As both Florida State and Rice try to bounce back from subpar seasons, the two squads will test each other in an early-season contest Saturday night in Houston as part of the Battleground 2k24 Classic.The Seminoles (1-0) won their 20th regular-season opener in coach Leonard Hamilton’s 23-year tenure Monday with a 74-62 win at home over Northern Kentucky.The Owls (1-0) were also victorious on Tuesday night at home when they held off a late rally by FIU for a 77-70 victory.Rice went 11-21 overall last season and went 6-8 in nonconference games. Florida State just barely finished with a winning record, going 17-16.The Seminoles hope they have the right mix of veterans and newcomers to reestablish a program that was in the Elite Eight in 2021 but has missed the NCAA Tournament each of the past three seasons.Senior Jamir Watkins and sophomore Taylor Bol Bowen each had 17 points in the opening-night win. For Watkins, it was his 20th consecutive double-figure scoring game, while for Bol Bowen it was a career high.”I thought we were able to get a lot of guys in the game during critical parts and have input in the game,” Hamilton said. “At one time we had three or four freshmen on the floor gaining some experience.”