Rice Takes on TCU in Katy Saturday
12/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2007
Rice University returns to action Saturday when the Owls play host to TCU at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
The game is the second in a home-and-home series with the Horned Frogs. The teams opened the season against one another back in November with TCU posting a 76-49 victory in Fort Worth.
Rice is 2-7 on the year and coming off a 66-49 loss at Lamar last Saturday. The Owls will have just eight scholarship players available for Saturday's game as freshman point guard Jasen Williams has been ruled academically ineligible for the remainder of the season.
TCU is 8-3 following a 79-68 win over Jackson State on Thursday. The win was TCU's fourth straight. The Horned Frogs have played just two road games, losing at Texas Tech 71-58 and dropping a 71-65 decision at SMU earlier this season.
Heading into tonight's game, the Horned Frogs have won their last three.
TCU has used the same starting lineup all 11 games this season as opposed to Rice which has utilized eight different starting lineups in nine games due to early-season injuries.
TCU junior college transfer guard Henry Salter has made an immediate impact for the Horned Frogs, leading the team with a 15.3 scoring average as well as 6.5 rebounds per contest. He has shot 50 percent from the field.
Junior forward Kevin Langford is averaging 14.4 points and 5.5 rebounds while senior guard Brent Hackett is averaging 11.5 points.
Both Salter and Hackett have both made 27 three-pointers and lead a TCU team which is averaging 7.8 treys per contest.
Rice senior forward Patrick Britton has scored in double figures in each of the Owls' last five games and leads the team with an 11.1 scoring average. Fellow senior Paulius Packevicius is coming off his fifth double-double of the year and is averaging 10.3 points and 9.7 rebounds.
Following Saturday's game at the Merrell Center, Rice will play three games on the road next week including two against teams ranked in the national polls. The Owls travel to No. 14 Texas A&M Monday and play at No. 15 Vanderbilt Thursday before closing out the road swing at Oklahoma next Saturday.
Monday's game at Texas A&M will be broadcast by Fox Sports Net Southwest. Thursday's game at Vanderbilt will be broadcast by NewsTalk 1070 KNTH-AM due to ESPN 97.5 The Ticket's obligations to broadcast the Bowl Championship Series games.
