playoff push but was not active for their Wildcard Round defeat by the Los Angeles Rams. Willson, who began the season with the Seahawks, last saw action with Baltimore in Week 13. His 2020 season is over.

Offseason Owls

Both Jack Fox and Bryce Callahan were named to the Pro Football Focus All-Pro First Team this past week.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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Rice Basketball 2021: Owls battle back for split with UTEP

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Rice basketball split a hard-fought two-game set with UTEP, earning their most impressive road win of the season in the process.

It was a wild weekend in the desert for Rice basketball. The Owls were welcomed to El Paso by a garage of three-pointers in their opening game of the two-game set. UTEP hit five triples in the first five minutes of game one, screaming out to a 21-9 lead.

The Owls showed poise and maturity with their response. They battled back to take the lead, erasing a 12-point deficit in a matter of minutes with only one three-pointer to hastened the rally. The dogfight would continue into the second half before another Miners’ surge put things away.

UTEP came out hot again on Saturday, but this time the Rice comeback found staying power. Monster days from Travis Evee (21 points with five three-pointers) and Max Fiedler (19 points and 13 rebounds) propelled the Owls to victory.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball sweeps UTEP at home

Head coach Scott Pera was noticeably amped in the aftermath on Saturday. “That is a terrific basketball team that we just beat on their home floor,” he said, taking responsibility for gameplan decisions on Friday and lauding his team for responding well in the rematch.

The win gives Rice a split on the road, something head coach Scott Pera mentioned his team was aiming to achieve any time they left the confines of Tudor Fieldhouse this season. It was a physical, hard-fought victory, and one that Pera called a “statement” for the steadily rising Owls.

Player Spotlight | Max Fiedler

Fiedler began the season with three straight double-doubles, a strong start for the second year player. That would prove to be just the beginning for Fiedler who has been red hot from the field in the past five outings. Starting with a Dec. 21 game against New Orleans, here are Fiedler’s last five lines:

  • New Orleans: 2-for-2, 7 points, 12 rebonds
  • UTSA: 5-for-6, 12 points, 11 rebounds
  • UTSA: 8-for-8, 18 points, 4 rebounds
  • UTEP: 10-for-11, 22 points, 5 rebounds
  • UTEP: 9-for-15, 19 points, 13 rebounds

Altogether, that’s 34-for-42 from the field (81 percent) and an average of 15.6 points and nine rebounds per game. Rice lacked an interior presence this commanding last season. Not only have Fiedler filled that void, he’s turned into an impact player for the Owls on both sides of the court.

Stat Corner | Dependable from deep

Rice basketball shoots a lot of threes, that’s nothing new, but their accuracy from downtown has been noticeably better. Rice made 30 percent or fewer of its three point shots in 13 of 32 games last season, a rate of 41 percent. The Owls have turned that statistic upside down this year, failing to reach a 30 percent success rate from three just once in 12 games.

The Owls made 11 of 25 threes on Friday (44 percent) and eight of 17 threes on Saturday (47 percent). If you’re going to live by the three, you’d best be good at it. And Rice is one of the best teams in Conference USA from three.

Up Next

Rice returns home next weekend to face Conference USA East-leading Old Dominion. The Monarchs, like the Owls, are the only three-win team in their division. ODU split with FIU in their opening series before sweeping Florida Atlantic this past weekend.

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Rice Women’s Basketball 2021: Owls out-tough UTEP, move to 4-0

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Rice women’s basketball stayed perfect in conference play, sweeping their second weekend series with two hard-fought wins over UTEP.

It’s been hard for visiting teams to win at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Rice women’s basketball hasn’t dropped a conference game at home in nearly three years. The Owls have been tested, just as they were this past weekend, but they’ve always found a way to come out on top.

Rice opened their first couplet of home conference games on Friday, outlasting surges from the Miners with strong defense and opportunistic shooting. Lauren Schwartz led the team with 16 points including three triples. Nancy Mulkey contributed five rebounds and 15 points. Nine different players scored.

More: Rice Basketball earns hard-fought split with UTEP in the desert

Saturday was another tightly contested contest. Stingy defense on both sides led to just 39 combined points in the first half. Had it not been for the clock expiring on a last-second three, Rice could have found themselves trailing at the break for the first time this season. Instead, the Owls took a narrow two-point lead into halftime.

Their trademark lockdown third quarter was once more a difference maker. Rice outscored UTEP 15-7, stretching the lead to 10 points. That gave the Owls plenty of breathing room to secure a 4-0 start in conference play. UTEP was held to 43 points on 27.1% shooting.

After giving up 68 points on Friday, the defense responded with tenacity. “I still think we can continue to get better [in rebounding],” head coach Tina Langley said after the series, “but I like our toughness and our ability to stick to a philosophy that I feel works really well for our team.”

Player Spotlight | Sydne Wiggins

Wiggins has been one of the most reliable and versatile players on the court for the Owls over the past three seasons. The senior guard scores, rebounds and finds outlets for her teammates. Her aggressiveness against the UTEP zone gave Rice crucial opportunities when the offense was slow out of the gate. On defense, she stuck to her opponents like glue.

On Friday, Wiggins set up her teammates for success, tallying five assists to her seven points and seven rebounds. Saturday it was her turn, leading the team with 15 points. The ability to do both well, to facilitate and to score, makes her an invaluable asset to the team and someone Langley called “a very dangerous player” for the Owls on the court.

Stat Corner | Gallegos ghosts

The Rice defense was superb once again this weekend, but their work on UTEP’s star guard was particularly impressive. Katia Gallegos came into the weekend averaging 17.4 points per game. She led UTEP in scoring, assists, steals and was second in rebounds. She’d been held under 10 points once in her first seven games, scoring 20+ three times.

Rice held Gallegos to nine points on 3-for-15 from the field on Friday. Then they followed it up by limiting her to nine points on 4-of-9 shooting in the first three quarters on Saturday. She scored eight points in the fourth quarter, but that came after the Owls had secured a double-digit lead. Too little, too late.

For the weekend she shot 31.0 percent from the field compared to her typical 46.3 percent, roughly 50 percent worse than her average outing.

Up Next

Rice hits the road next weekend for what could be their toughest test yet in conference play. They’ll play a Friday/Saturday set against Old Dominion, who along with the Owls, were one of three teams to receive first place votes in the Conference USA preseason polls. The Monarchs swept Florida Atlantic on the road this weekend after dropping both games of their opening series at home to FIU.

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