10 Copyright (c) 2009 Yahoo!, Inc. All rights reserved. en-us 126 15 http://sports.yahoo.com Yahoo! Sports http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/b/ysp_logo_rss.gif Latest news and information about the Rice Owls. Yahoo! Sports - NCAA Men's Hoops - Rice Owls News http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/teams/rae Rice Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

The Owls had nowhere to go but up after a winless Conference USA season in 2007-08.

But new coach Ben Braun wasn't going to be happy with just a small step forward, so he made sure to push his team, especially on the defensive end. The result was a Rice team that not only finished 4-12 in league play but pulled an opening-round upset in the tournament to notch its 10th overall win.

Beyond the win total was a team that fought hard throughout games, keeping many of their losses close until the very end. Nine of Rice's losses were by single digits.

The future should be even brighter for the Owls. With Braun—who led Eastern Michigan and California to the NCAA Tournament—in charge, the team's defense will become a staple of its future success.

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