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UPSET! Rice Basketball stuns Memphis

January 31, 2024 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice basketball stunned Memphis, leading the home favorites for the majority of the game to notch one of the biggest wins of Scott Pera’s tenure.

If Rice basketball was meant to be intimidated as heavy underdogs at the FedEx Forum against Memphis, they didn’t show it. The visiting Owls, losers of six of seven AAC contests, held Memphis to 22 points in the first half, outshooting the Tigers on their home court as they built a double-digit lead in the opening frame.

It was sharp shooting from Keanu Dawes and Alem Huseinovic that helped the Owls build their early lead. Anthony Selden delivered the closing run of the half, pushing the Rice lead to 11, their largest of the night so far. From that point, the play-by-play reverted to a familiar storyline. Rice had a big lead, could they hold on?

Rice basketball has squandered its fair share of double-digit leads this season. On Wednesday night, whether it was favor finally finding the feathered fighters or a true moment of resolve, one might never know, but Rice found a way to hold the line.

Memphis took the lead back with four minutes remaining, erasing the longstanding Rice advantage. Rather than fluster, Rice fired back. Travis Evee connected on back-to-back threes. The first tied the game. The second put Rice in front with less than a minute to play. Dawes would make four crucial free throws after that. Evee added one more from the stripe. Then it was over.

A last-second heave from Memphis clanked off the rim and hit the court. Before it collided with the hardwood, the Rice bench had already begun celebrating one of, if not the biggest win of Scott Pera’s tenure.

“It took 40 minutes of a team effort from top to bottom. Guys that played a lot of the game, guys that didn’t play it all. Everyone was engaged,” Evee said. “We played for each other and that’s why we won.”

Final Box | Rice 74 – Memphis 71

FINAL | @RiceMBB 74 – Memphis 71

The statement win of the @RiceCoachPera era. pic.twitter.com/IHwwHCqz1v

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) February 1, 2024

Key takeaway | Best Ball

Evee said it best in his closing comments after the landmark win: “When we’re playing our best ball, we can compete with anyone.” That’s been the thesis this team has been clinging to for months now. Since the season began, this team believed they had a team that was good enough to challenge the best the American Conference had to offer. On Wednesday night, they were finally rewarded.

“Our kids have overcome a lot. They’ve dealt with a lot. Tonight was just a heck of a win from a group of kids that have just been staying with it,” head coach Scott Pera said afterward. “The preparation has been good. The practice has been good. The approach and the attitude has been good. And it’s all that you can ask as a coach. You want to see them get some wins because you know that we can win.”

Memphis was the No. 10 team in the country a few weeks ago. Even when accounting for their recent losing skid — now exacerbated by the Owls — this is a very good basketball team. And Rice beat them, arguably making the game a lot closer than it should have been with the missed free throws down the stretch.

The question now will be whether or not this team can replicate that kind of 40-minute effort. If they can, they’ll have a shot to climb out of the sizable hole they dug for themselves over the last several weeks. Everyone in that locker room believes this game can be that turning point. Hopefully, they’re right.

Up Next: at UTSA (Saturday, Feb. 3)

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Filed Under: Archive, Basketball Tagged With: Alem Huseinovic, Anthony Selden, game recap, Keanu Dawes, Rice basketball, Travis Evee

Rice Basketball shooting goes cold in loss to Texas

November 15, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice basketball hung around early, but couldn’t keep pace with Texas, falling in Austin by the final score 80-64. The Owls are 1-2 overall.

A year removed from taking Texas to overtime but coming up short, Rice basketball gave their orange-clad opponents another rigorous challenge in Austin once more. Despite struggling to find their shooting stroke early on, Rice hung around.

It was the Rice defense that enabled them to prolong the fight, forcing eight Texas turnovers in the first half with three steals and two blocks. Anthony Selden was in the middle of many of those key defensive plays. Along the way, the Owls fell behind by as many as 12 points in the first half, but climbed back to within four before another cold spell left them behind by nine at the break.

Texas’ movement was the difference. The Longhorns did a better job consistently creating room for their shooters. That difference in shot quality when combined with a tough night from three for Rice put the visiting Owls in catch-up more all night long until time ran out.

Rice was able to briefly cut the deficit to nine points at the start of the second half, but the Longhorns were able to keep the Owls at arm’s length for more or less the remainder of the contest. Any dreams of a thrilling upset this time around would not come to pass.

Final Box | Texas 80 – Rice 64

FINAL | Texas 80 – @RiceMBB 64 pic.twitter.com/ElUS2iXc6Y

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) November 16, 2023

Key takeaway | The shots will fall

Scott Pera has designed this team to score points. Facilitating open looks and setting up his players to be in the best possible situations for them to succeed is his bread and butter. But — as he’d be the first to tell anyone who asked — it’s the players who make the plays.

For whatever reason, those players haven’t been making the shots. Honestly, it’s basketball. Shooting slumps happen. Teams have off nights where the shot doesn’t fall. That happens more frequently against better defenses, including the one the Owls faced on Wednesday night, but it still happens.

The Texas defense was gritty. Rice didn’t get many clean looks and when they did, they did not convert at a high enough rate. On the other side, when Texas was given open looks, they made Rice pay. It will be the Owls’ night soon enough. 18 percent from three is the exception, not the rule.

Up Next: Ball Dawg’s Classic – Henderson, NV

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Filed Under: Archive, Basketball Tagged With: Anthony Selden, Rice basketball

Rice Basketball: 2023 Post-Season State of the Program

April 22, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2022-2023 Rice basketball saw the Owls’ win total rise but was far from perfect. Where does the program stand as it enters the offseason?

A strong start in conference play was not enough to secure a first-round bye in the conference tournament, but Rice basketball still managed to win a postseason game in the conference tournament and in the CBI Tournament en route to 19 wins, a program-high under the leadership of head coach Scott Pera.

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The Owls finished 19-16 (8-12) this season, a modest improvement from a 16-17 (7-11) campaign the season prior. With the final game in the books, where does the program stand as it moves forward?

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Filed Under: Archive, Basketball, Premium Tagged With: Anthony Selden, Cameron Sheffield, Gabe Warren, Keanu Dawes, Max Fiedler, Mekhi Mason, Noah Shelby, Quincy Olivari, Rice basketball, Sam Alajiki, Travis Evee

The Roost Podcast | Ep 142 – Rice Football Spring Practice and Basketball Recruiting

April 21, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football spring practices are in the books, but first we need to talk some basketball recruiting. It’s been a busy week for the offseason on both fronts.

It’s time to voice our final approvals and concerns following the conclusion of Rice football spring practices, including an initial review of the first outings of JT Daniels as the Owls’ QB1. But it’s not just football in the news right now. A string of recruiting success on the hardwood put Rice basketball into the spotlight in mid-April for a very good reason.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 142.

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Episode Notes

Housekeeping

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts you’ve grown to love (or at least tolerate), but now with new partners.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting heats up

  • Rice has a higher rated recruiting class than … Texas
  • Three new additions from the transfer portal should inject plenty of talent
  • 2023-2024 roster looks really, really intriguing

Rice Football Spring Ball final thoughts 

  • JT Daniels as good as advertised
  • Dean Connors and Juma Otoviano show out
  • The new coaches are posting encouraging early returns
  • The offensive line is a work-in-progress, but there’s some reasons that’s the case
  • How worried should we be about the run defense?
  • Who is going to step up behind Gabe Taylor at safety and when will we find out?

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Filed Under: Archive, Basketball, Football, Podcast Tagged With: Anthony Selden, Noah Shelby, Rice basketball, Rice basketball recruiting, Rice Football, Sam Alajiki

Rice Basketball Recruiting: Gardner-Webb transfer Anthony Selden commits to Owls

April 17, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

The run of Rice basketball recruiting wins in the transfer portal marches on. Gardner-Webb transfer Anthony Selden has committed to the Owls.

On his visit to campus last weekend, Gardner-Webb transfer Anthony Selden felt right at home. A few days later he formalized those feelings into a commitment, becoming part of the newest wave of Rice basketball recruiting successes in the Transfer Portal.

Rice was new to Selden, but there was at least one familiar face, Travis Evee, who played alongside Selden growing up and competed with him in their prep school days. Selden told The Roost that connection played a part in his final decision, but made it clear he’d fallen in love with the program during his recruitment. “The culture of the staff and the players was outstanding and made the decision easy for me,” he said.

Selden marks the third prominent addition to the newest Rice basketball recruiting class from the Transfer Portal in the last several days. Cal transfer forward Sam Alajiki was the first to make his pledge and was soon followed by an announcement from former Vanderbilt guard Noah Shelby. Selden rounds out a robust haul of veteran additions to an already strong core led by Max Fiedler and the aforementioned Evee.

On the court, Selden’s ability to attack from the wing will make Rice better. He can score from multiple levels and isn’t afraid to get vertical and make plays. Having another proven scorer in the fold is always a good thing and he’s already turned in his fair share of highlights, too.

The aspect of his game he’s the most proud of though? It’s the other side of the ball. Selden said he was most proud of his defense. “I feel like that sets me apart from most players because I want to guard the best player day in and day out,” Selden said. At the end of the day, that might end up being the most welcomed aspect of his addition to the Owls ranks.

Anthony Selden's 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆-𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆 (18 PTS, 12 REB) helped @GWU_MBK to secure a 69-62 win over NC A&T!💥#BigSouthMBB🏀 pic.twitter.com/bbFNuPgXnN

— Big South Game Day (@BigSouthGameDay) February 5, 2022

 

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Filed Under: Archive, Basketball Tagged With: Anthony Selden, Rice basketball, Rice basketball recruiting

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