Temple Owls
Atlantic 10 (24-7, 13-3)
Temple finally won an NCAA Tournament game last season after a ten year drought. Coach Fran Dunphy has this program back where it belongs near the top of the Atlantic 10 conference on a consistent basis. This Owls team has been terribly inconsistent due to a variety of injuries, but they have won some big games…most notably against Duke.
Big Wins: 11/20 vs Wichita State (78-74), 1/4 Duke (78-73), 1/11 at Saint Louis (72-67)
Bad Losses: 11/27 at Bowling Green (64-67), 1/7 Dayton (77-87), 1/14 at Richmond (65-76)
Coach: Fran Dunphy (6 seasons at Temple)
Why They Can Surprise:
The backcourt is full of talent. Juan Fernandez is a fine ballhandler and defender, but he can score too. Most of his Fernandez’s offense will come from behind the arc, but he is not opposed to stopping in the paint and knocking down the mid-range jumper either. Fellow guards Ramone Moore and Khalif Wyatt are the more dynamic scorers. Moore and Wyatt are both dangerous outside shooters who will also attack the basket. Wyatt went from a bench player in 2010-2011 to a star in 2011-2012. The 6-4 sophomore is a great defender and could be the x-factor for the Owls during the tournament. T.J. DiLeo is a nice reserve guard to have. He is a hustler who can simply make plays. Aaron Brown, a 6-5 sophomore, is the perimeter bench play who can provide an offensive spark. He can get up and down the floor in a hurry and excels on the run. And like the rest of the backcourt, he is a consistent outside shooter too.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The concern for Temple has always been the frontcourt. The year started off on a down note when 6-6 forward Scootie Randall went out for the season before even playing a game. That left the oft-injured Micheal Eric to lead the unit. But he too missed much of this season. Without Randall and Eric, junior Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson and freshman Anthony Lee had to play a lot of minutes. Hollis-Jefferson emerged as a decent scorer around the basket and Lee can at least block some shots and fight for rebounds. Eric is back and the 6-11 senior has taken over the frontcourt duties. This is a team that has pretty bad rebounding numbers, but much of the season was spent without Eric on the floor. In the long run, the frontcourt has a lot more experience now since Lee was thrown into the fire and Hollis-Jefferson was forced to become a scoring threat in the paint. Now the Owls have three bodies that can play in the paint, but depth and injuries are still a concern.
Probable Starters:
Juan Fernandez, Senior, Guard, 11.4 ppg, 3.9 apg
Khalif Wyatt, Junior, Guard, 17.1 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.2 spg
Ramone Moore, Senior, Guard, 17.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.5 apg
Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, Junior, Forward, 9.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg
Micheal Eric, Senior, Center, 9.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.0 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Aaron Brown, Sophomore, Guard, 6.6 ppg
T.J. DiLeo, Junior, Guard, 2.9 ppg
Anthony Lee, Freshman, Forward, 5.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.2 (27th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.7 (242, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.2 (36, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.7 (203, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.3 (75, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 40.2 (8, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.6 (83, 4)
Rebound Margin: 0.9 (160, 7)
Assists Per Game: 15.5 (22, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.2 (58, 4)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Temple 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Penn State
Temple 2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to San Diego State
Temple 2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Cornell
Temple 2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Arizona State
Temple 2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Michigan State
Temple 2001 NCAA Round of 64 win over Texas
Temple 2001 NCAA Round of 32 win over Florida
Temple 2001 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Penn State
Temple 2001 NCAA Regional Final loss to Michigan State
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
