Rice 81 - 62 final. Terrific road win again a P5 program.

Jackson: 15 points (6-8 fG), 5 boards
Crosthwait: 14 points, 8 boards, 2 assists
Schwartz: 13 points (5-8 FG)
Wiggins: 40 minutes, 12 points (5-8 FG), 6 assists, 4 boards
Swayze: 11 points
Mulkey: 4 points, 11 boards, 2 blocks, 2 assists

Looked like 2 years ago with backdoor cuts. Points in the paint 38-8 and bench points 29-8...just huge. Great team effort.

(12-05-2020 08:58 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  Looked like 2 years ago with backdoor cuts. Points in the paint 38-8 and bench points 29-8...just huge. Great team effort.

If we made just 75% of our layups we would have won by 30+.

(12-05-2020 08:59 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(12-05-2020 08:58 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  Looked like 2 years ago with backdoor cuts. Points in the paint 38-8 and bench points 29-8...just huge. Great team effort.

If we made just 75% of our layups we would have won by 30+.

True but we created those shots so that is a plus.

Held them to 30.8. From the field too.

Had the lead the entire game.

Perhaps the most important stat of the night: just a combined 4 TOs for Wiggins and Smith, and 15 as a team. That's how we win basketball games. Defense and limit the TOs on offense. There will be nights where we miss shots, but we give ourselves a chance even on those nights if we're secure with the ball.

Was Tech supposed to be any good? We held their high scorer to one point tonight.

Tech was 18-11 last year and 7-11 in the Big 12, but they were decimated by graduation and transfers. And then they lost their coach after she was investigated for verbal abuse or something along those lines.

But they do have a legitimate star transfer in Gray, and they were picked 6th in the preseason Big 12 poll. So it's a solid win.

First win over a P5 program since 2006 - that's kind of hard to believe.

Gray is the UConn transfer I believe.

(12-05-2020 10:08 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  Gray is the UConn transfer I believe.

She's a grad transfer from Oklahoma State, where she was "an honorable mention All-America recipient by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association each of her sophomore and junior seasons, and was named to the Associated Press All-America team as an honorable mention pick following her junior season in 2020 … Both of her First Team All-Big 12 selections were by unanimous vote … As a junior, was one of 10 finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award, given each year to the best small forward in the nation … Scored 19.3 points per game to rank second in the Big 12 and 19th nationally in scoring ..."

(https://texastech.com/sports/womens-bask...gray/10214)

(https://texastech.com/news/2020/10/2/wom...-gray.aspx)

(12-05-2020 08:50 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Best day of Rice athletics in quite some time.

I believe this has been the best day for Rice athletics is my ~10 years of following it

(12-05-2020 10:36 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(12-05-2020 10:08 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  Gray is the UConn transfer I believe.

She's a grad transfer from Oklahoma State, where she was "an honorable mention All-America recipient by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association each of her sophomore and junior seasons, and was named to the Associated Press All-America team as an honorable mention pick following her junior season in 2020 … Both of her First Team All-Big 12 selections were by unanimous vote … As a junior, was one of 10 finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award, given each year to the best small forward in the nation … Scored 19.3 points per game to rank second in the Big 12 and 19th nationally in scoring ..."

(https://texastech.com/sports/womens-bask...gray/10214)

(https://texastech.com/news/2020/10/2/wom...-gray.aspx)

Thanks for the correction.

(12-05-2020 10:48 PM)Intellectual_Brutality Wrote:  

(12-05-2020 08:50 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Best day of Rice athletics in quite some time.

I believe this has been the best day for Rice athletics is my ~10 years of following it

It may well be in my top 8-10 and I've been following over 50 years!!

Next up is Texas Southern. Time to make up last year's disastrous loss.

(12-05-2020 11:55 PM)owlatheart Wrote:  

(12-05-2020 10:48 PM)Intellectual_Brutality Wrote:  

(12-05-2020 08:50 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Best day of Rice athletics in quite some time.

I believe this has been the best day for Rice athletics is my ~10 years of following it

It may well be in my top 8-10 and I've been following over 50 years!!

Nothing compares to June 23, 2003.

Second best is the 2006 win over SMU that put us into a bowl for the first time in decades.

Will they allow fans into game for this one?

(12-06-2020 12:17 AM)dragon2owl Wrote:  Next up is Texas Southern. Time to make up last year's disastrous loss.

#12 A&M beat #25 Texas tonight, 66-61.

(12-06-2020 10:56 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  #12 A&M beat #25 Texas tonight, 66-61.

Saw the game-- not overly impressed with either team, though UT's all-game, full-court press was stifling. A&M does have a very balanced offense, and are lights out at the FT line. They're certainly good, but they lack the all-american, go to shooter they've had the past several seasons.

#4 Baylor lost at #18 Arkansas. The Bears looked lost without their stud (injured). They're a dominant rebounding team, but can't shoot outside the post.

I think we'll do very well within CUSA, but we are incredibly vulnerable against any team with a strong inside scoring game. And, needless to say, we've got to greatly improve our FT shooting. Given our depth this year, with 6 experienced guards, I'd love to see Tina deploy the press more often.

Nice win.

ESPN's latest bracketology (the 64 team field one) has Rice as one of the First 4 teams out (I think we're technically the 4th team out in their bracket?). They still have MTSU winning the auto bid for the conference.

(12-08-2020 09:03 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  ESPN's latest bracketology (the 64 team field one) has Rice as one of the First 4 teams out (I think we're technically the 4th team out in their bracket?). They still have MTSU winning the auto bid for the conference.

With the reduction of out-of-conference games, it will be virtually impossible to get a quality-enough RPI (and resume) for an auto-bid. As will be the case with our volleyball team (who have had almost all our quality OOC games canceled) it's going to be win the conference tourney or bust. And as strong as I expect our volleyball team to be (perhaps even better than last year with the strong incoming recruiting class and the couple elite transfers), WKU brings back everybody from last year's team.