The Rice Owls will hit the road on Thursday night to take on the UAB Blazers in a Conference USA showdown. Rice comes into this matchup with an overall record of 17-10 and a conference mark of 8-8. UAB is 20-8 overall this season and 11-6 in the conference. The opening tap is scheduled for 7:30 PM EST.
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Rice comes into this matchup with just a .500 record in conference play, going 2-5 in the team's last seven games. On Saturday, the Owls jumped out to a 43-27 halftime lead and held on for a 83-77 win over Western Kentucky at home. Quincy Olivari led the way with a season-high 34 points and a season-high 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. The win completed the season sweep over Western Kentucky for Rice.
“What an effort by our guys. We have such great kids and you know when you tell them things that they are going to try to do what you ask them. Tonight was all about a better start (and) being energized out of the gate. Actually trying to have a halftime lead. So, I changed everything up. Shoot-around, pregame warm-up and they responded, to their credit, with just a lot of energy and togetherness. You could see, it was 10-0 out of the gate. So, I was really happy to see that.” said head coach Scott Pera after his team's win.
Reliving last night#GoOwls?? x #GreenLightU pic.twitter.com/bLWHXISyve
— Rice Men's Basketball (@RiceMBB) February 19, 2023
Rice will try and salvage a split of the season-series with UAB after losing by 18 at home to the Blazers earlier this season. Rice will likely have to pick up this win thanks to its offense. The Owls are ranked second in Conference USA in scoring offense this season. They are first in field goal percentage and fifth in three-point field goal percentage. Rice is in the middle of the pack in the conference in turnovers, ranking sixth. On the defensive end, Rice is just 10th in the conference in scoring defense. The Owls are 11th in opponent's field goal percentage and sixth in 3pt defense. On the glass, Rice is ranked third in Conference USA in total rebounding.
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