UH, Rice see silver lining despite season's struggles

Rice coach Mike Rhoades and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson knew exactly what they were getting into when they accepted jobs last offseason.

Rhoades took over a Rice team that was not suited for the style of basketball he wanted to play and had won only three conference games the previous two seasons.

"It was the hand that was dealt," Rhoades said.

Across town, Sampson inherited a roster that was gutted by transfers, among them the two best players, and had to rush just to find bodies following his hiring in April.

"This year was going to be the toughest year," Sampson said. "I'm going to be at Houston a lot of years, and this was going to be the hardest, toughest year."

Rebuilding efforts

Rice and Houston meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hofheinz Pavilion. For now, the game represents another step - as each school looks to change the direction and culture of its program - rather than a matchup of former conference rivals.

"When you are rebuilding like Mike is at Rice and we are here at Houston, I don't know if the rivalry is as important as building your program," Sampson said. "I don't know if we are good enough to worry about a rivalry game yet. Hopefully, we will pretty soon. Right now, it's about us taking another step."

UH (7-12) has not won in a month, a span of eight consecutive defeats. Four of the losses have been by seven or fewer points, the kinds of close games that can be used as teaching tools for a team in transition.

"We've had our moments," Sampson said. "We don't have anything to show for it in terms of tangibly with a win, but our team is getting better."

When Rhoades arrived at Rice, following a successful five seasons as an assistant at Virginia Commonwealth, he said the plan was to "change everything we do" in the program.

"You either accept it or don't be a part of it," he added. "From day one, guys have been very accepting of the change, especially the older guys."

Like UH, Rice (6-12) has lost close games, including on the road against nationally ranked Texas after trailing by a point with four minutes remaining.

"I think a lot of people thought it was going to just be a wash of a year - and it's been the total opposite," Rhoades said.

Playing for long haul

For better or worse, Rice and UH share similarities. Both teams rely heavily on the 3-point shot, with the Owls ranking 21st in the nation with an average 8.83 per game; the Cougars are 25th at 8.4. Meanwhile, both teams offer little in terms of inside presence: 6-10, 260-pound sophomore Andrew Drone is still developing for the Owls, while the Cougars counter with Danrad "Chicken" Knowles, who, at 6-10 and 190 pounds, has been forced to play out of position.

In the meantime, both coaches plan to use the remaining five weeks of the regular season to teach and develop their players and to recruit the type of player who fits their respective styles.

During a trip to Dallas last week, Sampson had a chance to talk with Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown. Brown struggled in his first season at SMU, but he led the Mustangs to a runner-up finish in last year's postseason NIT and briefly had them ranked early this season.

"I think we're going to follow a very similar path," Sampson said.