Owls Play at Marquette
11/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2005
Milwaukee, Wis. - The Rice Owls basketball team opens the 2005-06 campaign on Friday, Nov. 18, when it plays at Marquette in the 44th Pepsi Blue and Gold Classic slated for 8 pm in the Bradley Center. It is Marquette's first game of the season as well. Winthrop takes on IUPUI in the evening's first contest and the winners will meet on Saturday.
The game can be heard on the radio at ESPN 790 AM with Mike Pede and Shawn Respert calling the action. Fans may listen to the action on the Internet at www.espn790.com.
The Owls begin their 92nd season of collegiate basketball by playing Marquette, a new member of the Big East Conference, for the fourth time ever and first since 1988. The Owls have never faced IUPUI or Winthrop. Last season Rice posted a 19-12 record, while the Golden Eagles went 19-12 last season and 7-9 in Conference USA
Marquette comes into the tournament riding a 12-game win streak in the tournament, not having lost since the 1998 Classic.
In the last three years, Rice has won 60 games which is the second-most ever in school history since the 1940, '41, and '42 teams won 65 (25, 18, 22). By competing in the NIT last season, it marked the first time that the Owls played in back-to-back post-season tournaments for the first time 62 years. The 1942 and 1943 Owl basketball teams participated in the NCAA and NIT tournaments respectively.
In exhibition play, the Golden Eagles showed off their youth, starting just one player that saw Division I action a year ago in the two games. Of the starters in both games, only Ryan Amoroso, a starter at forward against Michigan Tech, played last season. The newcomers that were starters, however, combined for 109 of MU's 151 exhibition points. Freshman Wesley Matthews carried the high mark with 19 against Michigan Tech and Dominic James led all starters with 19 against Wis.-Whitewater. IUPUI enters the tournament coming off an exhibition win over Marian College, in which it had to come from behind midway through the second half. Senior forward Brandon Cole scored 17 in the win. He averaged 18.0 per game in the exhibition season.
Winthrop returns an experienced team from last year's squad that made noise in the postseason as three juniors and a senior start for the Eagles. Junior Torrell Martin scored 13.1 points per game last season and senior James Shuler added 12.1 per game.
The consolation game of the tournament is scheduled for 5:30 pm on Saturday, November 19 at the Bradley Center. The championship is set for 8 pm.