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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men at North Texas

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Rice Basketball is on the final leg of a three-game road trip, in need of a win when they visit North Texas for a Monday night contest.

Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: The Super Pit
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

North Texas 11-8 (5-1), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 67-64 (W) at Marshall
  • 74-56 (W) vs FIU
  • 81-58 (W) vs FAU
  • 72-52 (W) at Southern Miss
  • 51-50 (W) at Louisiana Tech

Rice 9-10 (1-5), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 66-61 (L) at WKU
  • 81-76 (L) vs FAU
  • 92-78 (W) vs FIU
  • 72-56 (L) at LA Tech
  • 81-68 (L) at Southern Miss

North Texas statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Umoja Gibson – 14.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Deng Geu – 6.3 per game
  • Assists | Javion Hamlet – 4.7 per game
  • Steals | Umoja Gibson – 1.82per game
  • Blocks | Deng Geu – 0.9 per game

Rice keys to victory

Rice needs to play defense. The Owls haven’t held a D1 opponent below 40 percent from the field since they topped East Carolina in the Bahamas Showcase during Thanksgiving week. Sporadic shooting performances of their own have been enough to get a few wins here and there, but the vast majority of the outcomes have been determined by the Owls’ lack of focus on the defensive end of the court.

Once they’ve sorted that out, they’ll need to find consistency from scorers not named Trey Murphy. Drew Peterson and Josh Parrish have had their moments, but getting a trio of players rolling at the same time has been a challenge. North Texas has a middle of the pack scoring offense, but a stingy defense.

Rice has the firepower to win a slugfest, but they’re going to have to put all the pieces together. Doing that at home has been tough, making for a potential statement opportunity on the road against a surging North Texas squad.

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Rice Basketball: Loss to Southern Miss a gut punch to Owls

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For the first time this season, Southern Miss has won a Conference USA game thanks to an ineffective road showing by Rice Basketball.

Rice basketball began the season with a 50 point drubbing on the road at Arkansas. Then they responded with four straight wins, including a come-from-behind 22-point bounce back on the road against UC Santa Barbara. The strange start left opened the door to an array of questions, first and foremost, what is this team going to be? Almost three months later, we still don’t know.

Unfortunately, the Owls’ most recent outing answer more of those questions than they might have wanted. The 4-win Golden Eagles led the Owls for the vast majority of regulation, eventually ratcheting their advantage into the double digits, a familiar feeling for the Owls in recent weeks. After starting the season 8-4, Rice basketball sits at a gut-wrenching 9-10.

At the onset, this game felt a lot like Rice football’s road game against UTSA. In that contest, the Owls were perceived to be the team with the advantage and were playing a game they felt like they should win — in some ways needed to win. Instead, the downtrodden Owls let the struggling Roadrunners do more or less whatever they wanted, scratching yet another mark in a growing loss column. The basketball team can now relate.

Southern Miss had lost seven consecutive games to teams not named Tougaloo (an NAIA squad that scored 77 on the Golden Eagles just before Christmas). Rice lost 81-68. Nothing went right. Drew Peterson fouled out. Ako Adams had zero points, going 0-for-7 from the floor. Rice shot 25.7 percent from three.

What happens will go a long way toward determining the fate of this season. The football team used the pain of the UTSA loss to rally, ending the season on a high note. Rice basketball hopes to rise from the depths in much the same way.

Final Stats

Player of the game – Trey Murphy

Trey Murphy seems to have found his shooting stroke. After making two or fewer three-pointers in four of five games, Murphy has combined to make 10 from deep in the Owls’ last two contests. He’s had back-to-back 20 point games, adding 6-of-7 free throws, five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal against Southern Miss. If Rice basketball is going to get back on track, Murphy will be a catalyst.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs Southern Miss

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Rice Basketball is five games into conference play with the men 1-4 and the women 5-0. Both teams take on Southern Miss next. Here’s a preview of those games.

Rice Basketball

Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Reed Green Coliseum
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

Southern Miss 4-14 (0-5), Last 5 (0-5)

  • 80-49 (L) vs LA Tech
  • 78-50 (L) at LA Tech
  • 76-64 (L) at UTEP
  • 80-70 (L) at UTSA
  • 72-52 (L) vs North Texas

Rice 9-9 (1-4), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 89-69 (L) at Marshall
  • 66-61 (L) at WKU
  • 81-76 (L) vs FAU
  • 92-78 (W) vs FIU
  • 72-56 (L) at LA Tech

Southern Miss statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Gabe Watson – 13.3 per game
  • Rebounds | Leonard Harper-Baker – 7.3 per game
  • Assists | Jay Malone – 4.0 per game
  • Steals | Leonard Harper-Baker – 1.8 per game
  • Blocks | Leonard Harper-Baker – 0.3 per game

Rice keys to victory

Southern Miss has plagued by poor offensive possessions all season. It’s not just a shooting issue — Southern Miss is middle of the pack there — it’s the turnovers. The Golden Eagles are 13th in C-USA in turnover margin and have just one game of fewer than 30 turnovers in their last eight contests. Rice will get opportunities. They’ll have to take advantage of them.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: CUSA TV

Southern Miss 11-4 (3-1), Last 5 (4-1)

  •  71-59 (W) vs Faulkner
  • 66-60 (W) vs LA Tech
  • 89-72 (L) vs UTEP
  • 82-65 (W) vs UTSA
  • 66-57 (W) at North Texas

Rice 10-6 (5-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 81-43 (W) vs Marshall
  • 73-65 (W) vs WKU
  • 78-69 (W) at FAU
  • 68-47 (W) at FIU
  • 60-47 (W) vs LA Tech

Southern Miss statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Shonte Hailes – 16.9 per game
  • Rebounds | Respect Leaphart – 5.5 per game
  • Assists | Daishai Almond – 3.7 per game
  • Steals | Alarie Mayze – 2.3 per game
  • Blocks | Amber Landing – 1.8 per game

Rice keys to victory

The defensive end of the court will continue to be the bedrock of this team, especially if Erica Ogwumike sits another game — a distinct possibility. Southern Miss shoots the ball well but hasn’t played a team with the same level of intensity that Rice will bring on defense. North Texas was a good test for them. The Mean Green held the Golden Eagles to 65 points, their lowest total in C-USA play.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs LA Tech

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Rice Basketball is four games into conference play with the men 1-3 and the women 4-0. Both teams take on Louisiana Tech next. Here’s a preview of those games.

Rice Basketball

Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Venue: Thomas Assembly Center
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

LA Tech 12-4 (3-1), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 87-47 (W) vs Southern-New Orleans
  • 80-49 (W) at Southern Miss
  • 78-50 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 89-73 (L) at UTSA
  • 64-61 (W) at UTEP

Rice 9-8 (1-3), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 75-61 (L) vs Sam Houston St
  • 89-69 (L) at Marshall
  • 66-61 (L) at WKU
  • 81-76 (L) vs FAU
  • 92-78 (W) vs FIU

LA Tech players to watch

The Bulldogs are led by a trio of guards. Daquan Bracey will be the biggest threat the Owls will have to stop first. LA Tech’s leading scorer averaging 12.5 points per game, Bracey has finished with less than 10 points twice in his team’s 16 games. Normally a lights out shooter from deep, he’s been a bit cold from outside, a drought Rice will attempt to extend.

Kalob Ledoux and Amorie Archibald are both strong shooters, too, with an equally impressive 92 percent free throw rate.  Mubarak Muhammed is the man inside. He leads the team with 8.9 blocks per game.

Rice keys to victory

Louisiana Tech doesn’t have the best record in C-USA by accident. They’ve been a complete team averaging in the top four in both scoring offense and scoring defense so far this season. They don’t commit turnovers (12 per game, fewest in C-USA) and play smart. They rank 11th in three-point defense, an advantage Rice needs to exploit. The Owls got their first C-USA win with a big game from three. An encore performance is needed to take down Louisiana Tech.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
TV: CUSA TV

LA Tech 9-5 (1-2), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 70-66 (W) vs Grambling
  • 67-54 (W) vs Arkansas St
  • 66-60 (L) at Southern Miss
  • 82-73 (L) vs UTSA
  • 87-80 (W) vs UTEP

Rice 9-6 (4-0), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 54-52 (L) vs Georgia Tech
  • 81-43 (W) vs Marshall
  • 73-65 (W) vs WKU
  • 78-69 (W) at FAU
  • 68-47 (W) at FIU

LA Tech players to watch

Keiunna Walker and Amber Dixon are the primary shooters for Louisiana Tech. Each has had good games, but they’ve struggled to both find simultaneous success. Walker is coming off games of 28 points against UTEP and 21 against UTSA. Prior to those contests, Dixon had tallied double-digits in five straight games. Anna Larr Roberson and MeMe Amand lead the team in rebounds.

Rice keys to victory

The health of Erica Ogwumike is the biggest question entering this game. She went down midway through the second half of the FIU game and has since undergone tests. It was a scary moment, but there’s optimism she will be available again soon, possibly as soon as tonight against Louisiana Tech. Losing her on the court would be a tremendous blow, but freshman Lauren Schwartz has shown flashes and would be tasked with keeping things moving if Ogwumike does miss time.

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Rice Basketball 2020: Men and Women ready for FIU on Saturday

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Rice Basketball is three games into conference play with the men 0-3 and the women 3-0. Each seeks a win on Saturday against FIU. Here’s a preview of both games.

Rice Basketball

Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

FIU 11-5 (2-1), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 83-67 (W) at Stetson
  • 89-62 (L) at Minnesota
  • 69-67 (W) vs UTEP
  • 90-83 OT (W) vs UTSA
  • 74-56 (L) at North Texas

Rice 8-8 (0-3), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 103-70 (W) vs St. Thomas
  • 75-61 (L) vs Sam Houston St
  • 89-69 (L) at Marshall
  • 66-61 (L) at WKU
  • 81-76 (L) vs FAU

FIU players to watch

Devon Andrews will man the point of attack for the Panthers on Saturday. He’ll enter the game fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game. Andrews will be flanked  Osasumwen Osaghae, who is a rebound and a half shy of averaging a double-double this season. Osaghae leads C-USA with 68 blocks, 42 more than the runner up. Antonio Daye Jr will set the table at guard. He leads the team in assists.

Rice keys to victory

Rice has beaten themselves in their last three conference games just as much as their opponents have gotten the better of them. Playing 40 minutes of focused, controlled basketball has eluded this team. If Rice can keep things close and avoid a double-digit deficit at home, they’re capable of going on a few scoring runs and beating FIU. They’ll need to shoot better to do that; FIU leads C-USA in scoring with 80.4 points per game.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: 1:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Ocean Bank Convocation Center
TV: C-USA TV

FIU 4-10 (1-2), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 58-56 (L) vs Austin Peay
  • 72-57 (L) vs Brown
  • 64-34 (L) at UTEP
  • 60-45 (L) at UTSA
  • 58-56 (W) vs North Texas

Rice 7-6 (2-0), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 54-45 (L) vs Virginia Tech
  • 54-52 (L) vs Georgia Tech
  • 81-43 (W) vs Marshall
  • 73-65 (W) vs WKU
  • 78-699 (W) at FAU

FIU players to watch

FIU is led by a trio of players: center Chelsea Guimaraes and guards Jiselle Thomas and Fujika Nimmo. All three are averaging roughly 10 points per game, with Guimaraes providing a steady presence inside. At 6-foot-3, she leads the team with 110 rebounds and 12 blocks.

Rice keys to victory

The FIU women rank dead last in the conference in scoring offense, averaging 53.1 points per game. If Rice plays their brand of basketball, they’ll keep FIU from putting up too many points. The real battle will be on the other side of the court where a middle-of-the-pack FIU defense will try to limit a Rice offense that has been streaky at times.

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