Rice at North Texas
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Super Pit, Denton
Records: UNT 8-5, 4-1 C-USA; Rice 10-7, 4-5 C-USA
Last game: UNT 79, Rice 74
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Mean Green Learfield IMG College
Projected UNT starting lineup:
PG: Javion Hamlet, 6-4, Sr. — Hamlet scored a career high 30 points in UNTs win over Rice in the opener of the teams' two-game series. The senior went 9 of 16 from the field and made all but one of his 11 free throws. Hamlet is averaging 14.1 points and 5.1 assists per game.
G: Mardrez McBride, 6-2, Jr. — McBride bounced back from a scoreless game in UNT's win over UTEP to score 12 points in the opener of the Mean Green's series against Rice. The junior hit a key 3 late in the second half after Rice had pulled within a point. He is averaging 8.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
G: James Reese, 6-4, Sr. — Reese scored eight points and hit a pair of 3s in UNT's win over Rice. The senior has hit a three in all but one of UNT's games this season. He took a hard fall late in Friday's game but is expected to be ready to play on Sunday. Reese is averaging 10.5 points per game and leads UNT with 17 steals.
F: Thomas Bell, 6-6, Sr. — Bell hit all four of the shots he took from the field in UNT's win over Rice on his way to finishing with eight points and six rebounds. The senior is averaging 9.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
F: Zachary Simmons, 6-10, Sr. — Simmons scored 16 points and and grabbed seven rebounds in a terrific all-around game in UNT's win over Rice in the opener of the series. The senior went 6 of 11 from the field and hit all four of his free throws. Simmons is averaging 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Scouting Rice:
Rice has quickly seen its season spiral down after a 4-1 start in C-USA play. The Owls have lost four straight and are under .500 in conference play for the first time all season. Rice struggled to find good shots and hang on to the ball against a UNT team that prides itself on defense. The Owls turned the ball over 18 times. Guards Travis Evee and Quincy Olivari are averaging 15.9 and 15.6 points per game, respectively, to lead Rice.
What you need to know:
UNT will look to complete a two-game sweep of Rice on Sunday in a series that was pushed back a day by coronavirus concerns at Rice.
Hamlet was terrific in the opener of the series and continues to show why he is a threat to be named C-USA's Player of the Year for the second straight season.
UNT is the defending C-USA regular season champion and is looking to keep pace with UAB heading into Sunday's game against the Owls.
The Blazers are 6-1 in C-USA play and atop the C-USA West Division standings. UAB will face Middle Tennessee on Sunday in Birmingham, Alabama.
UNT's schedule will get a whole lot tougher over the next few weeks, when the Mean Green will host Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky.
Completing the sweep would give UNT momentum heading into its series against Louisiana Tech next week.
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January 31, 2021 at 04:01AM
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Chalk talk -- Rice at North Texas: Mean Green aim to complete sweep - Denton Record Chronicle
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