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NCAA Women’s Tournament: Rice vs Marquette matchup preview

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Rice women’s basketball is headed to the NCAA Tournament and will take on 5-seed Marquette in College Station, Texas in the first round. Here’s everything you need to know.

Rice

After dropping their first two games of the season, Rice has won 28 of their last 29. Their long hiccup came in December against North Carolina on the road, a team which earned a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament field. Rice’s two other losses came to 6-seed UCLA and 4-seed Texas A&M. Rice has won 21 consecutive games, a program record.

Head coach Tina Langley has reached the postseason for the third straight year, but 2019 marks her first trip to the NCAA Tournament following trips to the WBI and the WNIT.

This is the third trip to the NCAA Tournament for Rice, who last advanced to the Big Dance in 2005 after winning the WAC. The Owls lost to Georgia in the first round. Their only other appearance came in 2000 where Rice upset 4-seed UC Santa Barbara, the Owls lone NCAA Tournament victory in program history.

Rice ranks 13th in the nation in effective field goal percentage (53.5 percent) and shoots an impressive 35.9 percent from three as a team. The defense has been even better. Rice ranks sixth in opponents points per game (52.8) and allows .84 points per scoring attempt, the seventh-best mark in the nation. Scoring doesn’t come easy against the Owls.

Projected starting lineup and rotation

  • Sydne Wiggins (So) — 6.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists
  • Jasmine Smith (Fr) — 6.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists
  • Nicole Iademarco (Sr) — 9.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists
  • Erica Ogwumike (Jr) — 16.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists
  • Nancy Mulkey (So) — 13.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.9 blocks

One of the tallest women’s basketball players in the nation, Nancy Mulkey is the rock of the Rice team. Named the CUSA Tournament MVP, she compliments the scoring and rebounding ability of CUSA Player of the Year Erica Ogwumike extremely well.

After Ogwumike and Mulkey, a host of different players could see action on any given game depending on the game script and the opponent. Reigning CUSA Sixth Player of the Year Lauren Grigsby averages a hefty 21 minutes per game contributing 7.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game off the bench. Grigsby is a three point threat, knocking down 44 percent of her long range attempts. Chrisman will serve to give Mulkey rest, particularly on the front end and back end of quarters.

Marquette

The Golden Eagles under the direction of fifth-year head coach Carolyn Kieger have turned into a contender in the Big East. Marquette has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two years, seeing mixed results. In 2017 they earned a 5-seed but were upset by 12-seed Quinnipiac in the first round. Last year they were an 8-seed, beating 9-seed Dayton in the first round before following to 1-seed Louisville.

The end of the regular season wasn’t kind to Marquette in 2019. The Golden Eagles won just five of their last nine games, losing most recently in the Big East Championship Game to DePaul on a free throw with five seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Big East ranks sixth in conference RPI making Marquette 26-7 finish more than respectable. The majority of their losses have been close, including a five-point loss to 1-Seed Mississippi State much earlier in the season.

Marquette makes their hay on the offensive side of the ball. They rank in the top 20 nationally in field goal percentage (15th, 46.6 percent), points per play (10th, .95) and scoring (4th, 82.9 points per game). The defensive side of the glass is a different story. They allow 61.6 points per game but rank 174th in average defensive efficiency.

Projected starting lineup and rotation

  • Danielle King (Sr) — 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists
  • Natisha Hiedeman (Sr) — 17.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists
  • Allazia Blockton (Sr) — 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists
  • Amani Wilborn (Sr) — 11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists
  • Selena Lott (So) — 7.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists

For Marquette, it’s the glaring omission of senior post player Erika Davenport that could pose the biggest concern. Davenport was injured in the team’s loss to Butler in February and ruled out for the season. Sophomore Lauren Van Kleunen has seen a bump up in minutes in her stead, but the team has seen a noticeable dip in production. Their scoring average per game has declined from 85.8 points to 74.0 points with Davenport sidelined.

Lott brings something Davenport lacked, a three point presence. She’s connected on 46.2 percent of her shots from beyond the arc, the best mark on the team by far. She’s not alone though, Hiedeman  (40.2 percent), Blockton (39.4 percent) and junior Isabelle Spingola (38.8 percent) are all dangerous from that range. All in all, this is a veteran team that’s gotten better each year.

What they’re saying

Upon doing a google search to find the Rice athletics website, the first link I got was for the WBB roster page, which led me to find that Rice has a 6’9” woman named Nancy Mulkey on the roster. She plays 26 minutes a game and averages 13.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks per game. This is the only thing I know about Rice women’s basketball right now, and I am already deathly afraid of them, given Marquette’s problems defending the interior anyway.Brewtown Andy
Not only will the Golden Eagles have to deal with a nationally ranked foe, but Rice’s campus is just under 100 miles from Texas A&M, making the trip easy for Owls fans. Marquette fans will be sparse, especially considering the Marquette men could draw some travel-inclined fans to Hartford, Connecticut, for their games in the men’s tourney on the same weekend.JR Radcliffe
Marquette vs. Rice could be fun. One of the more intriguing first round matchups is in the Chicago Region, where No. 5 Marquette will face No. 12 Rice in the first round in College Station, Texas. This battle will feature the nation’s fourth best offense against the nation’s sixth best defense. Marquette scores 82.9 points per game, but Rice only allows 52.8 points per game. Marquette was 18th in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, while Rice was voted 21st. Mitchell Northam

How to watch

Tip off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT on Friday, March 22. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and available on the WatchESPN streaming service.

Odds

Rice is the underdog in Friday’s battle of Top 25 teams. FiveThirtyEight gives Rice a 14 percent chance of winning. 5Dimes listed the Owls as 10.5 underdogs. The AP Poll has these two squads three spots apart, Marquette at No. 18 and Rice at No. 21.

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Rice Baseball: Slow starts dooms Owls against Texas A&M

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Rice baseball missed an opportunity, falling to Texas A&M in a midweek contest before returning to conference play against UTSA over the weekend.

Kel Bordwine got the start in Rice’s midweek bout with fellow lone star power Texas A&M. On a night when no pitcher went three innings for either side, Borwdine’s early exit proved to be troublesome. He left after 1.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits with two walks. He wasn’t as locked in as he’d been in recent starts, putting Rice behind the eight ball on the road.

Rice would rally with a run in the third, but a three spot from Texas A&M in the fifth gave the Aggies a hefty 7-1 lead. An Andrew Dunlap two-run home run in the seventh was all the offense Rice had left, falling 8-3.

1. Garrett Gayle is back

The Rice bullpen got off to a rough start, but perhaps no pitcher’s beginnings were more confusing than Gayle’s. The stuff was always good, but the command had seemingly vanished. Gayle walked seven batters over his first 7.2 innings. Since his appearance against Oklahoma, he’s now thrown 8.1 innings, walking just two and striking out eight.

He was almost perfect out of the pen against Texas A&M. On a night when the bullpen got a fair amount of work from different relievers, he was the only man to hold the Aggies hitless while striking out at least one batter.

2. Loss to Texas A&M a missed opportunity

Losing to a ranked team in a midweek game on the road isn’t going to spoil the season for Rice. Still, the woulda-coulda-shoulda factor of Tuesday’s defeat could have repercussions down the line. Rice owns wins over ranked programs TCU and Baylor. Adding Texas A&M to that list would have given Rice a trifecta of big wins over power programs to bolster their case for postseason play.

When it comes to building a resume, non-conference are important. Texas A&M was one of this squad’s last marquee games outside of Conference USA play. Dropping this game in the fashion they did has to be a bit disappointing.

3. Can this team bounce back?

It’s been a hot and cold season for Rice.  Rice won two of three, then they dropped five of six. Then they picked up their big wins over Baylor and TCU and won for games in seven days. Now they’ve lost four out of their last five. In the obvious downswing of their streaky spring, can this team right the ship?

When it looked like this team might be headed down a forgettable path they bounced back with a pair of marquee wins. They don’t have a ranked team on their schedule for some time, so it’s time to get back to the basics and take care of business in conference play.

ON DECK | vs UTSA (Fri-Sun)

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WBB: Quirky Selection Monday doesn’t temper excitement

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Rice women’s basketball learned of their NCAA Tournament fates in an unconventional way, but that doesn’t change their level of excitement.

Monday’s midafternoon Twitter frenzy altered what was meant to be a historic Selection Monday for Rice Women’s Basketball. History was still cemented — Rice saw their name on an NCAA Tournament Bracket — it just didn’t unfold quite like anyone thought it would.

ESPN accidentally leaked the women’s bracket just before 3 p.m. local time, forcing a frenzy of activity which included a two-hour jump in the planned reveal time. A 6 p.m. watch party with fans and staff turned into a rushed, 4 p.m. event with minimal pomp and circumstance.

In many ways, the lost gusto was disappointing. Star center Nancy Mulkey called finding out through Twitter “devastating” while athletic director Joe Karlgaard admitted the error was “unfortunate”, but even in the midst of unconventional circumstances, the smiles reverberated around the semi-full media room at the Patterson Center.

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After admitting some of her frustration, Mulkey started to grin. “It’s a once in a lifetime experience,” she said. “It’s a blessing and we’re grateful…. to have the opportunity to play in Texas, right down the road is a benefit to us that we have our fans, our friends. It’s going to be fun.”

This will be Rice’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2005. Regardless of if the news was broke on Twitter or by carrier pigeon, the landmark event will be a building block of this program for years to come.

“It doesn’t matter what time of day it is or anything about the circumstances, there’s nothing like seeing your name pop up for the NCAA Tournament” head coach Tina Langley declared with passion. Her Owls had defied the odds, completed a perfect season in Conference USA and clinched a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Who cares about how the news broke. Rice is going dancing, and that’s worth celebrating.

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Rice Women’s Basketball earns 12-Seed in NCAA Tournament

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The Rice Women’ Basketball team has learned their NCAA Tournament fate. The Owls are a 12-Seed and open up against 5-Seed Marquette in the first round.

In the aftermath of Rice’s NCAA Tournament clinching victory over Middle Tennessee, coach Tina Langley quoted Clemson Tiger headman Dabo Swinney. “The next game is the biggest game of the year.”

It’s that mantra which has carried the Owls through the most impressive season in school history. As they make their way to the Big Dance, Rice leaves history behind them as the only team in CUSA history to obtain perfection in both the regular season and the conference tournament.

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Now they’ll take that mantel onto the NCAA Tournament. Rice was awarded a 12-Seed in the Chicago Region. Their first round game will be on Friday against 5-Seed Marquette. If the Owls win, they’ll face the winner of 4-seed Texas A&M and 13-seed Wright State in the Round of 32 for the right to play in the program’s first Sweet 16.

Rice has made two previous Women’s NCAA Tournament appearances. Last appearing in 2005, 11-Seed Rice fell to Georgia in the first round. In their only other appearances, 2000, the 13-Seed Owls knocked off 4-Seed UC Santa Barbara in the first round before losing to 5-Seed North Carolina in the Round of 32.

The Owls know they’ll be the underdogs, but they’re playing with a level of confidence and poise right now which suggests they won’t be intimidated. No matter the draw, this team was always going to ready to battle for a full 40 minutes.

It’s true, their next test will be their toughest yet. But as Swinney says, it’s the biggest game of the year. You can be sure this group will be ready. Look out, March Madness has only just begun.

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Rice Baseball falters in first conference road series, falling to FAU

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Rice baseball got off to a rough start in conference play, falling to FAU in three games on their first true road series of the season.

Things weren’t clicking for Rice during a rainy weekend in Boca Raton. The starting pitching wasn’t at it’s best and the hitting remained up and down. The Owls improved in the field, but with the other two phases faltering, it wasn’t enough. Here’s a rundown of the action and three thoughts from the tough weekend.

FRIDAY | FAU 4 – Rice 2

One week removed from earning his first win of the season, Rice ace Matt Canterino had one rough inning which cost him dearly. FAU struck early, putting up four runs on five hits in the opening frame. Canterino would recover quickly, allowing no runs and just two additional hits through the remainder of his six innings of work.

Trailing 4-0, Rice had their chances. They sent the minimum to the plate twice in nine innings. The Owls had runners in scoring position five times but failed to collect any run-scoring hits in those opportunities.  A fifth inning double by Andrew Dunlap which followed a Justin Collins single as well as a sixth inning sac fly were the only offense Rice could muster, falling in a close opener on the road.

SATURDAY | FAU 12 – Rice 7

The woes at the plate which plagued Rice on Friday night didn’t seem to carry into their matinee tilt with FAU on Saturday. In fact, Rice struck first. Andrew Dunlap launched a ball over the right field fence, driving in three runs to give the visiting team their first lead of the series. Rodrigo Duluc followed with a sac fly to add to the lead in the same inning.

Up 4-0. Rice was able to hold onto their lead through the first four innings. Then the dam broke. Evan Kravetz couldn’t finish the fifth, walking two and allowing two hits and two runs before he was relieved by Addison Moss with one out. Moss, who up to this point had been viewed as one of the most reliable bullpen options, wasn’t able to close the door.

By the time Kravetz’s runners had been driven in and Moss left the ball game in the sixth, Rice was staring and a 10-5 deficit from which they would never recover.

SUNDAY | FAU 12 – Rice 4

When it rains it pours. Jackson Parthasarathy entered the weekend with a 2.05 ERA and looked as dialed in as ever when the game got under way. Then, with two outs in the first inning, a sharp comebacker bounced off his leg. A double would follow, then a home run. All of a sudden, Rice was down 3-0.

Parthasarathy never settled in. He was lifted after allowing five runs on seven hits in two long innings. Kendall Jeffries came in out of the pen and kept the game within reach as the Rice offense chipped away.

As has been the case, the Owls had their chances, none better than a bases loaded situation in the fifth inning. Andrew Dunlap, who already had a big home run in the series, struck out. Justin Collins hit a hard hit liner, but it went straight to the third baseman to end the inning. Dunlap would push two across with a single in the seventh, but that was the end of Rice’s scoring on the day.

FAU took advantage of rough outings from Jackson Tyner and Blair Lewis to break the game open late, winning 12-4.

TAKEAWAYS | FAU wins series 3-0

1. You’re allowed to have one bad game

That’s a message Matt Bragga has preached all season long. Even the best aren’t immune to off nights from time to time. Mistakes will happen, but once they become a regularity changes have to be made. Rice had a few “one bad games” against FAU.

Canterino wasn’t the sharpest he’s been in his win over Oklahoma, but he found a way to win. It was just one bad inning against FAU, but the lineup behind him was unable to recover. Moss had by far his worst outing of the season.

For the most part, these are guys who have been consistent. The pitching staff has been far from infallible, but Canterino and Moss have been and are supposed to continue being the anchors. They get a pass, but the pressure is going up on each of their next appearances.

2. Double the Dunlap

Andrew Dunlap has locked himself into the core of the Rice line up. The rest of the lineup has been reconfigured around him, but his spot in the middle of the order remains secure. He came through several times this weekend, going 2-for-3 with and RBI on Friday and kicking things off with his three-run home on Saturday. He added a 2-of-4 showing on Sunday with 2RBI.

While Andrew was expected to be a key contributor to the team in 2019. the younger Dunlap, Justin (unrelated), has become a pleasant surprise. The highly touted freshman has forced his way onto the lineup card in recent weeks. His versatility and ability to make contact could keep him there for some time. Justin picked up three hits against FAU, walking five times.

3. It’s a long season

Sports, by their very nature, tend to produce polarizing observations. Few teams or players are penciled in as “average”, most are labeled either exceptional or atrocious. In reality, most teams, Rice included, will tend to settle in somewhere around the middle.

This team has some obvious strengths like the starting pitching. They have some holes, primarily in the bullpen. The roster is a bit lean, and injuries to some of the Owls’ middle of the lineup hitters haven’t helped the cause.

2019 is Matt Bragga’s first season at the helm in Houston and he recognizes this is a marathon, not a sprint. 0-3 is not how this team wanted to start conference play, but there are plenty of games still to be played.

ON DECK | vs Texas A&M (Tues),  vs UTSA (Fri-Sun)

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