Men’s Hoops Opens C-USA Slate at North Texas

HOUSTON — Rice begins its Conference USA schedule this Saturday, Jan. 1, when it travels to Denton to take on North Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be streamed on YouTube.

Game 12
What: Rice at North Texas
When: Saturday, January 1 at 5 p.m.
Where: Denton, Texas
Arena: The Super Pit (10,500)
Watch: YouTube
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: North Texas leads 19-8 (North Texas leads 10-1 in Denton)

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Saturday night's Conference USA opener at North Texas with a 7-4 record. The Owls are playing their first game since defeating Incarnate Word, 85-55, on Dec. 16.
• Guard Carl Pierre leads the team and is eighth in Conference USA with 15.2 points per game while pulling down 3.6 rebounds per game. He is second in the league in both three-point field goal percentage (44.7%) and three-pointers made per game (3.1) while placing third in field goal percentage (50.0%).
• Guard Travis Evee is second on the team and ninth in the conference with 15.1 points per game while adding 3.5 rebounds per game and 3.0 assists per game. Evee leads C-USA in three-point field goal percentage (48.1%) and three-pointers made per game (3.4). He's also second in the conference in field goal percentage, connecting on 51.4% from the field.
• Guard Chris Mullins is scoring 10.7 points per game while tying for second on the team with 3.0 assists per game.
• Forward Max Fiedler is nearly averaging a double-double with 10.4 points per game and 9.3 boards per game, which is second C-USA. He leads the team in field goal percentage, connecting on 62.5% from the field and assists per game (3.9). He's also second in the conference with four double-doubles and ninth in blocks (1.4).
• Rice is second in Conference USA in scoring, averaging 80.9 points per game while allowing 74.3.
• The Owls are connecting on 47.6% from the field and 40.7% from three, which are second and first in the league, respectively. They are allowing 42.9% from the floor and 31.2% from beyond the arc.
• Rice is outrebounding the opposition, 37.9-to-33.1.
• Rice leads the league in assists with 17.4 and three-pointers per game with 11.4, which is also sixth in the country.
• Head coach Scott Pera is in his fifth season leading the Rice men's basketball program. He holds a record of 57-77.

Scouting North Texas
• North Texas enters Saturday night's contest with a 7-3 record. The Mean Green are playing their first game since defeating Wichita State, 62-52, on Dec. 18.
• Guard Tylor Perry leads the team with 13.8 points while connecting on 47.7% from three. He leads Conference USA in free throw percentage, connecting on 92.3%, and is tied for 10th in three-pointers made per game (2.1).
• Forward Thomas Bell is second on the team with 13.2 points per game while leading the team with 6.3 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists.
• Guard Rubin Jones is scoring 9.1 points per game.
• North Texas is averaging just 65.9 points per game. However, it leads Conference USA in scoring defense, allowing just 55.1 points.
• The Mean Green are connecting on 42.3% from the field 32.1% from three. They are allowing 41.7% from the floor and 27.7% from beyond the arc, good for second in the league.
• UNT is pulling down 34.2 rebounds per game while leading the conference in rebounding defense, allowing just 30.6 boards per game.
• Head coach Grant McCasland is in his fifth season at the helm of the North Texas men's basketball program where he owns an 86-64 record. In eight seasons as a head coach, McCasland is 162-78.

Rice-North Texas Series History
• Rice and North Texas will meet for the 28th time overall.
• North Texas holds a 19-8 record in the series.
• Rice is looking for its second win in Denton, as North Texas holds a 10-1 record. Rice's only win in the Super Pit came Feb. 4, 2017, a 95-80 victory.
• North Texas has won seven of the last eight meetings overall.

Rice in Conference Openers
• Rice is 44-56 all-time in conference openers and 30-67 in road openers.
• Rice is opening its conference season on the road for the fifth time in the last seven years but just the sixth time since joining Conference USA in 2005-06.
• Since joining C-USA, Rice is just 4-12 in conference openers.
• This is the second time that Rice will open conference play against North Texas. The Owls fell to UNT, 103-87, in the 2018-19 opener.
• The Owls are looking to win their C-USA opener for the second straight season, defeating UTSA last year.

Next Up
• Rice begins a two-game homestand next Thursday, Jan. 6, when it hosts Middle Tennessee. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed at CUSAtv.

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