6pm tipoff tonight from Charlotte, the game is on ESPN3.
Important early contest for the Owls if we wish to stake a claim to a top 4 seeding in CUSA and it's all-important auto-berth into the conference tourney quarterfinals.

Currently KenPom has us ranked 5th in conference (but still projected into a 3-way tie for 3rd) and Charlotte in 7th. They have this as our fifth toughest conference game, but give us a slight edge with a 55% chance for stealing the win on the road.

I'd like to see us get Jackson more involved, that may be one of our keys to success tonight and the rest of the way this season.

This game is on ESPN3 so should be relatively easy to watch!

Expect to see a lot of Jon Davis tonight for Charlotte.
He's 74th in the country in minutes per game, averaging over 37. (More than Koulachev's 37 and Evans' 36).
Davis is also #206 nationally in Effective FG% at 57.7%. However he's the only Charlotte player with a better eFG% than Rice's team average of 56.2% (good for 19th nationally)

They must have one of the tougher G5 non-conference schedules with Oregon St, Davidson, ECU, Wake, Florida, and Maryland. Explains being 7-5 and then beating NT by 25. They hit 14 three's in that game...

A few are starting to get antsy about Rhoades (unjustifiably at this point, IMO; people are grasping at straws when comparing him to Bailiff, at least for the time being).

Well, I am still wholeheartedly convinced that Rhoades has us going in the right direction. The good wins against New Mexico last year and WKU the year before were no flukes. We have heart and fight under Rhoades, and sometimes that results in us getting victories that we otherwise probably shouldn't.

But the thing is, we can no longer be content with being spoilers. A good victory now has to happen when we are expected to contend, and then it has to happen again. We are going to have to turn the corner at some point, and I believe that in spite of our deficiencies, we have enough to make that turn soon. This game against Charlotte is thus a huge opportunity to prove that we belong, to demonstrate that we will no longer be satisfied with a feel-good sabotage win every now and then.

Looking forward to this one.

One more thing about Rhoades:

The consternation about Rhoades is somewhat understandable, because we essentially need the basketball team to win at this point. Our football team is perhaps as bad as it has ever been in our entire history, and our bread-and-butter baseball program hasn't made it to Omaha in almost a decade now.

For all of the optimism about where our athletics are headed, the bottom line is that in terms of the quality of our most visible sports, the department is arguably at its lowest point in the last 3+ decades. Heck, the '90s were practically a golden age compared to what is going on now. So the basketball thing has to come good for us.

(01-02-2017 05:07 PM)Wiessman Wrote:  One more thing about Rhoades:

The consternation about Rhoades is somewhat understandable, because we essentially need the basketball team to win at this point. Our football team is perhaps as bad as it has ever been in our entire history, and our bread-and-butter baseball program hasn't made it to Omaha in almost a decade now.

For all of the optimism about where our athletics are headed, the bottom line is that in terms of the quality of our most visible sports, the department is arguably at its lowest point in the last 3+ decades. Heck, the '90s were practically a golden age compared to what is going on now. So the basketball thing has to come good for us.

Well said

No Lott tonight.

I think these discussions are rather comical. The only valid criticism at this point would be if we're recruiting kids who can't make it academically at Rice. Or individual critiques of rotations and playing time. Otherwise, we're looking at a team with no seniors in our top 8-9 who will have played almost half of our games on the road after tonight.

If you aren't sure the team has improved, then come to the games on Thursday and Saturday and see for yourself the excitement level the team is generating. The students have noticed - too bad our alums aren't as smart as the students.

(01-02-2017 05:07 PM)Wiessman Wrote:  One more thing about Rhoades:

The consternation about Rhoades is somewhat understandable, because we essentially need the basketball team to win at this point. Our football team is perhaps as bad as it has ever been in our entire history, and our bread-and-butter baseball program hasn't made it to Omaha in almost a decade now.

For all of the optimism about where our athletics are headed, the bottom line is that in terms of the quality of our most visible sports, the department is arguably at its lowest point in the last 3+ decades. Heck, the '90s were practically a golden age compared to what is going on now. So the basketball thing has to come good for us.

Agree with everything said here. It might be a bit unfair to Coach Rhoades and the team, but this is where we are at.

(01-02-2017 06:05 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  If you aren't sure the team has improved, then come to the games on Thursday and Saturday and see for yourself the excitement level the team is generating. The students have noticed - too bad our alums aren't as smart as the students.

Are you commenting on anything said in this thread? Because nothing of the sort has either been stated or implied here.

I am personally commenting on the teeth-gnashing going on. I don't agree with it whatsoever, but I can perhaps understand the feeling of panic that might be slowly descending on some.

If there were a betting house available to take creative wagers, I would take most of my money and put it on us making the NCAAs within the next four seasons. That is how much I believe in what Rhoades is doing here.

What's Lott's injury?

(01-02-2017 06:05 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  No Lott tonight.

With Lott out, Connor can ill-afford to get into quick foul trouble as he did against UAB. It may also necessitate a Bishop Mency citing.

I was commenting more on the ODU thread - sorry.

Didn't Lott have a concussion? If so, that would have been his second of the year already (I think - he certainly hit his head hard this year in a home game in December).

Rice up 7-5 at first media break but Evans still off with his game. He just put up a bad shot and then didn't get back on defense at all.

(01-02-2017 07:11 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Rice up 7-5 at first media break but Evans still off with his game. He just put up a bad shot and then didn't get back on defense at all.

And then a bad pass for a turnover. We have to stop with all of the unforced turnovers.

20-12 Rice. Charlotte calls time out. The pace is to our benefit.

Good mini-run with some transition buckets has the Owls up 20-12

Lots of whistles being blown.

Rice certainly getting more calls on the road than I'd expect.