Quick Reaction: NT 81 Rice 59
A good win over a hot team
Rice came in looking good, and some observers were even suggesting that the Owls would be some kind of sleeper. After watching a game of theirs vs Charlotte, I wasn’t too impressed. They have a couple of scorers, some size and athleticism, but the level of quality needed to beat North Texas in 2024/2025 is so high that it is difficult for just any old team to reach.
This also wasn’t just any old North Texas. The squad was coming off a tough loss to Memphis on the road in a game that left everyone feeling like there was meat on the bone. Atin Wright didn’t score, his first scoreless game in 103 games or so. He came out hot and finished with 21 on the night. The rest of the squad had an edge to them, but given that this was still a game of college basketball, Rice made a couple of nice things happen in the beginning of the game and took a brief lead.
NT was blistering in the first half, with a 60% clip. Wright had set the tone with all of his points in the first, supplemented by Lorient’s 8. The second half saw a more balanced attack, including more from Newell and Massie.
Rice’s most dangerous duo — Broadnax and Anglin — were held to a combined 21. NT shut down Rice’s attack, made the other guys work for shots (no duck-ins, etc) and closed the game out strongly.
It was, as hoped, a domination. Rice may be improving but they aren’t on the level of this North Texas squad at the moment.
Kenpom called Lorient the player of the game, and I said Atin Wright for simple morale purposes. He had a game-winner, followed by an 0-fer, then a 21-point first half. He inspired the squad.
Speaking of Lorient, however, I think it is remarkable how he has come to be such an important player. Kenpom has him in the all-league five. His athleticism was always going to be a plus, but he’s scoring, rebounding, and some of the offense is running through him. If he spends the upcoming offseason working on his post game, we will see an incredible player. He can be that good. Right now it is a raw game with probably three too many shoulder turns. If he can get the footwork down to turn his post game into a one-or-two move game he will be efficient and even more dangerous. He’ll be able to save some energy for other areas of the floor.
Next Up: Road Trip
Tuesday, Jan 14: at ECU
Saturday, Jan 18: at UTSA
Both are poor squads. ECU is more on the level of a Rice, while UTSA is more on the terrible side of the ledger. Can either beat pull an upset? Of course. This is college basketball and there are only 40 minutes of game time. Upsets happen all the time in this sport. North Texas has enough to take care of business. NT has a veteran team and is coached by a defense-and-effort kind of guy so the quality should stay at the appropriate level.