Men’s Basketball Opens American Play at Tulsa

HOUSTON — Rice begins its American Conference schedule this Wednesday, Dec. 31, when it travels to Tulsa, Okla., to face Tulsa. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and the game will be televised by ESPNU.

Game 14
What: Rice (6-7, 0-0) at Tulsa (12-1, 0-0)
When: Wednesday, December 31 at 1 p.m. CT
Where: Tulsa, Okla.
Stadium: Donald W. Reynolds Center (3,104)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: Tulsa leads 30-8 (Tulsa leads 17-2 in Tulsa)

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Wednesday's conference opener with a 6-7 record. The Owls had their four-game winning streak snapped at Pepperdine in their non-conference finale.
• Graduate guard Trae Broadnax leads the team with 13.9 points and is second with 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He's also connecting on 86.3% from the free throw line, good for seventh in the conference, and 35.8% from three.
• Senior guard/forward Nick Anderson is second on the team with 13.6 points per game while adding 3.6 rebounds. He leads the league in free throw percentage (93.0%) and is sixth in three-pointers per game (2.4), while placing second on the team in three-point field goal percentage (39.7%).
• Redshirt senior guard Jalen Smith is scoring 12.5 points per game and leads the team with 3.0 assists. He is also connecting on 41.7% from three, tops on the team, and is seventh in in the conference with 2.3 three-pointers per game.
• Junior forward Jimmy Oladokun, Jr., leads the team with 5.5 rebounds and senior forward Andrew Akuchie is pulling down 4.3 boards.
• Rice is averaging 76.2 points per game while allowing 72.2.
• The Owls are connecting on 42.4% from the field and are third in the American in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 37.2% from beyond the arc. Their opponents are connecting on 42.7% from the floor, and 32.6% from three.
• Rice is outrebounding its opponents, 39.4-to-36.6.
• The Owls are also fourth in the conference in three-pointers per game (8.9).
• Head coach Rob Lanier is in his second season at the helm of the Rice men's basketball program.

Scouting Tulsa
• Tulsa enters Wednesday's opener with a 12-1 record. The Golden Hurricane have won nine straight games after defeating Denver in their non-conference finale, 90-85.
• Junior guard Tylen Riley leads the team and is 10th in the American with 15.2 points. He also leads the team in free throw percentage (88.9% - 5th in American) and assists (3.7 - 7th in American).
• Senior guard Miles Barnstable is second on the team with 14.0 points while adding 3.0 rebounds. He currently leads the league in three-point percentage, connecting on 44.2% from beyond the arc, and is fifth in three-pointers made per game (2.6).
• Graduate student forward David Green, the reigning American Conference Player of the Week is scoring 13.9 points and leads the team with 4.7 rebounds.
• Junior guard Miles Rigsby is scoring 10.0 points. He's also fifth in the league in steals (1.8) and sixth in free throw percentage (87.0%).
• Tulsa is second in the league in scoring with 89.4 points per game, while allowing just 71.6.
• The Golden Hurricane lead the conference in both field goal percentage (48.3%) and three-point field goal percentage (38.3%). Their opponents are connecting on 42.3% from the floor 33.3% from three.
• Tulsa is pulling down 39.8 rebounds per game while allowing a league-low 30.5.
• The Golden Hurricane leads the American in free throw percentage, connecting on 77.9% from the charity stripe, as well as three-pointers per game (10.8). It is also second in assists (16.6).
• Head coach Erik Konkel is in his fourth season at the helm of the Tulsa men's basketball program, where he has a 46-61 record. In 11 years as a head coach, Konkel is 191-136.

Rice-Tulsa Series History
• Rice and Tulsa will meet for the first time this year and the 39th time overall.
• The Golden Hurricane hold a 30-8 record in the series and are 16-2 in Tulsa.
• Tulsa is 17-2 in the last 19 games, but the Owls have won the last two meetings.
• All 35 meetings have been as conference opponents, first as members of the Western Athletic Conference (1997-2005), then with Conference USA (2006-14).
• Last year, Rice swept the season series, winning 70-64 in Tulsa and 71-50 in Houston.
• The teams will also meet in Houston on Jan. 25.

Next Up
• Rice hosts its first conference home game this Saturday, Jan. 3, when it hosts Memphis. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT, and the game will be streamed by ESPN+.

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