Men’s Basketball Goes For Sweep of North Carolina Swing at Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rice will go for a sweep of its two-game North Carolina swing this Friday, Jan. 30, when it travels to Charlotte. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, and the game, which was moved from Saturday due to expected weather, will be streamed by ESPN+.

Game 22
What: Rice (9-12, 3-5) at Charlotte (12-9, 6-2)
When: Friday, January 30 at 6 p.m. CT
Where: Charlotte, N.C.
Stadium: Halton Arena (9,105)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: Charlotte leads 12-11 (Series tied 4-4 in Charlotte)

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Friday's game with a 9-12 record and is 3-5 in the American. The Owls snapped a two-game losing streak on Wednesday, defeating East Carolina, 83-77.
• Graduate guard Trae Broadnax leads the team with 15.3 points (10th in American), 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals. He's also connecting on 76.9% from the free throw line and 33.3% from three.
• Senior guard/forward Nick Anderson is second on the team with 14.6 points per game while adding 3.8 rebounds. He is third in the league in three-point percentage (41.9%) and tied for fourth in three-pointers made per game (2.5), while placing eighth in free throw percentage (86.1%).
• Redshirt senior guard Jalen Smith is scoring 12.3 points per game and is third on the team with 2.2 assists. He is also sixth in the league in three-point field goal percentage (40.3%) and eighth with 2.4 three-pointers per game.
• Junior forward Jimmy Oladokun, Jr., is second on the team with 4.9 rebounds, and redshirt senior center Stephen Giwa is pulling down 4.3 boards and placing 10th in the league with 1.2 blocks.
• Rice is averaging 74.5 points per game while allowing 74.1.
• The Owls are connecting on 42.7% from the field and 37.0% from beyond the arc, which is second in the conference. Their opponents are connecting on 43.9% from the floor and 34.2% from three.
• Rice is outrebounding its opponents, 37.3-to-36.3.
• The Owls are third in the league in three-pointers, making 9.3 per game.
• Head coach Rob Lanier is in his second season at the helm of the Rice men's basketball program.

Scouting Charlotte
• Charlotte enters Friday's game with a 12-9 record and is tied for the lead in the American at 6-2. The 49ers have won three straight and eight of their last 10 after defeating Temple in overtime on Wednesday, 80-76.
• Sophomore guard Ben Bradford leads the team with 13.7 points per game and 1.3 steals per game, while adding 3.1 rebounds. He's also connecting on 79.8% from the free throw line.
• Senior guard Dezayne Mingo is second on the squad with 11.6 points and 3.5 rebounds. He also leads the team and is fifth in the American with 4.4 assists, while also leading the team in free throw percentage (82.6%).
• Junior center Anton Bonke is third on the team with 11.0 points. He leads the team and is fifth in the conference with 8.1 rebounds, and is also second in field goal percentage (58.0%) and tied for seventh in blocks (1.6).
• Senior guard Damoni Harrison is scoring 8.9 points per game, and redshirt sophomore forward Arden Conyers is adding 7.8 points. The duo is seventh (40.2%) and second (42.4%) in the league, respectively, in three-point field goal percentage
• Charlotte is scoring 74.4 points per game, while allowing 73.5.
• The 49ers are connecting on 46.1% from the floor, good for third in the league, and 35.9% from three. Their opponents are connecting on 44.9% from the floor and 35.0% from three.
• Charlotte is pulling down 34.9 rebounds per game, while allowing a league-low 30.5.
• Head coach Aaron Fearne is in his third season at the helm of the Charlotte men's basketball program, where he has a 42-43 record.

Rice-Charlotte Series History
• Rice and Charlotte will meet for the second time this year and the 24th time overall.
• Charlotte holds a 12-11 record in the series.
• The 49ers have won six of the last seven games.
• The teams have split the previous eight meetings in Charlotte.
• Earlier this year, Charlotte took a 74-73 decision in Houston.
• All meetings have come as conference members. The first 17 came as members of Conference USA (2014-23), and the last three as members of the American Conference (2024-present).

Next Up
• Rice returns home this Wednesday, Feb. 4, when it hosts in-state foe North Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be streamed by ESPN+.

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