(03-15-2021 11:04 AM)elw4796 Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 10:53 AM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 10:25 AM)mrbig Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 09:59 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  I’ll be glad when all these guys are done and we don’t feel the need to discuss Rhoades any longer.

My sentiments exactly. I do like FBO's point:

(03-14-2021 06:15 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I think four former Owls will be playing in the NCAA tournament (Trey Murphy at UVA, Malik Osborne at Florida State, Drew Peterson at USC and Corey Douglas at VCU). All four are significant contributors.

Anyone who doesn't think a 2021-22 Rice team can make it to the NCAA's IF everyone else returns is dreaming. As good as those former Owls are, the ones we could be returning in 2021-22 are collectively better as a group IMO. Let's just hope my postseason dreams for next year don't turn into a nightmare during the offseason.

The guys who are in danger of transferring need to get a recruiting pitch from Pera. Some of the guys might think about transferring to a more prominent program who can make the NCAA tournament. But this year's team would have made the NCAA tournament if everyone had stayed the past few years! Next year's team might make the NCAA tournament if everyone stays and certainly this team can make it in two years as everyone grows and matures.

Virginia, Florida and USC had many appearances on national TV, playing important games against top quality opposition. Next season, when fans return, those teams will play games in loud, boisterous, packed arenas.

Compare that with a Rice Thursday night home game against FIU - in front of 100s in a glorified high school gym. And, after the game, the players will have to go back to their apartments to study for hours because, at Rice, they actually have to take a legitimate course load.

It's not all about "winning".

Gosh, I can't remember the opponent but there was a Thursday home game in Rhoades' second or third year where the guys came out of the tunnel for pregame shots (typically 40 minutes or so before tip) and it was literally dead silent. Like there had been games before where it was pretty quiet, but this one really felt like the team was coming out for practice on a Wednesday at 2:00. That one game is always the one I think about when people discuss kids transferring from Rice.

But I will pushback on the gym - I actually think Rice has an ideal gym for a mid-major. The court and seating aren't as dilapidated as other venues, and the location of the student bleachers right next to the opposition bench is really awesome when you actually have students and a decent team. We haven't seen it much recently, but Tudor has the potential to be pretty decent for big games.

I've gotta pushback on your pushback. Really, a glorified high school gym is still what Rice has. It's not the same atmosphere as playing in an arena-style setup, with arena boxes (for local businesses/wealthy donors), wide concourses, and lots of advertising signage.

I haven't been to a game at Tudor, but I've seen it on TV, and I've walked around it when it's not busy. In my mind, a mid-major court is like something you will find at ODU, Richmond and VCU (just for starters, as examples of games I've been to locally). It's just a completely different experience, whether it's packed or not. And that experience is part of what can draw people back to watch games. All 3 of them know how to deliver a really make a good game experience - at a mid-major location. Rice really needs to use its imagination - and it's not really imagination, as plenty of places already do it.