Temple University Athletics
Temple University
Penn
Men's Basketball Opens Season Monday At Penn
11.12.11 | Men's Basketball
Owls face Quakers in rare November meeting
Live Video | Live Stats | Game Notes
PHILADELPHIA - Temple opens its 2011-12 men's basketball season this Monday (7:00 p.m./1210 AM WPHT) at The Palestra against Philadelphia Big 5 rival Penn. It marks the earliest meeting between two Big 5 schools and also the first time the Owls have opened a season against the Quakers since Nov. 28, 1989 when 16th-ranked Temple edged Penn, 55-54, at The Palestra. The only other November meeting between the two schools came in 1998 when then Penn coach Fran Dunphy led his charges to a stunning 73-70 overtime decision over the 7th-ranked Owls at The Palestra.
Dunphy, now in his sixth year as Temple's coach, will be looking for his fourth-straight season-opening victory. The Owls return four senior starters from last year's squad that posted a 26-8 record en route to a fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Temple sports one of the top backcourts in the country in returning all-Atlantic 10 Conference performers, Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez. The team's top scorer last season (15.2 ppg.), Moore doubled his scoring output from his sophomore campaign, and proved deadly from long-range, draining 41 three-pointers. Fernandez, who will forever be linked to his last second shot that bested Penn State in a thrilling 66-64 NCAA second round win, led TU in assists (117) while ranking second in three-pointers (50) and third in scoring (11.2 ppg.).
Returning in the frontcourt are starters, 6-11 graduate student Micheal Eric and 6-6 forward Scootie Randall, who will be looking to rebound from season-ending injuries last February. Eric, who suffered a fractured right patella (2/15), averaged career bests in scoring (7.1 ppg.) and rebounding (5.9 rpg,) ;ast season. Randall (10.7 ppg.), the Atlantic 10 and Big 5 Most Improved Player, suffered an injury to his right foot last season and will miss the first part of 2011-12 as he is recovering from knee surgery performed in June.
Junior Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson (5.6 ppg., 5.3 rpg.), who started the final 10 games last season, will take over as a full-time starter in 2011-12. Sophomore Aaron Brown will vie for the other starting slot along with juniors T.J. DiLeo and Khalif Wyatt. Brown started the final nine games, averaging 3.3 points in a solid rookie campaign. DiLeo (2.2 ppg.) provided steady play off the bench, playing in 33 games and averaging 13 minutes per contest while Wyatt, the A-10 Sixth Man of the Year, averaged 10.1 points while hitting a team-best 42.1 percent (48-114) from three-point range. Redshirt freshman Anthony Lee, named to the preseason all-Atlantic 10 Rookie team, is expected to add depth in the front court.
Under the direction of third-year head coach Jerome Allen, Penn returns three of its top four scorers from last season, including two 1000-point scorers in seniors Zack Rosen and Tyler Bernardini. Rosen, who scored 26 in Penn's season opening win Saturday at UMBC, led the Quakers in scoring last season with a 14.2 average while Bernandini was right behind at 12.9 points per game. Sophomore guard Miles Cartwright is coming off a solid rookie campaign where he averaged double figures at 11.7 points per game.
Temple leads the series, 44-22, and has won the last four meetings.
