PEPPERDINE AT RICE
Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Site: Tudor Fieldhouse (Houston, Texas)
Time: 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT
Video: ESPN+
Audio: WaveCasts
Series: Pepperdine leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Waves 77, Owls 64 (12/23/1981 in Malibu)

PEPPERDINE WAVES
2020-21 Record: 15-12
    WCC Record: 7-6 (3rd)
    Away Record: 3-5
Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar
Website: www.PepperdineWaves.com
Twitter: @PeppBasketball

RICE OWLS
2020-21 Record: 15-13
    C-USA Record: 6-10 (6th West)
    Home Record: 9-3
Head Coach: Scott Pera
Website: www.RiceOwls.com
Twitter: @RiceMBB

WAVEPOINTS
• The 84th season in Pepperdine men's basketball history begins on the road with Tuesday's game at Rice.
• Pepperdine and Rice are meeting for just the fourth time overall, and for the first time in nearly 40 years.
• The Waves are looking to win a season opener that takes place on the road for the first time since 1997.
• Lorenzo Romar begins his 25th season as a college head coach. It's his fourth season this time around at Pepperdine, and his seventh overall with the Waves.
• With two more shot attempts, Victor Ohia Obioha will qualify for Pepperdine's all-time field goal percentage list. Orlando Phillips made 65.4% of his shots and Ohia Obioha is currently at 65.2%.
• Jan Zidek, the team's top returning scorer at 9.4 points per game, was part of the Czech Republic National Team's camp prior to the Olympics this summer.
• Keith Fisher III had a nice debut in the exhibition at Point Loma Nazarene, posting team highs of 14 points and nine rebounds.
• The Waves are one of just a few teams coming into the season on a winning streak, having been victorious in their final three games of 2020-21 en route to the CBI title.
• Pepperdine has eight returners back from last season, and has added eight newcomers.
• Returning players account for 35.6% of last year's points, 41.4% of the rebounds, 24.8% of the assists and 38.5% of the minutes.
• So far, the Waves have six national TV games scheduled, with two on the ESPN family of networks and four on the CBS Sports Network.
• Pepperdine returns home to play the next three games in Firestone Fieldhouse, with the home opener on Friday (Nov. 12) against Idaho State, followed by Utah Valley (Nov. 15) and UC Davis (Nov. 17).

WAVECASTS — Tuesday's game can be listened to online via WaveCasts at PepperdineWaves.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, a 2015 Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame inductee who is now in his 37th season, will be behind the microphone. This will be his 1,096th consecutive men's basketball broadcast for the Waves.

WATCH — Tuesday's game will be streamed via ESPN+. A subscription is required. David Saltzman and Daniel Ewing are the broadcasters.

HOME GAME TICKET POLICIES — Due to L.A. County health rules, proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the 72 hours prior to an event is required to attend Pepperdine home men's basketball games. Tickets are available via e-ticket ONLY and must be purchased online before arriving onto campus. Single-game non-conference tickets cost $25 for reserved, $15 for general admission, $12 for child general admission and $10 for groups. To purchase e-tickets and/or read the spectator guidelines and COVID-19 policies, visit: https://gowav.es/WavesTix. Due to campus construction, nearby parking may be limited and guests are advised to arrive early.

PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.