SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men’s basketball team (5-24, 1-16 AMER) will close the 2025-26 season on the road Sunday at Tudor Fieldhouse, set for the long-standing rivalry game in the rematch with the Rice Owls (12-18, 6-11 AMER). Sunday’s 28th meeting between the Roadrunners and Owls will tip off at 2 p.m. and is set for broadcast on ESPN+.
On the Air and on the Web
Sunday’s 2 p.m. tipoff with the Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse will air live on ESPN+, featuring Randy McIIvoy (play-by-play), Jason Metko (analyst) and Abby Christopherson (reporter) on the broadcast call.
The radio broadcast will appear on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket with Andy Everett (play-by-play) covering the game from Tudor. The broadcast will feature a 30-minute pregame and 15-minute postgame show – available online at Ticket760.com or via the free iHeartRadio app.
Rice Athletics will also provide Live Stats.
About the UTSA Roadrunners
The Roadrunners saw a pair of setbacks last week, after Wichita State pulled away in the second half as a response to Jamir Simpson twice rallying UTSA to a six-point game. Before that, East Carolina squeezed past UTSA on last-second free throws to deal the Roadrunners a one-point loss. The Roadrunners have been playing with a shortened bench lately and may be facing the same in Houston. UTSA averages 69.4 ppg on 40.0 shooting, reaching at least 41.5 percent in five of the last eight outings. A team looking to run when the opportunity avails, the Roadrunners tally 11.6 ppg off the fast break and collect 35.9 rpg with an American-third 4.4 bpg.
Scoring his 2,000th collegiate point against the Shockers, Simpson looks to end his career on a highlight performance, in search of his fourth straight 20+ point outing (and 13th of the season) to bolster his current average of 16.3 ppg – which ranks seventh in the American. Second among active players, Brent Moss averages 9.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg, putting up double-figures in three of the last five games. Tying Simpson for UTSA’s top perimeter shooter, Dorian Hayes is averaging 8.8 ppg and has logged 53 triples on the season. Coming in third among active scorers, Baboucarr Njie put up 21 against Wichita State and averages 9.2 ppg and a team-high 5.3 rpg, ranking fourth in the American and 59th nationally at 1.6 bpg.
About the Rice Owls
Coming into the weekend at 6-11 in conference play and fighting for one of the remaining slots in the American Conference tournament, the Owls have fallen in four of the last five games – closing their season on Sunday with Senior Day. The Owls keep the tempo slowed, ranking 280th in pace of play with 9.9 fast break points a game, scoring 73.7 ppg on 42.1 percent shooting – going heavy on the perimeter with 25.9 threes per game and 35.3 percent shooting. On the boards, Rice averages 37.7 rpg and blocks 3.9 shots per game.
Pacing Rice, second-year grad guard Trae Broadnax puts up 15.7 ppg on 43.8 shooting and paced the Owls in the first meeting with the Roadrunners on 20 points and 7-of-11 shooting. Transfer guard Nick Anderson isn’t far behind at 15.4 ppg, tag-teaming with Broadnax and Jalen Smith (12.1 ppg) to produce 70.4 percent of Rice’s threes. The Owls’ rebounding effort is spread among the roster, with Broadnax leading at 5.2 rpg and also topping the team in assists (3.2 apg), ahead of Jimmy Oladokun, Jr. (5.0 rpg) and Stephen Giwa (4.7 rpg).
Series History
With the 28th meeting on tap, the Roadrunners are looking to even the season series after falling to the Owls at home on Jan. 14, 73-89 at the Convo. Rice was shooting hot to open the game against an ice-cold UTSA effort, but Broadnax provided an answer every rally opportunity the Roadrunners saw. UTSA swept the Owls last season, have won three of the last five and are 15-12 in the series, raining threes on Rice in the last visit to Tudor Fieldhouse. UTSA has won in each of the last two trips to Houston.
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