Friday, January 29
Houston, TX
2 P.M.
University of North Texas
at
Rice
Photo by: Ben Stewart
Men's Basketball Back In Action Friday
1/28/2021 6:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Who: North Texas Mean Green (7-5,3-1) vs. Rice Owls (10-6, 4-4)
What: Mean Green hit the road at Rice for their first game in nearly two weeks.
When: Friday – Jan. 29 – 2:00 pm CT
Where:Â Houston, TX (Tudor Fieldhouse)
How (to follow):
HOUSTON — After 13 days without a game the North Texas men's basketball team is finally back in action on Friday. The Mean Green are at Rice to face the Owls. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT.
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The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and on the Mean Green Sports Network Learfield IMG College.
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North Texas has beaten Rice five of the last six times they've met. However, the Owls got the best of UNT last season in Houston with a 84-75 win, which ended a then eight-game winning streak for the Mean Green.
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UNT (7-5, 3-1) roles into Tudor Fieldhouse on Friday nearly two weeks after sweeping UTEP at home in their two-game weekend series by a combined score of 137-98. Due to positive COVID-19 tests and subsequent contact tracing within Old Dominion's program, UNT's weekend games scheduled for Jan 22 and Jan. 23 at ODU were postponed.
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The Mean Green's senior Zachary Simmons has been a force against the Owls (10-6, 4-4). In his career versus Rice, Simmons is 25-for-30 (83.3%) from the field. Two years ago at Rice, Simmons scored 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting to lead UNT to an 103-87 victory over the Owls.
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Due to postponed games against Old Dominion and UAB, UNT has only played four conference games this year, which is the fewest in the league. Rice enters Friday having played eight conference games (4-4). Additionally, North Texas in total has had six games this season postponed and have only played 12 games all year. Entering this weekend's set of conference games, the 12 total games played are tied with Middle Tennessee for the fewest games played among C-USA schools.
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After Friday's game, the Mean Green will return home to host Rice on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. UNT has never lost to the Owls at home under fourth-year head coach Grant McCasland. Sunday's games will be streamed on ESPN+ and the Mean Green Sports Network Learfield IMG College.
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Sunday's home game against Rice had been rescheduled from Saturday at 4 p.m. All tickets for the original date will be valid for Sunday's game. Any questions can be directed to the ticket office by calling 940-565-2527 or emailing TicketOffice@unt.edu.
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What: Mean Green hit the road at Rice for their first game in nearly two weeks.
When: Friday – Jan. 29 – 2:00 pm CT
Where:Â Houston, TX (Tudor Fieldhouse)
How (to follow):
- TV: ESPN+ (Click Here) to stream ESPN+
- Radio: Learfield IMG College Mean Green Sports Network (Dave Barnett and Hank Dickenson). Listen to Mean Green Sports Network Online: CLICK HERE
- Live Stats: MeanGreenStats.com
- C-USA Standings: CLICK HERE
- North Texas Game Notes: CLICK HERE
- Return To Play: CLICK HERE
HOUSTON — After 13 days without a game the North Texas men's basketball team is finally back in action on Friday. The Mean Green are at Rice to face the Owls. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT.
Â
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and on the Mean Green Sports Network Learfield IMG College.
Â
North Texas has beaten Rice five of the last six times they've met. However, the Owls got the best of UNT last season in Houston with a 84-75 win, which ended a then eight-game winning streak for the Mean Green.
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UNT (7-5, 3-1) roles into Tudor Fieldhouse on Friday nearly two weeks after sweeping UTEP at home in their two-game weekend series by a combined score of 137-98. Due to positive COVID-19 tests and subsequent contact tracing within Old Dominion's program, UNT's weekend games scheduled for Jan 22 and Jan. 23 at ODU were postponed.
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The Mean Green's senior Zachary Simmons has been a force against the Owls (10-6, 4-4). In his career versus Rice, Simmons is 25-for-30 (83.3%) from the field. Two years ago at Rice, Simmons scored 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting to lead UNT to an 103-87 victory over the Owls.
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Due to postponed games against Old Dominion and UAB, UNT has only played four conference games this year, which is the fewest in the league. Rice enters Friday having played eight conference games (4-4). Additionally, North Texas in total has had six games this season postponed and have only played 12 games all year. Entering this weekend's set of conference games, the 12 total games played are tied with Middle Tennessee for the fewest games played among C-USA schools.
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After Friday's game, the Mean Green will return home to host Rice on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. UNT has never lost to the Owls at home under fourth-year head coach Grant McCasland. Sunday's games will be streamed on ESPN+ and the Mean Green Sports Network Learfield IMG College.
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Sunday's home game against Rice had been rescheduled from Saturday at 4 p.m. All tickets for the original date will be valid for Sunday's game. Any questions can be directed to the ticket office by calling 940-565-2527 or emailing TicketOffice@unt.edu.
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NEWS AND NOTES
- In its most recent conference two-game series, North Texas swept UTEP at home by a combined score of 137-98. In the first game on Jan. 15, UNT held the Miners to just 33 points, which is the fewest points any opponent has scored on UNT as a DI school (since 1957). UTEP entered the game averaging 77.3 points per game but were held 44 points below its season scoring average. If it wasn't for a late 6-0 run by UTEP to end the game they would have been held to the fewest points they've scored in a game in program history.
- UNT ranks 11th in the nation and first in C-USA in 3-point field goal percentage (39.8%).
- UNT ranks 25th in the nation and 1st in C-USA in overall field goal percentage (49.1%).
- North Texas held UTEP to just 11 total made field goals on Jan. 15 in their 63-33 win. It's the fewest field goals made in a C-USA league game since Jan. 16, 2014 when LA Tech held Tulane to 10 made field goals in a 73-45 win.
- North Texas senior Javion Hamlet enters Friday's game with the league's best and the nation's 18th best free throw percentage at 91.8 percent. For his career he is shooting 88.5 percent at the free throw line.
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Players Mentioned
Guard
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