Men’s Hoops Seeks Payback against North Texas

HOUSTON — Less than two weeks after falling to North Texas, Rice looks to even the score this Saturday, Feb. 1, when it welcomes the Mean Green to Tudor Fieldhouse. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by the ESPN+.

Postgame Clinic
• Following the game, Rice Basketball will host their annual postgame clinic. Kids in 8th grade and under may participate in this 45-minute clinic led by Rice basketball staff and players. Fans can participate by purchasing tickets at Riceowls.com/mbbclinic.

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Saturday afternoon's contest with a 9-13 record, including 1-8 in Conference USA. The Owls look to get back in the win column after falling to UTSA at the buzzer, 90-88, last Saturday night.
• Sophomore Trey Murphy III leads the Owls with 13.5 points per game. He is second with a 35.8% three-point field goal percentage while placing third in rebounds (5.5). He is also fourth in the league in three-pointers made per game (2.5).
• Senior Robert Martin is second on the team with 11.7 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game.
• Senior Ako Adams is third on the team with 10.8 points per game and is second with 2.2 assists per game while leading the team with a 37.8% three-point field goal percentage. He is also second in Conference USA in free throw percentage (90.6%) and fifth in three-pointers made per game (2.5).
• Sophomore Drew Peterson is fourth on the team in scoring (9.7) and leads the team and is seventh in C-USA with 6.5 rebounds per game while also leading the team with 3.0 assists per game.
• Redshirt junior Josh Parrish is averaging 6.6 points on the year, but 10.2 points per game in c conference play. He is also second in the league in conference play in field goal percentage, connecting on 69.8% from the field.
• Rice is averaging 72.9 points while allowing 75.7.
• The Owls are connecting on 42.2% from the floor and 33.6% from three while allowing their opponents to connect on 45.8% from the field but just 31.2% from three.
• Rice's opponents are outrebounding the Owls, 37.7-to-36.2 but the Owls are second in the conference in three-pointers made per game (9.8).
• Head coach Scott Pera is in his third season leading the Rice men's basketball program. He holds a record of 29-56.

Scouting North Texas
• North Texas enters today's contest with a 14-8 record, including 8-1 in Conference USA. The Mean Green are on an eight-game winning streak after defeating UTEP, 67-57, last Saturday.
• Redshirt sophomore guard Umoja Gibson leads North Texas and is eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game. He is also second in the league in three-pointers made per game (2.7), fourth in free throw percentage (87.7%) and eighth in three-point percentage (40.0%).
• Redshirt junior guard Javion Hamlet is second on the team with 12.8 points per game. He is second in C-USA in assists (4.7) and third in both free throw percentage (89.0%) and assist/turnover ratio (1.9).
• Graduate transfer forward Deng Geu is third on the team with 9.2 points per game and is second on the team with 5.5 rebounds per game and junior forward Thomas Bell is pulling down a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game.
• Redshirt senior guard DJ Draper leads Conference USA in three-point percentage (54.2%) and junior forward Zachary Simmons is second in the league in field goal percentage (63.2%).
• North Texas is scoring 71.2 points per game while allowing just 62.0, which is second in the conference.
• The Mean Green leads the league in both field goal percentage (47.7%) and three-point field goal percentage (38.9%). Their opponents are connecting on 40.9% from the field and 32.2% from three.
• UNT is pulling down 33.3 rebounds per game while holding its opponents to a league-low 29.6.
• Head coach Grant McCasland is in his third season at the helm of the North Texas men's basketball program where he owns a 55-38 (.591) record. In four seasons as a head coach, McCasland is 75-50 (.600).

Rice-North Texas Series History
• Rice and North Texas will meet for the second time this year and the 25th time overall.
• North Texas holds a 17-7 record in the series and have won the last five meetings.
• The Owls are 5-6 in games played in Houston.
• Rice is looking for its first victory over the Mean Green since Feb. 4, 2017, a 95-80 decision in Denton.
• The teams met earlier this year on Jan. 20, a 79-59 UNT victory in Denton.

Next Up
• Rice goes back on the road next Thursday, Feb. 6, when it travels to Birmingham, Ala., to face UAB. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by the ESPN+.

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