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Rice Basketball suffers last-second loss to UAB

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Rice Basketball traded blows with UAB for 40 minutes but came up one point short in the final seconds resulting in yet another painful defeat.

There was barely time to exhale at media timeouts given the breakneck speed with which Rice basketball traded blows with UAB at Tudor Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening. The visiting Blazers couldn’t miss in the opening segments of the first half, shooting 69 percent from the floor through the first eight minutes of action. The Owls weren’t far behind, starting 4-of-7 from three to keep pace with the Blazers’ blitz.

The largest lead in the first half was seven points, held by UAB with nine minutes to play. The advantage disappeared almost as quickly as the visitors had amassed it. A quick 7-0 run brought the game back to level before UAB would eventually make it to the halftime buzzer in front by just three points.

More: Rice Football: 2025 Recruiting Class Analysis — Offense

Jacob Dar would tie the game on his first shot out of the break, contributing to his second consecutive game north of 20 points and his game-leading 24 point outing that put the Owls in the driver’s seat to snap their losing skid.

With 5.7 seconds to play and Rice leading by three, Dar was on the wrong end of a foul that sent UAB to the line to shoot three. The Blazers missed the first, but another whistle on under the basket awarded additional free throws to the Blazers, who snuck ahead by one. Rice would get back to the line with less than two seconds to play, but two missed free throws sent Rice to another crushing defeat.

Final Box | UAB 90, Rice 89

Key takeaway | Unbreakable

After the three at the buzzer at Tulane, it felt as if this Rice basketball team had lost in every single heartbreaking way possible. Add one more to the list. A questionable foul call under the basket and two missed free throws to tie the game in the final seconds is about as aggravating of a gut punch as one could imagine.

But they haven’t given up. Not yet. Wednesday’s down-to-the-wire battle against the Blazers proved as much. Dar, who had every reason to despair along with his teammates, offered this rebuttal post game.

“This loss is tough for sure, but it’s not going to break us at all. We’ve been through this. Last game we went through this and we bounced back,” he said. “Nobody on our team is going to ever give up. We’re always going to give 100 percent. Every game we’re going to come out and compete. Every game we’re going to come out to win. That’s our mindset and it’s never going to drop.”

This squad is out of time to scream up the standings, but they’ve proven there isn’t anyone in this league they can’t go toe-to-toe with on the court. They’ll be the team nobody wants to play in the conference tournament in March. Before they get there, though, it would be nice to win a few basketball games.

Up Next: vs Tulsa (Sat, Feb. 22)

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Buzzer beater dooms Rice basketball at Tulane

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Rice Basketball suffered another last-minute loss in conference play, this time falling to Tulane on a buzzer-beating three.

An early onslaught of three-pointers from Jacob Dar announced Rice basketball’s arrival in New Orleans for a Saturday afternoon battle. Dar’s three consecutive triples gave Rice a seven-point edge and kept the visiting Owls in the driver’s seat of this game until the Green Wave finally got going with an 11-0 run to close the half and take their first lead of the contest.

More: Rice Football: 2025 Recruiting Class Analysis — Offense

Following a Rice-dominated start, Tulane the next chunk of game time but just like the Owls before them, struggled to build meaningful separation between the two teams. Rice would finally break through with six minutes to go on an 8-0 run driven almost entirely by Dar and Caden Powell.

After one lead change in the first 34 minutes, the leading team swapped six times down the stretch. Tied at 78, Rice looked to have the final shot only to have it knocked away with less than three seconds to play. Tulane collected the ball, rifled it up the court and hit a long three at the buzzer to snatch the win, handing the Owls a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds.

Final Box | Tulane 81, Rice 78

Key takeaway | The emergence of Jacob Dar

The continued emergence of Jacob Dar as Rice basketball progresses through conference play has been a sight to behold. The transfer forward registered his first double-digit game in January against North Texas. He’s scored in double-digits seven times in his next 10 games, including a season-best 21 points against Tulane which led all Owls in scoring.

Along the way, Dar tallied a career-best six three-pointers (on 6-for-7 shooting) and six blocks. He’s made eight straight starts and has become more integral to the Owls’ identity on both sides of the court with each passing game. Rice basketball needs gamebreakers to get over the hump and turn some of these close losses into big wins. Dar has that potential.

Up Next: vs UAB (Wed, Feb. 19)

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Comeback comes up short for Rice Basketball against UNT

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Rice Basketball rallied from a double-digit second half deficit to tie the game late against North Texas but came up short in the final minutes.

North Texas jumped out to an early lead at Tudor Fieldhouse on Tuesday evening, this time though, Rice basketball was ready to respond. The Owls overcame the quick early deficit with a pair of threes from Denver Anglin to net the score at seven. Unlike the last time these two met — a North Texas blowout — Rice was poised to trade blows with one of the AAC’s frontrunners.

Despite their rally, Rice found themselves playing from behind, but never by a margin that seemed insurmountable. Incredible effort from Jacob Dar and strong play in the paint from Caden Powell paced the scoring while the defensive effort was a few rebounds away from heroic.

More: Rice Football: 2025 Recruiting Class Analysis — Offense

The North Texas lead would grow to as many as 11 but the Owls’ never let things get out of hand because of that defense. Which responded to that big lead by forcing North Texas to miss 10 of its next 11 shots from the field, opening the door just wide enough for Rice to get back into the game.

Trae Broadnax hit a layup with 1:15 to play, bring the teams level for the first time since the opening moments of the game but that would be the end of the Owls’ points for the evening. The Mean Green closed things out on a 6-0 run, surviving with the win.

Final Box | UNT 67, Rice 61

What They’re Saying

“This was a game that, without question, the engagement and competitive spirit was there throughout the game. If we continue to play the way we’re playing, it’s just about learning how to finish. There is a trajectory there that is pleasing. Now, from there, how do we get better? You can’t take anything for granted, but sometimes, when you’re not getting the outcome, you can still get better, and I do feel that way about this group. I’ve said to these guys that if we were going to break, we would have been broken by now. So, that is off the table. Now, it’s just a matter of finding that breakthrough.” – Rice Basketball head coach Rob Lanier

Key takeaway | In progress

It’s been a long time since Rice basketball faced off with North Texas on the hardwood. That game was a Mean Green onslaught, a 22-point victory that was never really close. That defeat kicked off an extended losing streak that stretched to seven consecutive defeats before Rice finally got back in the win column against East Carolina.

That ECU win put Rice basketball beyond the win total from a season ago, but even in the span of losses that surrounded it, this version of the program couldn’t be more different from the one that struggled through the 2023-2024 season.

The average margin of defeat against conference opponents in the regular season a year ago was 12.5 points. Yes, the average loss was by double-digits. The median mark was 11 points, so it’s not as if a few blowouts were skewing that number.

This year the average margin of defeat in AAC losses is 5.4 points, half last year’s total. The median margin is three points. Nobody likes to lose, but it’s unmistakable these losses are representative of a team making progress. The next step is converting that progress into wins.

Up Next: at Tulane (Sat, Feb. 15)

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Rice Basketball drops thriller to Memphis

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Time ran out on Rice basketball on Sunday afternoon as the Owls came up short in a hard-fought battle against Memphis inside a packed Tudor Fieldhouse.

Rice basketball knew they’d have their hands full on Sunday afternoon when a ranked Memphis team came to Tudor Fieldhouse, but the efficiency and potency of the Tigers’ opening burst had the Owls straining to hold on from the opening tip. Jacob Dar gave Rice a one-point lead with an opportunistic put-back plus the ensuing and-one play before Memphis thrust their foot onto the accelerator.

Memphis outscored Rice 22-11 over the next seven minutes. The Owls weren’t lose with the ball and they shot it at a respectable clip during that stretch but the Tigers had the edge on the boards and made 4-of-5 from three to open the contest and jump out to a quick double-digit advantage. Then it was the Owls’ turn.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Fueled by tenacious defense and superb movement with the ball, Rice ripped off 11 straight to retake the lead, capped off with a three from Andrew Akuchie that sent the arena into a frenzy. Just like that, the game was on. While Memphis did jump back into the lead, Rice kept pace, heading into halftime within five points of the No. 19 team in the country.

The constant tension would continue into the second half. Rice would pull back within a score only for Memphis to find some breathing room. But even when the result looked to be in hand, Rice kept fighting. Down eight with 40 seconds to play, the Owls went on a 7-0 run to get the game back within one with 11.8 to play. Memphis prevailed with a last second steal, but not before Rice gave them a full 40 minute fight.

Final Box | Memphis 86, Rice 83

Key takeaway | Arrow Up

It’s hard to look favorably at a team that’s lost seven consecutive games, but it would he foolish to discard the effort Rice basketball displayed on Sunday. The last time the Owls played a team anywhere close to this caliber they lost by 22 at North Texas. That team looked disjointed and, at times, lost. The Rice squad that showed up against Memphis looked ready, composed and fierce.

“We’ve had plenty of reasons to have self doubt and all that and the fact that against a good team that was playing well — it’s one thing if a team comes in here and they’re missing all their shots and they’re shooting in the low 30s — they came in and played like a Top 25 team,” head coach Rob Lanier said. “I was hoping we could catch them on a bad day. They don’t seem to be having many of those. It’s a credit to them and their coaching staff that they’re playing at a high level.”

“They played at a high level today and we were right there with them.”

Memphis won on the boards, had more assists and led for more than 38 minutes. All of that, and still this game hung in the balance with seconds to go.

“We kind of displayed what we have in us, which is good. Sometimes when you’re struggling you can forget that you’re good. If girls keep turning you down, you might forget that you’re handsome. It’s important for these guys to believe in themselves, regardless of what’s going on,” Lanier said. “I thought today was a good exhibition of that.”

In many respects, this was one of the better games Rice basketball has played. The losses count and the dearth of negative results over the past month has significantly muted this team’s upside when it comes to regular season results. However, it’s hard to look at this most recent version of Rice basketball and discount them as a worthy opponent against any team remaining on their schedule.

Up Next: at East Carolina (Wed, Feb. 5)

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AAC skid continues as Rice Basketball falls to Tulane

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A tough day from the floor made it impossible for Rice Basketball to keep up against Tulane, which handed the Owls their fifth straight AAC loss.

Rice basketball faced an uphill battle on Saturday afternoon in their quest to snap a four-game losing streak in conference play. Caden Powell opened the scoring but it was the visiting Tulane Green Wave who delivered the first run, rattling off 11 unanswered points.

The Owls wouldn’t be flustered that easily, though. Denver Anglin started the home team rally with a three, one of his four triples in the first half and Jacob Dar quickly came to his aid, leveling the score back at 28 apiece in the final minutes of the half. Seven straight points from Aaron Powell to close the period would send Rice to the break with a one-point advantage.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Tulane would open up a lead early in the second half as Rice struggled from the field. The Owls made six field goals after halftime, seeing a close, physical game get a little bit more out of reach as the Green Wave began to make baskets at better than a 50 percent clip and the Owls just couldn’t keep up.

After taking a modest two-point lead to start the half, Rice would trail for the remainder of the contest. A pair of threes with 20 seconds to play proved too little too late.

Final Box | Tulane 82, Rice 71

Key takeaway | Free Throws Unfullfilled

The free throw issues Rice basketball has experienced this season have been well documented. Rather than rehash that conversation, Saturday’s loss drew attention to a rather unusual statistical line for the team this season. Rice entered this contest fourth in the AAC with 24.5 free throw attempts per game, averaging just shy of one less attempt per game than league-leading Temple (25.9).

It’s not just that Rice is inconsistent from the charity stripe, second worst in the AAC at 68.0 percent. That problem has been exacerbated by the volume of free throws they take. The Owls ran into that problem in this game. They nearly double-up Tulane from the line, taking 33 foul shots to their 17 attempts. That’s almost always a recipe for success, but it wasn’t this time given the number of misses.

Getting to the line is almost always a good thing. For Rice basketball, that general truism might finally be up for debate.

Up Next: at South Florida (Tues, Jan. 28)

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