How to watch Memphis vs. Rice

Penny Hardaway’s team returns to action Saturday afternoon in its second conference game of the season. The Tigers will travel to Houston and look to improve to 2-0 in conference play over Rice. 

The Owls enter the game with a 6-8 record on the season, and they lost their first conference game by 49 points against Tulsa. Only four of Rice’s six wins are against division one opponents, and they average 74.1 points per game.

Rob Lanier’s team shoots 41.5 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep, and three players average more than 10 points per game. Prairie View A&M transfer Nick Anderson leads the team with 13.9 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game, while Jalen Smith averages 11.9 points per game and shoots 40.8 percent from three-point range.

Trae Broadnax returns after leading the team in scoring last season, and he’s averaging 13.5 points per game.

Rice doesn’t have a ton of size in the frontcourt, and they’ve struggled rebounding in recent games.

Defensively, the Owls allow 74 points per game, and opposing teams are shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from deep. Lanier’s team doesn’t turn the ball over much, averaging only 12.7 turnovers per game, with a 0.6 turnover margin. 

Here’s a look at how to watch Memphis’ game against the Owls:

TV: N/A

Stream: ESPN+

Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis

Line: Memphis -8.5

Time: 2:00 p.m. CT

What to expect from the Tigers against Rice

Memphis struggled offensively in its first conference game of the season, and it’ll need to shoot the ball a lot better going forward. While they shot only 28 percent from three, their biggest concern was the free-throw shooting performance.

The Tigers only shot 27 percent from the charity stripe, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can bounce back on the road.

Penny Hardaway rolled out another different starting lineup against North Texas, and Hardaway will likely go with another starting group on Saturday. Thierno Sylla, who started the previous two games, missed the game against the Mean Green, and it will be interesting to see if he will be available against Rice.

The other major concern in the first conference game came in the turnover category. Memphis finished with 20 turnovers, and they must limit those mistakes moving forward. 

Hardaway’s team has struggled with turnovers over the last few games, and it still feels like the team isn’t on the same page offensively. Multiple times throughout the game, players would stand around instead of moving in the offense. 

The Tigers played well defensively, but a lot of eyes will be on the offensive end of the court on Saturday. Rice ranks No. 262 on KenPom, and this could be a good opportunity for Memphis to gain some confidence early in conference play.