Men’s Basketball Returns to Conference Play at WKU

HOUSTON — Rice returns to Conference USA play this Thursday, Dec. 29, when it travels to Bowling Green, Ky., to face WKU. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and it will be streamed by ESPN+.

Game 13
What: Rice (9-3, 0-1) vs. WKU (8-3, 0-0)
When: Thursday, December 29 at 6 p.m.
Where: Bowling Green, Ky.
Stadium: E.A. Diddle Arena (7,523)
Stream: ESPN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: WKU leads 8-2 (5-1 in Bowling Green)

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Thursday's game with a 9-3 record and 0-1 in Conference USA. The Owls have won three straight games and eight of their last nine after defeating Jarvis Christian last Monday, 109-64.
• Junior guard and Preseason All-Conference USA honoree Quincy Olivari leads the team and is second in C-USA with 18.9 points per game. He's also third on the team in rebounds per game (5.2) while placing fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.365) and three-pointers made per game (2.6), seventh in field goal percentage (.456), and ninth in free throw percentage (.788).
• Junior guard Travis Evee is seventh in the league with 14.8 points per game. He's also fifth in three-pointers made per game (2.4) and free throw percentage (.814).
• Junior forward Max Fiedler leads the team and is third in the conference with 7.5 rebounds per game. He leads the league with 5.3 assists per game. Fiedler is averaging 9.8 points per game while connecting on 73.3% from the field.
• Freshman guard Mekhi Mason is fourth on team with 9.4 points per game and fourth with 3.5 rebounds per game and junior guard Alem Huseinovic is averaging 7.4 points per game.
• Sophomore guard Cameron Sheffield is scoring 7.3 points per game while placing second on the team with 5.4 rebounds per game.
• Rice is scoring 83.6 points per game, which is second in Conference USA and 20th in the country, while allowing 72.3.
• The Owls are connecting on a league-best 50.6% from the field, which is ninth in the nation, and 35.5% from three. Their opponents are hitting 44.8% from the floor and 34.2% from behind the arc.
• Rice is also outrebounding its opponents, 38.0-to-31.4.
• Rice leads the conference in assists per game (18.8), which is also 11th in the country, and third in three-pointers made per game (9.0).
• Head coach Scott Pera is in his sixth season leading the Rice men's basketball program.

Scouting WKU
• WKU enters Thursday night's Conference USA opener with an 8-3 record. The Hilltoppers have lost their last two games after falling at South Carolina Thursday, 65-58.
• Junior guard Dayvion McKnight leads the team and is sixth in the conference with 16.5 points per game. He is also third in the league in field goal percentage (.500), fifth in assists (4.6) and steals (2.0), and sixth in free throw percentage (.810).
• Sixth year guard Emmanual Akot is second on the team with 12.3 points per game and 3.1 assists per game.
• Sixth year guard Luke Frampton is averaging 10.6 points and leads C-USA and is third in the country in three-point field goal percentage (.542).
• Fifth year forward Jairus Hamilton is averaging 9.9 points and is seventh in the league with 6.5 rebounds and senior center Jamarion Sharp is seventh in the league with 6.5 rebounds and leads the NCAA in blocks (49) and blocks per game (4.5).
• WKU is scoring 75.7 points per game while allowing just 66.5.
• The Hilltoppers are connecting on 47.1% from the field and 39.7% from three, which leads C-USA. Their opponents are hitting just 39.9% from the floor and 33.0% from behind the arc.
• WKU is also being outrebounding by its opponents, 36.4-to-35.4.
• The Hilltoppers also lead the league and are second in the nation with 6.1 blocks per game.
• Head coach Rick Stansbury is in his seventh season at the helm of the WKU men's basketball program where he owns a 130-76 record. In 21 seasons as a head coach, Stansbury is 423-242.

Rice-WKU Series History
• Rice and WKU will meet for the 11th time overall.
• The Owls are 2-8 in the series and 1-5 in Bowling Green.
• Rice is looking to snap a seven-game losing streak against the Hilltoppers.
• The Owls are looking for their first victory over WKU since an 83-73 decision on Jan. 14, 2016.
• The teams will also meet on Feb. 18 in Houston.

Next Up
• Rice closes its road trip this Saturday, December 31, when it travels to El Paso to face UTEP. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will be streamed by CUSAtv.

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