Rice (8-3, 2-1) vs. UTEP (6-3, 2-1)
Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas; Saturday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: UTEP goes for the season sweep over Rice after winning the previous matchup in El Paso. The teams last went at it on Jan. 8, when the Miners created 11 Rice turnovers and turned the ball over just four times en route to a 12-point victory.
SENIOR STUDS: UTEP’s Souley Boum, Bryson Williams and Tydus Verhoeven have combined to account for 53 percent of the team’s scoring this season, including 49 percent of all Miners points over the last five games.
RAMP IT UP A NOTCH: The Miners have scored 81.3 points per game across three conference games, an improvement from the 66 per game they managed in non-conference play.
CREATING OFFENSE: Jamal Bieniemy has either made or assisted on 50 percent of all UTEP field goals over the last three games. Bieniemy has accounted for 25 field goals and 20 assists in those games.
WINNING WHEN: The Miners are 5-0 when they block at least three opposing shots and 1-3 when they fall shy of that mark. The Owls are 5-0 when recording at least 11 offensive rebounds and 3-3 when they fall short of that total.
STREAK SCORING: UTEP has won its last four home games, scoring an average of 91 points while giving up 73.5.
DID YOU KNOW: UTEP has turned the ball over on just 13.9 percent of its possessions this season, which is the 10th-lowest rate among all Division I teams. The Miners have turned the ball over only 10 times per game this season and just six times per game over their last three games.
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