Rice Owls Set to Battle UTEP Miners at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston Showdown

As the Rice Owls prepare to host the UTEP Miners at Tudor Fieldhouse, fans are buzzing with anticipation for what promises to be a riveting encounter. The upcoming game, scheduled for January 14th, will see the Owls looking to capitalize on their home-court advantage and recent performances.

The Rice Owls have shown a level of resilience that could be pivotal in their next matchup against the Miners. Despite a narrow loss on January 12th against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders with a scoreline of 68-71, there were positive takeaways from that game. The Owls demonstrated an ability to maintain pressure in the paint, scoring 40 points compared to MTU's 30. Additionally, they had a higher assist turnover ratio of 1.0 compared to MTU's 0.64.

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for RICE; turnovers were an issue as they recorded 14 against MTU's more conservative count of 11. This is an area where they'll need significant improvement when facing UTEP – especially considering that both teams had equal turnovers (18) when RICE last played away against them on December 31st and managed only a five-point victory after overtime.

Looking at shooting percentages also provides insight into how RICE might approach their offensive strategy. Against Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on January 6th, despite losing by six points in overtime (82-88), RICE shot better from beyond the arc with an impressive three-point percentage of approximately 43 percent compared to LT's solid but lower rate of around 40 percent.

Defensively speaking, Rice has room for improvement; while they've been decent at blocking shots and stealing possession from opponents – evident by their four blocks and six steals against MTU – these numbers pale in comparison to MTU’s eleven blocks and ten steals.

The UTEP Miners are not without their strengths either; they've shown proficiency inside scoring over half their two-point attempts successfully during their last encounter with RICE. However, one glaring weakness was their three-point shooting percentage which stood at just under twenty percent - something that could prove costly if not addressed before facing off with RICE again.

In conclusion, if Rice can tighten up defensively while maintaining or improving upon its offensive output – particularly by capitalizing on three-point opportunities – there is every reason for optimism among fans ahead of this clash between conference rivals.

The showdown between Rice University and University Texas El Paso is set for January 14th at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston at precisely eight o'clock PM local time (Central Time). Fans eager not to miss any action can tune into CUSA TV via Internet broadcast networks.