The Cougars begin a two-game road trip today but do not have to leave the city for tonight’s game against Rice.
Since the two teams began playing each other in 1971, the Cougars (11-7, 3-2 Conference USA) have dominated the Owls with a 57-14 record in the all-time series. UH has not lost to Rice since a 76-71 defeat on Jan. 17, 2007.
Senior guard Adam Brown — who averages 14.9 points a game — will lead the Cougars’ offensive attack.
“Playing Rice isn’t like playing another opponent,” Brown said. “We’re playing against history itself because of the rivalry. We have to make everyone proud. Not just ourselves, but our coaches, fans and past players from the University.”
The Owls (9-10, 1-4) rank last in C-USA, and are the only team in the conference with fewer than 10 wins.
Despite a poor winning percentage, the Owls have an impressive arsenal of weapons at their disposal. Guard Tamir Jackson averages 12.7 points while shooting .353 from behind the arc. But more importantly, UH will have to contain sophomore forward Arsalan Kazemi who averages 16.3 points per game.
Senior guard Zamal Nixon knows that shutting down Kazemi will key their success.
“Kazemi has come into his own this year,” Nixon said. “Jackson is also a really good guard. So we’re going to have to do a good job on those two, and hopefully we’ll come out victorious.”
Head coach James Dickey said that the players will need to keep their focus on the prize in order to secure the victory.
“It’s obviously a rivalry game, but it’s also a road conference game,” Dickey said. “That’s the way we have to approach it.”
The game tips off at 8 p.m. tonight at Tudor Fieldhouse. The game will be televised on Comcast Sports Southwest (Ch. 129) and will be broadcast on 790 AM KMBE.
