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Rice Basketball: Making sense of an up and down season

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From its rocky start to awkward ending, the 2019-2020 Rice Basketball season was a roller coaster ride. Coach Scott Pera believes the best is yet to come.

Rice basketball ended their 2019-2020 season sooner than they’d hoped. The Owls fell to the FIU Panthers in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday, March 11th. Rice boarded the busses and headed home.

Less than 12 hours later on Thursday, March 12, every other team in C-USA followed suit.

“It was obviously weird, bizarre,” head coach Scott Pera said of the sudden shutdown. “I didn’t see it heading this way quickly and that’s what happened.”

Safeguards against the coronavirus had forced the suspension of the NBA season while Pera’s team was still on the court, battling for what they believed was their season. Pera is still processing that.

“You wanted to be mad you lost, but it didn’t matter if you won… But if we had won the game, then it’s all like well, what if? What if? And I don’t want to feel any of that stuff either.”

More: Erica Ogwumike talks end of season, Rice career on The Roost Podcast

The weird end to the year parallels an up and down season. Rice basketball finished the year 15-17 (7-11), one victory shy of a .500 record. The Owls boasted a few impressive program firsts along the way.

Rice took down Penn, UCSB and ECU in non-conference play. The win over ECU was the program’s first over an AAC opponent. When conference play began, the Owls won on the road against UAB and Middle Tennessee for the first time in program history. They also topped C-USA regular season champion North Texas at Tudor Fieldhouse. Meanwhile, Ako Adams smashed through the Rice record books, leaving Rice with the most games played in program history.

Although the team was a touch more consistent than they had been in previous seasons, the low points were seemingly just as frequent. Rice went 0-3 against C-USA Tournament 11-Seed UTEP. Losses to Southern Miss and UTSA in the regular season pushed them into the bottom pod for bonus play.

After taking time to collect his thoughts after the season’s whirlwind finish, Pera is able to walk away with some sense of closure. “We played we lost. We had finality,” he said of the conference tournament.

Panning out further toward the season as a whole, Pera takes a more optimistic vantage point. “I have one major goal and purpose, and that is to continue to grow the program. That goal, in my mind, I think was undoubtedly accomplished,” Pera remarked. “Could we want a few more games? Sure, we could have… but it’s all part of the growth. I feel like we took a necessary step.”

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 25 – Erica Ogwumike reflects on Rice basketball career

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Now Former Rice basketball guard Erica Ogwumike joins the show to talk basketball, her career and the suddenness of the global sports shutdown.

Mid-march was meant to mark the end of the Conference USA Tournament. Erica Ogwumike and Rice basketball had aims on defending their conference tournament crown and making a repeat trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Instead, there is no basketball or sports of any kind to watch. The coronavirus put life as we know it permanently on hold. That left Ogwumike free to come on The Roost Podcast and talk through the impact of the shutdown on her, the Owls and her time at Rice.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 25.

Episode 25 Notes

  • Housekeeping — We want your input! This wasn’t mentioned on the podcast, but Rice football spring practice was officially canceled this week. That was the last of the potential sports-related events for the spring leaving the podcast and the site with an open slate for the next few weeks (or months). Do you have something you’d like to hear about or read? Leave it in the comments or shoot us a note on social media.
  • Erica Ogwumike — Ogwumike was on the court when the power’s that be canceled the C-USA Tournament and effectively ended her Rice basketball career. We sat down with and discussed:
    • Being a college basketball player during the coronavirus cancelations
    • The decision to leave Pepperdine and transfer to Rice
    • Her favorite non-basketball moment as Rice
    • Whether or not she would consider returning if the NCAA grants her an additional year of eligibility. Spoiler alert: the answer isn’t no.

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Rice Basketball: Owls’ season ends with C-USA Tournament loss to FIU

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The 2019-2020 Rice basketball season came to an end on Wednesday. The Owls fell to FIU in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament in Frisco.

Rice basketball had a much better spring than they did winter. The Owls had won six of their last nine games entering the Conference USA Tournament. One those wins was over the same FIU team that took the court opposite them in Frisco. All things considered, things were looking up.

In the prior matchup with FIU, Rice won behind a dazzling shooting performance. The Owls started hot but cooled off quickly. Rice made a trio of three-pointers in the first four minutes, jumping out to a 14-7 lead. FIU battled back. Things would eventually be tied 24-all and 28-all in the first half then 46-all and 48-all in the second half. Then things started to slide.

Around the 10-minute mark of the second half, FIU went on a 10-0 run, forcing Rice to play from behind. The Owls cut the deficit to seven before a pivotal sequence.

With just under seven minutes to play, FIU appeared to commit a half court violation. There was no foul called on the play and Scott Pera was furious. He was handed a technical foul with Rice trailing 63-56. FIU made both foul shots and scored on the ensuing possession to take an 11-point lead, their largest of the game.

Rice started the game 4-of-6 from three, finished 4-of-14 for a final clip of 40 percent from deep. They shot 53.4 percent from the field as a team. Shooting well was a must. Rice did that, but was unable handle the FIU offensive attack. FIU defeated Rice 85-76. That was the most they’ve scored in a victory since Jan. 16, a 93-68 win over UAB.

Rice basketball ends the season 15-17, a modest improvement from a 13-19 campaign the season prior and significantly improved from a 7-24 finish in Scott Pera’s first season beginning in 2017.

Final Stats

Player of the Game

Drew Peterson picked the perfect time to have one of the best games of his career. Unfortunately for No. 23, the massive effort could not hold off FIU’s torrid offensive attack. Peterson scored a career-best 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting with five rebounds and three assists. He was the conduit for the Rice offense, rarely leaving the court. His development should be marked as a bright spot in an up-and-down season. On Wednesday, he gave Rice everything he had.

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2020 Conference USA Basketball Tournament: Men’s and Women’s Previews

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Both Rice basketball teams qualified for the Conference USA Basketball Tournament in Frisco, Tx. Here’s a preview of the action.

Men’s Tournament 

The Favorite: North Texas

Perhaps the biggest surprise story in college basketball this season, North Texas came out of nowhere to pace Conference USA. The Mean Green are the No. 1 seed with a 14-4 record and at least one head-to-head win over every team in the conference. North Texas is extremely balanced on offense with the No. 1 scoring defense.

The Contender: Louisiana Tech

As good as North Texas has been, they’re far from a shoe in. Louisiana Tech is one of the hottest teams in C-USA. They beat North Texas in bonus play and won five of their last six games, finishing one win shy of the Mean Green for the No. 1 overall seed. Ken Pomery tabs Tech as the favorite to win the title.

The Sleeper: Marshall

It’s hard to see any of the lower seeds stringing together four consecutive wins, but of the middle-tier seeds, Marshall is an intriguing pick. The Thundering Herd are the fourth best scoring offense in C-USA and they rebound well. If they can limit the turnovers, they’re talented to play with anyone in the conference.

The case for Rice

Rice basketball goes as their shooting goes. When Rice shoots 50 percent from the field, they win. The Owls are 10-10 when they make at least half of their shots, and that includes wins over 1-Seed North Texas and first round opponent FIU. If Rice gets hot, they’ll be dangerous. Inconsistency has been their Achilles heel.

Women’s Tournament

The Favorite: Rice

Rice women’s basketball had a 30-game conference winning streak snapped during the season by Old Dominion. The Owls later got revenge, topping the Monarchs in the regular season finale to clinch the outright regular season title. A battle tested team peaking at the right time, it’s hard to bet against Rice.

The Contender: Old Dominion

Old Dominion is on a very short list of programs who were able to prove they belong with the streaking Owls. While Rice relies on two primary pieces, Old Dominion is incredibly balanced. They play tenacious defense and can score from all over the court. If Rice doesn’t win, Old Dominion would be the obvious next team up.

The Sleeper: Charlotte

Charlotte holds the lone distinction of the only team in C-USA to beat both Rice and North Texas. Led by Jade Phillips, the 49ers got off to a slow start before catching fire midseason. She has the talent to take over a tournament. If any team is going to take down both Old Dominion and Rice, Charlotte could be the team to do it.

The case for Rice

The chalk pick to cut down the nets in the preseason. Through a full season, it’s hard to doubt Rice women’s basketball. They’ve had their ups and downs, but their defense and the inspired play of Erica Ogwumike will give them a shot against any opponent, C-USA or otherwise.

Schedule – Men / Women

First Round

Rice Men: Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. vs Marshall – ESPN+
Rice Women: Bye

Second Round

Rice Men: TBD
Rice Women: Thursday, March 12 at 11 a.m. vs Marshall/Southern Miss – Watch Stadium

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Rice Basketball: Owls swept by UTEP, drop regular season finale

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Rice basketball fell to UTEP in their final regular season game, their last before the Conference USA Tournament next week.

A game of runs ended running away from Rice basketball at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday. Every time UTEP took a lead, Rice was able to battle back to within one score. The back and forth continued through the first half into the early moments on the second half. Then UTEP took a double-digit lead and held on for the win.

Rice has lived and died by the three point shot this season. That came to fruition once again in the loss to UTEP. Rice shot 25.7 percent from three, well below their season average of 34.3 percent. Two of their nine made threes came in the final minute and half, when the Owls had resorted to fouling to extend the game. The same shooting woes had doomed the Owls in their two prior games with UTEP.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Robert Martin

The senior forward came close to a double-double in the last home game of his Rice career. He finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists, despite missing all five of his shots from three. Even though he came off the bench, he played 32 minutes, the second most on the team to Trey Murphy and more than every other Rice bench player combined. He will be missed next season.

Up Next

Rice basketball clinched a spot in the Conference USA Basketball Tournament earlier in the week with a win over Southern Miss. Saturday’s game against UTEP was for seeding purposes. The Miners clinched the highest seed in bottom pod, leaving the 12-Seed for Rice. The Owls were the 11-Seed last year and were bounced in the first round. The full bracket should be set for the 2020 tournament by the end of the day.

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