Texas Tech reportedly shows interest in starting guard from Sweet 16 team

Now that college basketball players are flooding into the transfer portal, the process of putting together the next Texas Tech roster has already taken center stage. One name to watch is that of Rodney Rice, who has reportedly heard from the Red Raiders (according to a post on X by Sam Kayser of 247Sports).

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 13.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game in 2024-25 while helping Maryland (his home-state school) reach the Sweet 16. Of course, the Terrapins came within one game of facing the Red Raiders in the Elite Eight when they lost to Florida in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in a game that took place right before Tech took on Arkansas. Thus, some people on the Red Raider staff might have had an opportunity to see Rice play in person in San Francisco.

In that game, he put up 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists. That came on the heels of a 16-point, four-rebound performance against Colorado State in the second round.

Just a sophomore this past season, he had 26 double-digit scoring efforts in 2024-25. That included a 26-point, two-assist game against NCAA Tournament team Illinois, a 23-point game against Indiana, and a 20-point outburst against Elite Eight team Michigan State.

Now, though, he is exploring his options, and that could be because of a coaching change at Maryland. The man Rice played for the past two seasons, Kevin Willard, has left to take the head coaching job at Villanova. Now, it is being reported that Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams is headed to Maryland to be Willard's replacement.

Thus, amid all the coach shuffling, Rice is keeping his options open. One option might be to join the Red Raiders, with whom he might be a perfect fit.

This season, Rice shot 37.4% from 3-point range. He made 93 shots from beyond the arc in total, and in 14 games, he made three shots or more from deep.

That ability to knock down 3-pointers has to be attractive to Texas Tech, which is being forced to replace three of its top four players in terms of the number of 3s made in 2024-25 (Chance McMillian, Kerwin Walton, and Elijah Hawkins).

So keep an eye on Rice and his recruitment because he is the type of guard that Tech will be looking to add this offseason. He's a high-volume 3-point sniper, and there is no doubt that the Red Raiders will add at least one of those this offseason.