Men’s Basketball Begins Homestand against Longtime Foe SMU

HOUSTON — Rice begins a two-game homestand this Wednesday, February 7, when it hosts longtime foe SMU. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed by ESPN+.

Game 23
What: Rice (9-13, 3-6) vs. SMU (15-7, 6-3)
When: Wednesday, February 7 at 7 p.m. CT
Where: Houston, Texas
Stadium: Tudor Fieldhouse (5,208)
Stream: ESPN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: SMU leads 120-77 (52-47 in Houston)

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Wednesday night's game with a 9-13 record and 3-6 in the American Athletic Conference. The Owls are looking for their third straight win after defeating UTSA on Saturday, 80-76.
• Rice is led by fifth-year senior guard Travis Evee, who is scoring 15.7 points per game, good for eighth in the American. He's adding 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 steals while tying for eighth in the league in three-pointers made per game (2.1).
• Sophomore guard Mekhi Mason is second on the team with 14.7 points, and 2.7 assists while placing third with 4.0 rebounds. In conference play, he is seventh in the AAC with 18.0 points per game, fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.417), and sixth in steals per game (1.7).
• Fifth-year senior forward Max Fiedler is averaging 9.3 points while leading the conference with 9.9 rebounds. He's also second with 5.5 assists and fourth in field goal percentage, connecting on 64.8% from the floor. Fiedler also leads the league and is third in the nation with 4.2 offensive rebounds per game.
• Senior guard Alem Huseinovic is recording 7.8 points per game and is connecting on 44.7% from the field and 41.1% from three.
• Graduate student guard Anthony Selden is scoring 6.5 points and freshman forward Keanu Dawes is scoring 6.3 points per game and is second on the team with 4.0 rebounds.
• The Owls are scoring 73.4 points per game while allowing 75.5.
• Rice is connecting on 43.9% from the field and 33.3% from three. Its opponents are connecting on 45.0% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc.
• The Owls are outrebounding their opponents, 36.4-to-35.6.
• Head coach Scott Pera is in his seventh season leading the Rice men's basketball program.

Scouting SMU
• SMU enters Wednesday's game with a 15-7 record and 6-3 in the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs have won five of their last seven games after defeating UAB on Sunday, 72-69.
• Junior guard Zhuric Phelps leads the team with 14.5 points per game and is adding 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 rebounds. He's also tied for fourth in the conference with 2.0 steals per game.
• Senior guard Chuck Harris is second on the team with 13.1 points per game while leading with 3.5 assists per game. He's also fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.414) and tied for eighth in three-pointers made per game (2.1).
• Senior forward Samuell Williamson is notching 9.2 points per game and placing seventh in the AAC with 7.4 rebounds per game.
• Senior forward guard Tyreek Smith is recording 8.0 points and 5.8 rebounds. He's tied for fourth in the conference in blocks per game with 1.6 and is sixth in field goal percentage, connecting on 61.5%.
• SMU is scoring 75.6 points per game and is third in the American in scoring defense, allowing just 64.2 points per game.
• The Mustangs are connecting on 45.5% from the field and 33.9% from three. Their opponents are hitting just 38.7% from the field and 27.5% from three, which both lead the league.
• SMU is second in the league in rebounding, pulling down 40.0 boards per game, while allowing 34.8.
• The Mustangs also lead the conference in assists (15.9), steals (8.5) and blocks (5.0).
• Head coach Rob Lanier is in his second season leading the SMU men's basketball program, where he holds a 25-29 record. In nine years as a head coach, he is 136-129.

Rice-SMU Series History
• Rice and SMU will meet for the first time since 2013 and the 198th time overall, the second-most games played against an opponent in school history.
• The Mustangs hold a 120-77 advantage in the series, including having won the last two meetings and nine of the last 12.
• When played in Houston, Rice is 47-52.
• This will be the only meeting as members of the American Athletic Conference, as SMU moves to the Atlantic Coast Conference next year.

Next Up
• Rice closes its homestand this Saturday, Feb. 10, when it hosts South Florida. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed by ESPN+.

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