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Rice Owls men's basketball
Intercollegiate men's basketball program of Rice University
Intercollegiate men's basketball program of Rice University
| Field | Value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| current | 2025–26 Rice Owls men's basketball team | |||
| name | Rice Owls men's basketball | |||
| logo | Rice Owls logo.svg | |||
| logo_size | 125 | |||
| university | Rice University | |||
| firstseason | 1914–15 | |||
| record | 1,189–1,525 () | |||
| conference | The American | |||
| location | Houston, Texas | |||
| coach | Rob Lanier | |||
| tenure | 2nd | |||
| arena | Tudor Fieldhouse | |||
| capacity | 5,208 | |||
| nickname | Owls | |||
| studentsection | The Nest | |||
| h_pattern_b | _thinsidesonwhite | h_body=5e6062 | h_shorts=002469 | h_pattern_s=_adidasonwhite |
| a_pattern_b | _thingreysides | a_body=002469 | a_shorts=002469 | a_pattern_s=_adidaswhite |
| bestfinish | 8 | |||
| NCAAeliteeight | 1940, 1942 | |||
| NCAAsweetsixteen | 1954 | |||
| NCAAtourneys | 1940, 1942, 1954, 1970 | |||
| conference_season | 1918, 1935, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1949, 1954, 1970 | |||
| notegroup | infobox | |||
| collapsenotes | y |
The Rice Owls men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball program of Rice University. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the American Athletic Conference. They previously participated in the Southwest Conference (1914–1996), the Western Athletic Conference (1996–2005), and Conference USA (2005–2023).
The Owls play their home games in Tudor Fieldhouse, which they have called home since 1950. Previously known as Rice Gymnasium, it was renamed in honor of Rice alum Bobby Tudor, who spearheaded the 2008 renovation of the facility with a multimillion-dollar donation. Rice has appeared four times in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, most recently in 1970. Their 54 years without making the Tournament is currently the fifth longest in active history.
Rice has never reached a conference tournament final in any of the conferences they have played in (Southwest, WAC, Conference USA, The American).
Head coaches
| Head Coach | Years | Win–loss | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Cummings | 1914–1917 | 30–11 | .732 |
| Wilbur Tisdale | 1917–1919 | 14–14 | .500 |
| Leslie Mann | 1919–1920 | 6–6 | .500 |
| Pete Cawthon | 1920–1921 | 5–10 | .333 |
| Howard Yerges Sr. | 1921–1922 | 2–12 | .143 |
| Philip Arbuckle | 1922–1923 | 10–9 | .526 |
| Franklyn Ashcraft | 1923–1924 | 3–17 | .150 |
| John Patrick Nicholson | 1924–1925 | 2–12 | .143 |
| Franklyn Ashcraft | 1925–1927 | 1–22 | .043 |
| Russell Daugherty | 1927–1932 | 25–46 | .352 |
| James Kitts | 1932–1938 | 48–56 | .462 |
| Buster Brannon | 1938–1942 | 68–20 | .773 |
| Joe Davis | 1942–1945 | 52–10 | .839 |
| Buster Brannon | 1945–1946 | 17–16 | .515 |
| Joe Davis | 1946–1949 | 31–46 | .403 |
| Don Suman | 1949–1959 | 149–106 | .584 |
| John Frankie | 1959–1963 | 39–54 | .419 |
| George Carlisle | 1963–1966 | 18–53 | .254 |
| Don Knodel | 1966–1974 | 77–126 | .379 |
| Bob Polk | 1974–1977 | 17–63 | .212 |
| Mike Schuler | 1977–1981 | 30–76 | .283 |
| Tommy Suitts | 1981–1987 | 64–106 | .376 |
| Scott Thompson | 1987–1992 | 65–79 | .451 |
| Willis Wilson | 1992–2008 | 219–246 | .471 |
| Ben Braun | 2008–2014 | 63–128 | .330 |
| Mike Rhoades | 2014–2017 | 47–52 | .474 |
| Scott Pera | 2017–2024 | 96–127 | .430 |
| Rob Lanier | 2024–present | 17-25 | .404 |
Postseason history
NCAA tournament results
The Owls have appeared in four NCAA tournaments. Their combined record is 2–5. Their drought of 53 years is the eighth longest drought between appearances in the NCAA Division I tournament history.
| 1970 | First round | New Mexico State | L 77–101 |
|---|
NIT results
The Owls have appeared in five National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 1–5.
| 2005 | Opening Round | Southwest Missouri State | L 82–105 |
|---|
CBI results
The Owls have appeared in three College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournaments. Their combined record is 2–3.
| 2023 | First round |
|---|---|
| Quarterfinals | Duquesne |
| Southern Utah | W 84–78 |
| L 79–81 |
CIT results
The Owls have appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Their combined record is 2–1.
| 2012 | First round |
|---|---|
| Second round | |
| Quarterfinals | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| Drake | |
| Oakland | W 68–63 |
| W 74–68 | |
| L 70–77 |
Players of note
Owls in the NBA
- Morris Almond
- Ken Austin
- Bill Closs
- Mike Harris
- Bill Henry
- Bob Kinney
- Trey Murphy III
- Ricky Pierce
- Brent Scott
- Mike Wilks
- Drew Peterson
- Quincy Olivari
Owls in international basketball
- Suleiman Braimoh (born 1989), Nigerian-American in the Israel Basketball Premier League
- Egor Koulechov (born 1994), Israeli-Russian basketball player for Israeli team Ironi Nahariya
Politicians
- Glenn Youngkin (born 1966), 74th Governor of Virginia
Retired numbers
Main article: List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers
Rice University has retired six numbers.
| 29 | Don Lance | 1951–54 |
|---|
References
References
- [https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bellaire/news/article/Rice-retires-jerseys-of-basketball-greats-9808883.php Rice retires jerseys of basketball greats] By: MIKE TENNEY - Nov. 19, 2003
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