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2023–24 Rice Owls men's basketball team

2023–24 Rice Owls men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record11–21 (5–13 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaTudor Fieldhouse
Seasons
2023–24 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
South Florida 16 – 2   .889 25 – 8   .758
Florida Atlantic 14 – 4   .778 25 – 9   .735
Charlotte 13 – 5   .722 19 – 12   .613
UAB † 12 – 6   .667 23 – 12   .657
Memphis 11 – 7   .611 22 – 10   .688
SMU 11 – 7   .611 20 – 13   .606
North Texas 10 – 8   .556 19 – 15   .559
East Carolina 7 – 11   .389 15 – 18   .455
Tulsa 7 – 11   .389 16 – 15   .516
Tulane 5 – 13   .278 14 – 17   .452
Temple 5 – 13   .278 16 – 20   .444
Wichita State 5 – 13   .278 15 – 19   .441
Rice 5 – 13   .278 11 – 21   .344
UTSA 5 – 13   .278 11 – 21   .344
† 2024 AAC tournament winner

The 2023–24 Rice Owls men's basketball team represented Rice University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team, led by seventh-year head coach Scott Pera, played their home games at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas as first-year members of the American Athletic Conference. The team finished the season 11–21, 5–12 in AAC play to finish in a five-way tie for 10th place. As the No. 12 seed in the AAC tournament, they lost in the first round to Wichita State.

On March 14, 2024, the school fired head coach Scot Pera.[1] On March 24, the school hired Rob Lanier, who had been fired as head coach of SMU, as the team's new head coach.[2]

The January 6 home game against UTSA was played in the Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center on the campus of the University of St. Thomas due to water damage to Tudor Fieldhouse.[3]

Previous season

The Owls finished the 2022–23 season 19–16, 8–12 in C-USA play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the C-USA tournament, they defeated UTSA before losing to UAB. They received an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational where they defeated Duquesne before losing to Southern Utah in quarterfinals.

This was the last season for the team as members of Conference USA before joining the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2023.[4]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Jaden Geron 0 G 6'8" 175 Sophomore Fresno, CA Transferred to Montana
Seryee Lewis 1 F 6'9" 245 Sophomore Chicago, IL Transferred
Quincy Olivari 4 G 6'3" 200 Junior Atlanta, GA Transferred to Xavier
Mason Jones 10 G 6'4" 200 Freshman Chicago, IL Transferred to New Orleans
Ben Moffat 12 F 6'8" 225 Junior Wichita Falls, TX Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Reed Myers 14 G 6'0" 180 Junior Phoenix, AZ Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Damion McDowell Jr. 20 F 6'6" 190 Sophomore Inglewood, CA TBD
Jake Lieppert 24 G 6'4" 200 Junior Scottsdale, AZ Transferred to Minot State

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Sam Alajiki 0 F 6'7" 230 Junior Dundalk, Ireland California
Noah Shelby 1 G 6'3" 180 Sophomore McKinney, TX Vanderbilt
Anthony Selden 4 G 6'6" 220 Senior Boston, MA Garder–Webb

Recruiting classes

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keanu Dawes
#20 PF 		Houston, TX Stratford High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Oct 11, 2022 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Gabe Warren
#31 PF 		Glendale, AZ Dream City Christian 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Oct 21, 2022 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2023–24 Rice Owls men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Sam Alajiki 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr St. Benedict's Prep
California 		Dundalk, Ireland
G 1 Noah Shelby 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Greenhill School
Vanderbilt 		McKinney, TX
G 2 Mekhi Mason 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Compass Prep Gilbert, AZ
G 3 Travis Evee 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Vermont Academy
VMI 		Randolph, MA
G 4 Anthony Selden 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Tilton School
Garder–Webb 		Boston, MA
G/F 5 Cameron Sheffield 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Chattahoochee HS Alpharetta, GA
G 10 Cole Andrews-Heitz (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Rouse HS Lenader, TX
C 11 Ifeanyi Ufchukwu 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Covenant Day School (NC) Benin City, Nigeria
G 12 Camp Wagner 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Link Prep Academy (MO) Dallas, TX
F 13 Andrew Akuchie 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So St. Thomas Aquinas HS Fort Lauderdale, FL
F 15 Max Fiedler 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Melbourne HS Indialantic, FL
G 21 Gabe Warren 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr John Paul II HS Plano, TX
G 22 Jackson Peakes (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So St. John's HS Houston, TX
G 23 Alem Huseinovic 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr PHHoenix Prep
Nevada 		Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
F 24 Keanu Dawes 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Stratford HS Houston, TX
F 30 George Perkins (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Sidwell Friends School Washington, D.C.
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 2, 2023*
7:00 p.m. 		Clayton State W 80–57 
 11 – Evee   11 – Fiedler   3 – Shelby  Tudor Fieldhouse 
Houston, TX
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		St. Thomas (TX) W 101–57  1–0
  17 – Alajiki   11 – Fiedler   6 – Fiedler  Tudor Fieldhouse (1,746)
Houston, TX
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Harvard L 76–89  1–1
  20 – Mason   9 – Fiedler   5 – Tied  Tudor Fieldhouse (2,474)
Houston, TX
November 15, 2023*
8:00 p.m., LHN 		at No. 19 Texas L 64–80  1–2
  17 – Selden   6 – Mason   5 – Fiedler  Moody Center (10,554)
Austin, TX
November 21, 2023*
5:30 p.m. 		vs. Indiana State
Ball Dawgs Classic 		L 88–103  1–3
  25 – Evee   12 – Fiedler   6 – Fiedler  Dollar Loan Center 
Henderson, NV
November 22, 2023*
8:45 p.m. 		vs. New Mexico
Ball Dawgs Classic 		L 56–90  1–4
  17 – Mason   7 – Fielder   3 – Tied  Dollar Loan Center 
Henderson, NV
November 24, 2023*
3:15 p.m. 		vs. UC Irvine
Ball Dawgs Classic 		L 68–83  1–5
  17 – Evee   9 – Fiedler   4 – Fiedler  Dollar Loan Center 
Henderson, NV
November 30, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		UT Martin W 98–78  2–5
  29 – Evee   11 – Fiedler   6 – Fiedler  Tudor Fieldhouse (1,656)
Houston, TX
December 2, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Houston Christian W 65–56  3–5
  18 – Evee   12 – Fiedler   10 – Fiedler  Tudor Fieldhouse (1,730)
Houston, TX
December 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at No. 3 Houston
Rivalry 		L 39–75  3–6
  10 – Huseinovic   6 – Mason   2 – Tied  Fertitta Center (7,159)
Houston, TX
December 13, 2023*
11:15 a.m., ESPN+ 		Incarnate Word W 80–57  4–6
  29 – Evee   10 – Fiedler   4 – Fiedler  Tudor Fieldhouse (3,466)
Houston, TX
December 16, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northwestern State W 76–51  5–6
  16 – Fiedler   8 – Tied   5 – Fiedler  Prather Coliseum (333)
Natchitoches, LA
December 20, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Prairie View A&M W 82–56  6–6
  28 – Evee   14 – Fiedler   4 – Tied  Tudor Fieldhouse (1,717)
Houston, TX
December 22, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Louisiana L 67–84  6–7
  18 – Tied   7 – Dawes   4 – Mason  Tudor Fieldhouse (2,232)
Houston, TX
AAC regular season
January 3, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Tulane L 59–84  6–8
(0–1) 		 14 – Evee   6 – Fiedler   4 – Evee  Devlin Fieldhouse (1,232)
New Orleans, LA
January 6, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		UTSA L 82–89 OT[3] 6–9
(0–2) 		 25 – Evee   12 – Fiedler   8 – Fiedler  Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center (1,424)
Houston, TX
January 12, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at South Florida L 73–81  6–10
(0–3) 		 18 – Mason   19 – Fiedler   4 – Tied  Yuengling Center (4,107)
Tampa, FL
January 16, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Charlotte L 79–81 OT 6–11
(0–4) 		 21 – Evee   10 – Fiedler   7 – Mason  Tudor Fieldhouse (1,699)
Houston, TX
January 20, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Temple W 69–66  7–11
(1–4) 		 20 – Mason   9 – Fiedler   8 – Fiedler  Liacouras Center (4,007)
Philadelphia, PA
January 24, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 22 Florida Atlantic L 56–69  7–12
(1–5) 		 16 – Huseinovic   18 – Fiedler   8 – Fiedler  Tudor Fieldhouse (1,896)
Houston, TX
January 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Tulsa L 83–85  7–13
(1–6) 		 19 – Mason   11 – Fiedler   7 – Tied  Tudor Fieldhouse (3,621)
Houston, TX
January 31, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Memphis W 74–71  8–13
(2–6) 		 17 – Mason   9 – Fiedler   5 – Fiedler  FedExForum (11,594)
Memphis, TN
February 3, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UTSA W 80–76  9–13
(3–6) 		 30 – Mason   10 – Fiedler   7 – Fiedler  Convocation Center (1,387)
San Antonio, TX
February 7, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		SMU L 69–95  9–14
(3–7) 		 20 – Huseinovic   4 – Tied   5 – Mason  Tudor Fieldhouse (1,934)
Houston, TX
February 10, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		South Florida L 65–69  9–15
(3–8) 		 20 – Evee   13 – Fiedler   5 – Fiedler  Tudor Fieldhouse (1,982)
Houston, TX
February 17, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Tulsa L 82–93 OT 9–16
(3–9) 		 21 – Evee   9 – Fiedler   5 – Mason  Reynolds Center (3,665)
Tulsa, OK
February 21, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UAB W 94–71  10–16
(4–9) 		 19 – Mason   6 – Mason   6 – Mason  Bartow Arena (3,751)
Birmingham, AL
February 24, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		East Carolina W 70–52  11–16
(5–9) 		 34 – Evee   8 – Fiedler   10 – Fiedler  Tudor Fieldhouse (3,808)
Houston, TX
February 28, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Temple L 43–65  11–17
(5–10) 		 12 – Fiedler   9 – Fiedler   2 – Evee  Tudor Fieldhouse (2,456)
Houston, TX
March 2, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Wichita State L 66–87  11–18
(5–11) 		 18 – Evee   6 – Fiedler   5 – Mason  Charles Koch Arena (7,034)
Wichita, KS
March 6, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Charlotte L 64–69  11–19
(5–12) 		 20 – Evee   10 – Fiedler   4 – Tied  Dale F. Halton Arena (3,027)
Charlotte, NC
March 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		North Texas L 55–71  11–20
(5–13) 		 21 – Evee   10 – Fiedler   4 – Fiedler  Tudor Fieldhouse (2,937)
Houston, TX
AAC Tournament
March 13, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		(13) vs. (12) Wichita State
First Round 		L 81–88  11–21
  24 – Evee   10 – Akuchie   12 – Fiedler  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central.

Source[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Horton, Michael (March 14, 2024). "Rice Owls men's basketball coach Scott Pera fired". KPRC. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "Lanier to coach Rice after recent SMU dismissal". ESPN.com. March 25, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Andrzejewski, Tim (January 6, 2024). "Evee Records 2,000th Career Point in Overtime Loss to UTSA". Rice Owls. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  4. ^ "Rice to begin play in American Athletic Conference next year". Rice University. October 16, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Rice University Athletics. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
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