Houston @ Rice preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 14, 2018 ) Rice 68, Houston 79

Houston looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season Tuesday when it visits cross-town rival Rice. The Cougars fell at home to BYU on Friday, while the Owls come into this game on a four-game winning streak, edging past UC Santa Barbara 82-81 on the road Saturday.

Houston sports a balanced scoring attack early in the season with junior forward Fabian White Jr. and freshman Caleb Mills each scoring 12 points per game to lead the way. The backcourt combo of Quentin Grimes and DeJon Jarreau are contributing 11.5 and 10.5 points, respectively, for the Cougars. Sophomore guard Trey Murphy III has paced the Rice attack this season, averaging team highs with 15.2 points, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks. Senior guard Ako Adams is scoring 9.8 points and leading the Owls with 3.4 assists.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT HOUSTON (1-1): The Cougars lost to BYU, but coach Kelvin Sampson can take solace in the fact that his team fought back from a 14-point first-half deficit and didn't lead in the second half until there was 1:25 remaining. Houston may have stayed unbeaten if not for a traveling call in the final seconds on a steal by Nate Hinton gave the Cougars one more chance at a game-winning shot, which TJ Haws sank at the buzzer. Sampson came into this season knowing he had a young team that would be a little raw early in the season, but even the narrow loss has to give the veteran coach some hope for the team's future.

ABOUT RICE (4-1): After scoring 43 points in its season opener, Rice has found its offense over the last four games, averaging 76.8 points and hitting 44.6 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from 3-point range. Not that it's been perfect, with the Owls having to rally from a 22-point deficit against UC Santa Barbara after scoring 27 points in the first half. Things changed after halftime, though, as Rice shot 76 percent from the field, including 66.7 percent from 3-point range, and scored 55 points in pulling out the one-point win.

TIP-INS

1. Rice G/F Drew Peterson notched a career-high six assists against UC Santa Barbara.

2. The 6-5 Hinton has been a monster on the boards for the Cougars through two games, leading the team with 7.5 rebounds per game.

3. Houston has dominated the series between the former Conference USA and Southwest Conference rivals 63-18, winning the last five meetings.

PREDICTION: Houston 78, Rice 72