Men’s Basketball Heads to Birmingham to Face UAB

HOUSTON — Rice wraps up its road trip this Wednesday, February 21, when it travels to Birmingham to take on UAB. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed by ESPN+.

Game 26
What: Rice (9-16, 3-9) at UAB (17-8, 9-3)
When: Tuesday, February 21 at 7 p.m. CT
Where: Birmingham, Ala.
Stadium: Bartow Arena (8,500)
Stream: ESPN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: UAB leads 21-3 (11-1 in Birmingham)

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Wednesday night's game with a 9-16 record and 3-9 in the American Athletic Conference. The Owls are coming off a 93-82 overtime defeat at Tulsa on Saturday.
• Rice is led by fifth-year senior guard Travis Evee, who is scoring 16.0 points per game, good for seventh in the American. He's adding 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.2 steals while also placing 10th in the league in free throw percentage (.814).
• Sophomore guard Mekhi Mason is second on the team with 14.0 points, and 2.8 assists while placing third with 3.9 rebounds. In conference play, he is ninth in the AAC with 15.8 points per game, and sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.403).
• Fifth-year senior forward Max Fiedler is averaging 9.6 points while leading the league with 5.3 assists and 4.1 offensive rebounds, which is also fifth in the nation. He's also second in field goal percentage, connecting on 66.1% from the floor and fifth with seven double-doubles.
• Senior guard Alem Huseinovic is recording 8.3 points per game and is connecting on 45.5% from the field and 42.6% from three, good for fourth in the AAC.
• Forward Keanu Dawes is scoring 6.4 points and is second on the team with 4.2 rebounds and graduate student guard Anthony Selden is adding 6.3 points.
• The Owls are scoring 73.2 points per game while allowing 76.7.
• Rice is connecting on 44.0% from the field and 33.4% from three. Its opponents are connecting on 45.5% from the field and 36.3% from beyond the arc.
• The Owls are outrebounding their opponents, 36.2-to-35.7.
• Head coach Scott Pera is in his seventh season leading the Rice men's basketball program.

Scouting UAB
• UAB enters Wednesday's contest with a 17-8 record and 9-3 in the American Athletic Conference. The Blazers have won three straight and five of their last six games after defeating North Texas on Sunday, 71-62.
• Junior forward Yaxel Lendeborg leads a group of five Blazers in double-figures with 13.1 points per game. He's the only player in the league averaging a double-double with 10.0 rebounds per game and is second in the league with 2.1 blocks per game.
• Junior guard Eric Gaines is second on the team with 12.3 points per game. He leads the AAC with 2.2 steals per game and is second with 5.2 assists per game.
• Sophomore guard Efrem Johnson is averaging 10.8 points and leads the team in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 36.7% from beyond the arc.
• Redshirt senior forward Javian Davis is scoring 10.2 points per game while placing seventh in the conference with a 57.1% field goal percentage.
• Junior guard Alejandro Vasquez is averaging 10.2 points per game and is third in the AAC in free throw percentage (.855).
• UAB is scoring 76.8 points per game while allowing 74.5.
• The Blazers are connecting on 44.3% from the field and 30.8% from three. Their opponents are hitting 44.1% from the field and 33.4% from three.
• UAB is outrebounding its opponents, 38.5-to-35.0.
• The Blazers are second in the AAC in free throw percentage (.753) and third in blocks per game (4.8).
• Head coach Andy Kennedy is in his fourth season leading the UAB men's basketball program, where he holds a 194-33 record. In 17 years as a head coach, he is 361-202.

Rice-UAB Series History
• Rice and UAB will meet for the only time this year and the 25th time overall.
• Rice is looking for just its fourth victory in the series, as UAB holds a 21-3 advantage.
• The Owls are trying for their second victory in Birmingham. UAB holds an 11-1 record with Rice's only win coming on Feb. 6, 2020, an 86-72 victory.
• This will be the 24th meeting as conference opponents, as the last 23 came as members of Conference USA.

Next Up
• Rice begins a two-game homestand this Saturday, Feb. 24, when it hosts East Carolina. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and the game will be nationally-televised by ESPNU.

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