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Texas returns home, hosts Rice

Nov 30, 2008 - 8:13 AM Rice (2-3) at No. 7 Texas (4-1) 3:00 p.m. EST

AUSTIN, Texas (Ticker) -- Following a third-place finish in the Maui Invitational, Sunday should serve as a brief respite on an otherwise challenging slate for seventh-ranked Texas.

The seventh-ranked Longhorns host in-state rival Rice before a pair of matchups with Top 25 teams later this week.

Texas bounced back from its first loss, defeating Oregon, 70-57, in the consolation game in Hawaii. Damion James had 21 points and 12 rebounds while Justin Mason scored 18.

The Longhorns had hoped to face top-ranked North Carolina in the championship game, but fell to Notre Dame, 81-80, in the semifinals. A.J. Abrams scored a team-high 23, but shot just 8-of-27 from the field as Texas' comeback effort fell up short.

It trailed by eight with a minute to go and a pair of 3-pointers from Abrams and another from Mason cut the lead to one before time expired.

After its matchup with the Owls, the Longhorns will take on UCLA and Villanova, both of which are currently ranked in the Top 25.

Rice is led by Cory Pflieger, who is the only player averaging double-digit points with 10.4 a game. Aleks Perka and Connor Frizzelle have added nine apiece per contest.

The Owls lost their last contest, 61-53, to Lamar. They were outrebounded, 45-33, and managed to shoot just 29 percent (18-of-62) from the field.