Temple Owls
American (21-11, 14-4)
Temple got off to a very slow start against a very tough schedule. At one point they were sitting at 4-5 and any NCAA hopes seemed like a long shot. But the Owls kept chipping away and played quite well in AAC play, especially at home. It was the Owls who were able to beat the better teams in the conference, most notably Connecticut twice, Cincinnati twice and SMU in their lone meeting.
Big Wins: 12/29 at Cincinnati (77-70), 1/5 at Connecticut (55-53), 1/24 SMU (89-80)
Bad Losses: 1/2 Houston (50-77), 1/13 at Memphis (65-67), 1/27 at East Carolina (61-64)
Coach: Fran Dunphy
Why They Can Surprise:
Temple is all about taking care of the ball and that is why they can pull off road wins at places like Connecticut and Cincinnati. The team commits just 9.2 turnovers per game, which is the third fewest in the country. Point guard Josh Brown does a great job of taking care of the ball and commits just 1.3 turnovers per game. The 6-3 junior also averages 8.1 points, 4.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds. Quenton DeCosey is a solid ball handler from the shooting guard spot and that certainly helps keep the turnovers down. DeCosey is also the team’s top scorer and will attack the basket very effectively and knock down some long range shots. Obi Enechionyia, a 6-9 forward, and Devin Coleman, a reserve senior guard, are also major threats from beyond the arc.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The problem is DeCosey is the only player who gets to the line on a regular basis and the team is very reliant on the three-point shot. The team as a whole shoots 40.5 percent from the floor, ranking dead last in the AAC. The offense can have long scoreless droughts and they usually will not break those droughts by getting easy buckets off of turnovers or at the charity stripe. And that makes it very tough for Temple to come from behind. They have to rely on their defense and their ability to avoid turnovers to stay in the game. And after that, it might just come down to a clutch shot from DeCosey.
Probable Starters:
Josh Brown, Junior, Guard, 8.1 ppg, 4.9 apg, 4.7 rpg
Quenton DeCosey, Senior, Guard, 15.6 ppg, 2.6 apg, 6.0 rpg
Daniel Dingle, Junior, Guard, 4.5 ppg, 1.5 apg
Jaylen Bond, Senior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg
Obi Enechionyia, Sophomore, Forward, 11.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Levan Shawn Alston, Freshman, Guard, 2.1 ppg
Devin Coleman, Senior, Guard, 9.3 ppg, 1.0 apg
Trey Lowe, Freshman, Guard, 4.8 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.5 (269th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.3 (69, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 40.5 (316, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.2 (66, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.9 (88, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.2 (190, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.0 (202, 7)
Rebound Margin: -1.6 (245, 9)
Assists Per Game: 13.5 (163, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.2 (3, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NIT First Round win over Bucknell
2015 NIT Second Round win over George Washington
2015 NIT Quarterfinal win over Louisiana Tech
2015 NIT Semifinal loss to Miami (FL)
2013 NCAA Second Round win over North Carolina State
2013 NCAA Third Round loss to Indiana
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to South Florida
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Penn State
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to San Diego State
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Cornell
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Arizona State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Michigan State
2006 NIT Opening round loss to Akron
*all team stats through 3/6
