Houston, TX -- (Sports Network) - The third-ranked Texas Longhorns will battle in-state foe Rice this afternoon in a non-conference clash from Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston.

The Longhorns have posted a 93-11 record against in-state rivals during the Rick Barnes era, impressive to say the least. They have opened this season with four consecutive victories, the fifth time in the last eight years they have accomplished that feat. All four wins thus far have come by double figures, including a 78-62 romp over Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

As for Rice, it opened the season with three straight wins before dropping a rather lopsided decision to Arizona. Fortunately, the Owls were able to bounce back with a 77-65 victory over Furman on Tuesday, and all four of their wins have come in home games.

Texas owns a commanding 132-59 series advantage over Rice, which includes a 77-56 romp over the Owls last season.

Texas had five players score in double figures against Pittsburgh on Tuesday, and the team connected on 52.7 percent of its field goal attempts. Damion James led the way with 20 points and nine rebounds, while J'Covan Brown contributed 12 points. Dexter Pittman, Avery Bradley and Dogus Balbay posted 10 points apiece for the 'Horns, who limited the Panthers to 40 percent shooting. James is scoring 17.3 ppg on 59 percent shooting from the floor, and he is ripping down 10.8 rpg as well. Pittman adds 13.8 ppg and 5.5 rpg, while Brown averages 12.3 ppg. Texas has been absolutely dominant thus far, racking up 81.2 ppg while limiting opponents to 51.2 ppg. The club is shooting 54.6 percent from the field, and it is even more impressive that opponents are able to connect on only 31.0 percent of their attempts from the floor.

Considering that Rice shot 52.7 percent from the floor against Furman while racking up 17 assists against only nine turnovers, it is somewhat surprising that the Owls didn't win Tuesday's game by a wider margin. They limited the Paladins to 38.5 percent field goal efficiency and even earned a 35-28 rebounding edge. Trey Stanton led Rice with 23 points off the bench, and he also ripped down nine rebounds. Tamir Jackson scored 10 points for the Owls, who are averaging 67.6 ppg while yielding just 59.4 ppg on 38.0 percent shooting from the field to their opponents. Connor Frizzelle is netting 12.0 ppg, and Jackson brings 10.4 ppg to the floor.