Men's Basketball Opens Conference Play at #22/23 Cincinnati

Tuesday, December 29

Cincinnati, Ohio

3:00 p.m.

Temple University

Cincinnati

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Men's Basketball Opens Conference Play at #22/23 Cincinnati

12.27.15 | Men's Basketball

CINCINNATI - After a 10-day holiday layoff, the Temple men's basketball team (5-5, 0-0) travels to #22/23 Cincinnati (10-3, 0-0) to open American Athletic Conference play against the Bearcats Tuesday afternoon (3:00 pm/ESPN2/1210 AM WPHT).

Headlines
• The Owls most recently defeating Delaware State 78-63 at home on Dec. 19.
• Temple is 21-12 in conference openers dating back to 1982 when the Owls joined the Atlantic 10.
• Temple hit a season-high 30 free throws (30-of-38, 78.9 percent) in its win against Delaware State, with senior Quenton DeCosey making 12-of-15 and junior Josh Brown hitting a perfect 8-of-8. DeCosey recorded his third career double-double in the victory, adding a career-high 12 rebounds to a team-best 20 points.
• Sophomore forward Obi Enechionyia and Brown both recorded their first career double-doubles against Saint Joseph's on Dec. 13. Enechionyia added a career-high 13 rebounds to a career-high 25 points, while Brown grabbed a career-high 12 boards and scored a season-high 13 points.
• As a team, the Owls are leading the nation in fewest turnovers per game at 8.5. They have recorded single digit turnovers in seven of 10 games, tallying as few as five (vs. Delaware on 11/29).
• Temple's first three losses this season were to teams ranked in the Top 25. This season marked the first time in program history the Owls had faced three ranked teams in their first four games.
• DeCosey is Temple's leading scorer this season with 15.1 points per game, ranking seventh in the American Athletic Conference, and has scored in double figures in nine of 10 contests.
• DeCosey is the 51st player in program history to score 1,000 points,surpassing the mark in a win vs. Minnesota on Nov. 19. He has now scored 1,138 career points (40th alltime).
• For a second year in a row, Temple has been picked to finish sixth of 11 teams in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll. Last year, the Owls finished three spots higher in a tie for third.
• Cincinnati, at 10 wins already this season, is ranked 22nd in the AP Poll and 21st in the USA Today Coaches Poll (polls as of 12/21). The Bearcats won seven straight to open their schedule, but have gone 3-3 since with all three losses being to teams ranked in the Top 25 (Butler, Xavier and
Iowa State).
• Four players average between 10 and 12 ppg to lead a balanced
Cincinnati attack. Senior guard Farad Cobb is currently the team leader with 11.8 points per game and a team-best 3-point field goal percentage of .459.

Conference Openers
Since the start of Atlantic 10 play in 1982, Temple is 21-12 all-time in conference openers. The Owls had a record of 20-11 in A-10 openers, and are 1-1 since joining the American Athletic Conference. They lost their first American opener at Rutgers (71-66 on Jan. 1, 2014), but won their second 57-53 at defending NCAA champion UConn on Dec. 31, 2014. When opening conference play on the road since 1982, Temple is 9-7.

Temple vs. Cincinnati
• Temple and Cincinnati are meeting for the 25th time but only the fifth since 2006.
• After an 84-53 loss at Cincinnati on Jan. 17 of this year, the Owls rebounded in a big way with a 75-59 home win against the Bearcats on Feb. 10. Temple's score ended Cincinnati's 28-game streak of holding opponents to under 70, which had been the longest active streak in NCAA Division I.
• The Bearcats had won four straight in the series prior to last year's second match-up.
• Before being members of The American, the last time the teams had met was on Dec. 9, 2006 at the Atlantic City Lenape Trail Classic at Boardwalk Hall. Cincinnati won that game, 80-71.
• Temple had won three contests in a row before 2006, each time
upsetting Cincinnati as the Bearcats were ranked #11, 4 and 1.
• On Feb. 20, 2000, the 15th-ranked Owls upset top-ranked Cincinnati 77-69 on the Bearcats' home court.
• Temple advanced to the Sweet Sixteen on March 14, 1999, after the unranked Owls topped #11 Cincinnati, 77-69 in the NCAA 2nd Round.

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