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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs MTSU

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Both Men’s and Women’s Rice Basketball teams are on winning streaks. Can they keep them going against Middle Tennessee on Saturday?

Rice Basketball

Time: Feb. 8 at 5:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Murphy Athletic Center
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: CUSA TV 

MTSU 6-18 (2-9), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 80-73 (L) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 65-63 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 67-66 (L) at UTEP
  • 83-80 (W) at UTSA
  • 75-70 (L) vs North Texas

Rice 11-13 (3-8), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 79-59 (L) at North Texas
  • 72-64 (L) vs UTEP
  • 90-88 (L) vs UTSA
  • 84-75 (W) vs North Texas
  • 86-72 (W) at UAB

MTSU statistical leaders

  • Scoring | C.J. Jones – 16.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Tyson Jackson – 5.0 per game
  • Assists | Donovan Sims – 3.5 per game
  • Steals | Donovan Sims – 1.7 per game
  • Blocks | Tyson Jackson – 0.8 per game

Rice keys to victory

Beyond an incredible stretch of shooting, the Owls’ recent two-game winning streak has featured a pair of hot starts that have put a renewed sense of confidence in a team coming off a tough stretch. Rice tends to be a streaky shooting team. If the Owls can keep the game close early until they find their stroke, they might have found a recipe for success that could work.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Feb. 8 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN3

MTSU 16-7 (8-3), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 78-60 (L) at Louisiana Tech
  • 77-69 (W) at Southern Miss
  • 76-60 (W) vs UTEP
  • 69-48 (W) vs UTSA
  • 80-60 (W) at North Texas

Rice 15-6 (10-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 75-64 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 69-61 (W) at UTEP
  • 74-62 (W) at UTSA
  • 67-52 (W) at North Texas
  • 64-53 (W) vs UAB

MTSU statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Anastasia Hayes – 17.7 per game
  • Rebounds | Charity Savage – 11.2 per game
  • Assists | Anastasia Hayes – 4.1 per game
  • Steals | Charity Savage – 1.9 per game
  • Blocks | Charity Savage – 1.5 per game

Rice keys to victory

This will be a rematch of last year’s conference championship game. The Owls’ won that game, but it wasn’t easy. Middle Tennesse led by eight points at halftime before Rice turned on the jets in the third quarter and eventually punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

The third quarter has been where Rice has made its move. Tina Langley’s squad makes adjustments, executes and outlasts. Saturday’s contest should be no different. If Rice can win the third quarter, they’ll have enough firepower to prevail at home.

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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 Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs UAB

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Rice Basketball had a great weekend, sweeping North Texas in emphatic fashion. The men and the women return to action on Thursday against UAB.

Rice Basketball

Time: Feb. 6 at 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Bartow Arena
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

UAB 14-9 (5-5), Last 5 (3-2)

  •  68-65 (W) at FAU
  • 84-77  (L) vs Southern Miss
  • 72-58 (L) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 76-68 (W) at UTSA
  • 69-55 (W) at UTEP

Rice 10-13 (2-8), Last 5 (1-5)

  • 81-68 (L) at Southern Miss
  • 79-59 (L) at North Texas
  • 72-64 (L) vs UTEP
  • 90-88 (L) vs UTSA
  • 84-75 (W) vs North Texas

UAB statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Jalen Benjamin – 12.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Makhtar Gueye – 5.3 per game
  • Assists | Tyreek Scott-Grayson – 1.9 per game
  • Steals | Tavin Lovan – 1.1 per game
  • Blocks | Tyreek Scott-Grayson – 0.6 per game

Rice keys to victory

In their most recent outing, Rice proved they can beat anyone when they shoot the lights out. Barring another historic performance from the field, Rice will have to get better on the other side of the court. North Texas shot 51 percent from the field and 48.5 percent from three. Most nights, that’ll be good enough to win in Conference USA. Rice has to get that percentage down into the 40s, at least.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
TV: ESPN3

UAB 15-7 (7-3), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 92-73 (W) vs FAU
  • 74-68 (W) at Southern Miss
  • 71-51 (W) at Louisiana Tech
  • 94-55 (W) vs UTSA
  • 63-51 (W) vs UTEP

Rice 14-6 (9-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 60-47 (W) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 75-64 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 69-61 (W) at UTEP
  • 74-62 (W) at UTSA
  • 67-52 (W) at North Texas

North Texas statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Rachael Childress – 17.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Angela Vendrell – 8.1 per game
  • Assists | Angela Vendrell – 4.7 per game
  • Steals | Angela Vendrell – 1.1 per game
  • Blocks | Angela Vendrell – 1.0 per game

Rice keys to victory

UAB is going to trust Rachael Childress and Angela Vendrell to run the show. The matchup between those two and the Owls’ tandem of Erica Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey will be pivotal in determining the outcome of this gam . So far, they’ve been up to the task.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 National Signing Day Recap

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The 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class included two National Signing Day splashes. Here’s where the Owls stand with the class mostly complete.

Rice added four newly committed players on National Signing Day. JUCO linebacker Jaren Banks and Stanford kicker Collin Riccitelli, both of whom committed earlier in the week, made their decisions official as did two newcomers in the secondary.

Early Wednesday morning, Rice signed Gulliver Prep defensive back Gabe Taylor, the highest-rated player in program history. Later in the day, they added corner Lamont Narcisse, another Top 10 player the school has ever signed.

Several walk ons who have yet to be officially announced will be added to the 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class as well. Many won’t be expected to be significant onfield contributors anytime soon, but it’s worth remembering that center Issac Klarkowski and corner Tre’shon Devones each walked on last season and started multiple games for the Owls.

The New Signees

Taylor and Narcisse give Rice a rather impressive haul in the secondary. That pair, along with previously signed Sean Fresch, Jordan Dunbar and Plae Wyatt, should serve as much-needed reinforcements on the back end of the defense.

More: Breaking down the Rice Football recruiting 2020 defensive signees (UPDATED)

The Owls did a much better job of keeping balls in front of them in 2019, but still ranked 13th in C-USA in passing defense, allowing 241.9 yards per game. A sturdy safety corps manned by George Nyakwol, Naeem Smith and Prudy Calderon provides a strong base. Finding corners who can win on their own seems to be the missing ingredient. Hopefully one or both of Taylor and Narcisse can rise to the occasion.

Star-studded

247 Sports is the most unanimously accepted measuring stick among recruiting services. A star rating from their service isn’t infallible, but it’s a great guide on a macro level. By that standard, the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is the highest-rated in program history. Better still, four of the top 13 commits to ever sign with the program will be on campus this fall.

No. 1. DB Gabe Taylor
No. 6 ATH Jake Bailey
No. 7 CB Lamont Narcisse
No. 12 ATH Sean Fresch

Taylor, Narcisse and Fresch weren’t outliers, rather they were part of a larger group of extremely talented players.

Room to Improve

The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is the No. 9 class in Conference USA. That’s a step up from the No. 11 class in 2019 and from No. 12 in 2018, but not the gigantic leap many were expecting. When the Early Signing Period was approaching in December, Rice had a top-two class and we were talking about the makings of what could become the best class in school history.

The decline in rankings is linked more to the number of signees than anything else. The Owls have signed 21 scholarship players so far. On Wednesday, Bloomgren detailed they would not fill the full 25. The recruiting services weight the quality as well as the quantity of players in signing classes.

More: Breaking down the Rice Football recruiting 2020 offense and special teams signees (UPDATED)

Of the C-USA programs with 20 or fewer high school and JUCO signees like Rice, the Owls’ rank third. If Rice were to sign 25 players eligible for the 247 ratings, they would assuredly finish within the Top 5, at worst. But gaming the rankings aren’t of interest to the Rice coaching staff, nor should they be. They have bigger fish to fry.

So what’s next?

What Rice lacks in this class was a singular top-end super-star to put them over the top. It would be nice to see Rice land a Power 5 transfer with top-end talent and a track record of success at the Division 1 level. The Owls are looking at some skill position players on offense right now and are optimistic they’ll be able to sign one before summer workouts get underway. That would put a bow on a great 2020 recruiting cycle.

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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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