If the UTEP men's basketball team hopes to make the Conference USA tournament, Saturday's Haskins Center game against Rice is the type of contest the Miners need to win.
The Owls are 1-6 on the road, they are coming off a blowout loss at UTSA, and they were blown out at home against the North Texas team the Miners took into the final minute Thursday night.
Rice figures to be a team UTEP will be competing against for one of the 12 spots in the tournament, but the Owls already are 2-2 in C-USA against the Miners' 0-3 and at times have been good this season.