The source for Rice sports news

Rice Basketball: 2021-2022 Pre-Conference Play State of the Program

By

Rice basketball has bounced between highs and lows this season. Here’s where the Owls stand with the bulk of Conference USA play ahead.

Rice basketball spent most of the winter off the court, and it wasn’t by choice. COVID-19 swept through both the men’s and women’s programs. The men were able to get back in action on Saturday against North Texas, beginning their conference slate as scheduled. Rice lost that game, falling to 7-5.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

There were a few close games scattered in between of a wild back-and-forth start to the 2021-2022 Rice Basketball season. How does what we’ve seen so far and how does it compare with the expectations for this program entering this stretch? Let’s dig in.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Photo credit Maria Lysaker
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball: Owls ice cold in C-USA opening loss to UNT

By

The men’s Rice basketball squad opened conference play on Saturday while the women were delayed. Here’s what we learned from the men’s loss.

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball wasn’t in sync in their return from COVID-19 postponements, falling to North Texas on the road in their first conference game.

Things got off to an innocent enough start for Rice Basketball at the Super Pit on New Year’s Day. The Owls traded baskets with the North Texas Mean Green early and trailed by one-point following a layup from Carl Pierre with 10:52 to go in the first half. Rice would go almost six minutes of game time before their next field goal.

As the Rice offense wilted, North Texas caught fire. The Mean Green went on a 24-6 run from that point onward turning a close game into a blowout before Rice could get their bearings straight. Rice collectively shot a dismal 31.8 percent from the field and made just three of 14 attempts from three.

What they’re saying

“I thought our guys came out and defended well. They executed the game plan defensively. I thought our communication defensively was really good. We just couldn’t get a rebound. (North Texas) is a very good team. They are on their home court. They are tough and well-coached. They played better and deserved to win.”  – Scott Pera on the team’s performance 

Key takeaway

Poor shooting nights happen and we’ve seen enough from this team to know a 21.4 percent outing from deep isn’t likely to become a frequent occurrence. But it wasn’t just bad shooting that turned a tough game into a rout. Rice was gashed on the glass from start to finish.

North Texas outrebounded Rice 56-30. They edged Rice in offensive rebounds 28 to nine. Rice had nine second-chance points. North Texas had 23. The Mean Green shot 39.2 percent from the field — a subpar shooting night — but they made it for it with their aggression on the boards. The shooting will bounce back. Rice absolutely must do something to ensure the rebounding improves with it

Up Next: vs Middle Tennessee – Thursday, Jan. 6 at 7:00 p.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

Rice women’s basketball has yet to begin conference play. Their New Year’s Day contest against North Texas was postponed.

While the men were able to get back to the court on Saturday, the women were unable to open their conference schedule as had been previously scheduled. We detailed more of the unique challenges facing Lindsay Edmond’s club in our December Subscriber Q&A.

Up Next: at Middle Tennessee – Thursday, Jan. 6 at 6:00 p.m.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball navigates COVID-19 — December 2021 Patreon Q&A

By

Both Rice basketball programs have missed multiple games because of COVID-19 issues. Is there an end in sight?

It’s been a quiet month on the court for Rice basketball. COVID-19 issues within both the men’s and women’s programs have forced both squads to cancel multiple games. Is there an end in sight? What’s next for both teams? We’ll provide some updates below.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Q&A’s are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball: COVID-19 issues force MBB, WBB cancelations

By

COVID-19 related issues within both the men’s and women’s programs have forced all Rice basketball games this weekend to be canceled.

The women were set to visit Texas A&M on Sunday while the men would have hosted Saint Thomas.

Here are the official statements from Rice Athletics:

On Rice women’s basketball:

The Rice women’s basketball game at No. 23 Texas A&M scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 19 has been canceled due to COVID-19 related issues within the Rice program.

Rice has one more scheduled non-conference game set for Wednesday, Dec. 29 when they host Texas College at 6 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse.

On Rice men’s basketball:

Rice Basketball’s home game against St. Thomas, originally scheduled for Sunday, December 19, has been postponed due to COVID issues within the Owls’ program.

The teams will look to reschedule at a later date.

Rice currently holds a 7-4 record and is on a three-game winning streak.

What does this mean going forward?

First and foremost, our best wishes go out to all the impacted players and personnel and hope for a swift recovery for all. On the basketball side of things, these cancelations offer a warning of what may be in store for college basketball over the next several weeks.

On the men’s side, the roster is robust and has already shown an ability to play through injuries. Losing out on a nonconference game against St. Thomas will cause a delay in court time that isn’t ideal, but the impact on the season as a whole seems fairly minimal at this point. Rescheduling was mentioned as an option in the official statement.

More: 2022 Rice Football recruiting updates

On the women’s side, this further emphasizes the fragility of the current roster. The Owls did sign the No. 1 recruiting class in Conference USA, but they won’t be on campus until next season. That leaves this team with a very thin lineup that won’t be able to withstand much in the way of injuries or COVID-19 complications. The margin for this team will be razor thin.

COVID-19 challenges are currently impacting the full range of professional sports, too. This is not an isolated incident. If things continue to persist, there could be more delays and cancelations, reminiscent of where things were last year at this time. Hang in there. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

UPDATE 12/20:

The men’s game against Texas has also been postponed.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball Roundup: WBB edge TAMUCC, MBB crush HBU

By

Both Rice basketball teams were in action on Saturday. Here’s a brief rundown of how the men and women faired and what’s next for both.

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball has won back-to-back games, handling a frisky HBU squad across town and earning a decisive victory on Saturday.

Rice basketball caught all green lights on their trip across town, blowing past Houston Baptist in a meeting of intracity foes. Rice shot 55.9 percent from the floor in the first half and squared up 10 three-pointers to take a commanding 51-32 lead into the break. From that point on, the Owls held serve, matching every run by the Huskies and walking away from Sharp Gym with a comfortable victory.

Max Fielder has eight rebounds, seven assists, six blocks and four points. Quincy Olivari lead the team in scoring with 27 points, making 11-of-15 shots from the field and 4-of-7 threes. Rice led for the final 36 minutes of regulation.

What they’re saying

“We had a great start. Our guys were locked in from the beginning. Obviously, Quincy (Olivari) and Carl (Pierre) got hot there in the first half and our guys found them, which is a sign of great teammates. Every time (Houston Baptist) made a run, we had an answer. I’m really proud of the guys. True road wins in college basketball are really hard to get and tonight was a good one.”  – Scott Pera on the team’s performance 

Key takeaway

Head coach Scott Pera might not ever say it, but there are some games you’re supposed to win with some flair. Going across town to play a Houston Baptist squad that entered Saturday ranked 351st out of the 358 D1 teams in KenPom rankings was one of those game. And credit hit team with this, they lived up to those expectations.

The Owls’ largest deficit of this game was 6-3 early in the contest. They quickly erased it and took the lead to double-digits swiftly. Their 88 points was the most points they’ve scored on a D1 team in regulation this season; they had previously topped 100 points against Evansville in triple overtime.

Up Next: vs Incarnate Word – Thursday, Dec. 16 at 11:15 a.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

Trailing at the start of the fourth quarter, Rice women’s basketball mounted an incredible rally, roaring back to beat Texas A&M Corpus Christi at home.

Nothing seemed amiss when Rice women’s basketball took the court for a Saturday showdown with Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The two squads traded buckets, entering halftime locked in a one-score game. Then the Islanders broke things open in the third quarter and opened the fourth quarter with a 47-43 lead over the home team.

At that point, salvaging a win would have been all the Owls could ask for. But they would get more than that. Rice outscored TAMUCC 26-14 in the fourth quarter, 12 of which came from Haylee Swayzee.

What they’re saying

“At UT-Arlington we fell behind and we battled and cut it close, but we weren’t able to pull it out so here we are learning from that game and already capitalizing, learning, and growing in order to pull it out after we got down in a hole.

“I’m really proud of their effort. I’m proud that they are not a team that hangs their head. They do whatever we ask of them to do and they’re pretty tough and resilient. Our numbers aren’t high but the ones that we got really battle. I liked having four players in double-figure scoring. That really gives us a balanced attack. Some things still to clean up but definitely some things to take away.”” – Lindsay Edmond’s on the team’s performance

Key takeaway

The third quarter has often told the story of how the games have gone this season for Rice women’s basketball. Rice did not win the third quarter on Saturday. In fact, they allowed a 15-0 Islanders’ run and were outscored 17-10 overall in that period. Still, they found a way to battle back.

For an imperfect team, resiliency is crucial. If you can’t overwhelm your opponent with talent or experience, you have to wear them down with a full 40-minute fight. Rice was able to do just that on Saturday. Having Haylee Swayzee come off the bench and score 20 points was huge.

Up Next: at Sam Houston – Thursday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts