Rough C-USA start for men’s basketball
The Rice Owls men’s basketball team has been very busy over the last couple of weeks while the remainder of the student body was on winter break. The Owls played in nine games from Dec. 2 to Jan. 9 and posted a 3-6 record during that span.
After a 10-day recess from all basketball activity due to final exams, the team enjoyed immediate success by defeating the University of St. Thomas on Dec. 17 by a final score of 67-54. Rice followed that game with a road victory over a talented New Mexico squad in the famous arena known as “The Pit.” The 90-89 final was one of the biggest upsets of the college basketball season. However, following this win, the team struggled, and is currently riding a five-game losing streak. The Owls sit at 5-11 on the season (0-3 in C-USA).
On Dec. 17, the Owls hosted the University of St. Thomas where standout freshman guard Marcus Evans recorded a career-high 32 points. Evans, who has started and played in all 16 games for the Owls this season, is leading Conference USA in scoring, averaging 19.9 points per game. For nearly three weeks, Evans was the top scoring freshman, not just on the Owls team or in the conference, but also in the entire nation, even beating out Louisiana State freshman standout Ben Simmons who many believe will be the 2016 NBA Draft’s top pick. Simmons has since taken the top spot and Evans remains second in that category.
Just two days later on Dec. 19, another Rice Owl led the way with 32 points of his own. However, his name wasn’t Marcus Evans — it was Egor Koulechov, the junior transfer from Arizona State University. Koulechov and the rest of the Owls went into “The Pit” at New Mexico University and defeated the Lobos for one of the biggest Rice men’s basketball victories in recent memory. The Owls trailed by as many as 17 points before fighting back, rattling off 10 points in 40 seconds with just under four minutes to play. Koulechov scored 24 of his 32 points in the second half along with a game tying 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining and the game winning free throw with 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock. The game remains the only loss New Mexico has suffered at home this season.
After the game, Head Coach Mike Rhoades said he was very proud of his team for fighting to the end and showing resolve.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been so proud of a team as I am right now,” Rhoades said. “That’s why I brought [our players] here — to be in “The Pit” and throw them in the fire. What a great response.”
Since that night in Albuquerque, the Owls have had trouble getting back into the win column and have now lost five straight games, including their first three Conference USA matchups. Four of those five games were on the road, and the Owls have yet to play a conference game at home. Over this stretch, it has been difficult for Rice to close out games. The Owls have only 12 players on their roster, and with significant injuries to freshman guard Chad Lott and Preseason All-Conference junior guard Marcus Jackson, they are left with 10 active players.
Despite the 5-11 overall record, many of the Owls’ games have been very close. Most recently, Rice lost three consecutive games by margins of six points or less. These results were 82-76 to the University of the Incarnate Word, 61-60 against the University of Texas, El Paso and 85-80 against the University of Texas, San Antonio. The Owls have had two other losses this season by four points and seven points.
Rice will look to turn things around when they host Western Kentucky University on Thursday, Jan.14 at 8 p.m. The Owls will then face Marshall University on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. Both games will be shown on the American Sports Network.
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