Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders @ Rice Owls
Upshaw scores 20, leads Middle Tennessee past Rice, 80-77
HOUSTON -- Reggie Upshaw scored 20 points and Giddy Potts hit two free throws with a second left to polish off Middle Tennessee's 80-77 victory to spoil Rice's Conference USA home opener Thursday night.
Connor Cashaw's jumper with 2:32 left pulled Rice even, 69-69, but Upshaw hit two free throws to give the Blue Raiders the lead for good with two minutes left.
Middle Tennessee (12-3, 2-0) hit 30 of 60 shots from the field, including 9 of 17 from long range. JaCorey Williams added 19 points and Potts contributed another 17.
Egor Koulechov scored 31 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds to lead Rice (11-5, 1-2), with Marcus Evans adding another 23. The Owls shot 25 of 53 from the field (47.2 percent), including 9 of 20 shots from beyond the three-point arc, but the team committed 14 turnovers.
Koulechov leads Conference USA in scoring at 185 points per game.
Game Information
Houston, TX
Referee:Don Daily
Referee:Kipp Kissinger
Referee:Raymie Styons
2025-26 Standings
| Conference USA | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 17-3 | - | 26-8 |
| Sam Houston | 13-7 | 4 | 22-12 |
| Louisiana Tech | 11-9 | 6 | 20-14 |
| Western Kentucky | 11-9 | 6 | 18-14 |
| Middle Tennessee | 11-9 | 6 | 17-15 |
| Kennesaw State | 10-10 | 7 | 21-14 |
| Jacksonville State | 10-10 | 7 | 15-17 |
| New Mexico State | 8-12 | 9 | 16-16 |
| Missouri State | 8-12 | 9 | 16-18 |
| Florida International | 8-12 | 9 | 15-17 |
| UTEP | 7-13 | 10 | 11-20 |
| Delaware | 6-14 | 11 | 10-21 |
| American Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Florida | 15-3 | - | 25-9 |
| Tulsa | 13-5 | 2 | 30-8 |
| Wichita State | 13-5 | 2 | 24-12 |
| UAB | 11-7 | 4 | 20-12 |
| North Texas | 9-9 | 6 | 19-14 |
| Florida Atlantic | 9-9 | 6 | 18-15 |
| Charlotte | 9-9 | 6 | 17-17 |
| Tulane | 8-10 | 7 | 18-15 |
| Temple | 8-10 | 7 | 16-16 |
| Memphis | 8-10 | 7 | 13-19 |
| Rice | 7-11 | 8 | 13-18 |
| East Carolina | 6-12 | 9 | 11-20 |
| UTSA | 1-17 | 14 | 5-25 |
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