Temple University Athletics
Friday, March 11
Orlando, Fla.
12:00 p.m.
Temple University
vs
USF (American Quarterfinals)
Top-Seeded Men's Basketball Set For Conference Tournament Action
3.8.16 | Men's Basketball
ORLANDO - Tournament play begins Friday, March 11 for Temple men's basketball, regular season champs in the American Athletic Conference. The top-seeded Owls (20-10) are awaiting the result of a Thursday first-round game between #8 seed East Carolina (12-19) and #9 seed USF (7-24). Orlando's Amway Center is the site of all the American Tournament action, and Friday's contest is set for noon (ESPN2 / 1210 AM WPHT).
Headlines
• With the Owls' win at Tulane last Sunday, they earned the American Athletic Conference regular season title outright with a record of 14-4. Temple's previous win, a 72-62 home victory over Memphis on March 3, had already clinched the #1 seed for the Owls in the tournament.
• Temple's regular season conference title is its first since 2012 in the Atlantic 10, and its 11th all-time shared or outright regular season conference title since joining the A-10 in the 1982-83 season.
• Senior guard Quenton DeCosey has been named a unanimous selection to the 2015-16 American Athletic Conference First Team. DeCosey is Temple's leading scorer with 15.9 points per game, ranking fourth in the conference, and has scored in double figures in 27 of 30 contests. He has scored 1,459 points to tie for 22nd all-time in program history. When he scores at least 15 points, the Owls are 14-1 this season.
• Sophomore Obi Enechionyia, who is averaging 15.5 ppg over the last 12 games, led Temple with 18 points in the Tulane win. Senior Jaylen Bond notched his ninth double-double with 10 points and a season-high 16 rebounds.
• Enechionyia hit 6-of-9 from long range en route to a career-high 26 points in a win at Houston on Feb. 21, and has been the Owls' leading scorer in four of the last five games.
• With 8.3 rebounds per game, Bond leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference.
• Temple's win at Tulane was its 20th of the season, marking the 36th time in program history the team has won at least 20 games. Head coach Fran Dunphy has now led the Owls to eight 20-win seasons in his 10 years at the helm.
• Five players scored in double figures in the Memphis win, as the Owls achieved that feat for a second time this season after also doing so in a win vs. USF on Feb. 14. Leading the way was Bond who scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.
• The Owls have won three in a row, with the first being a nail-biter, 63-61 against UCF on Feb. 27. Senior Quenton DeCosey drained a 15-foot jumper with three seconds remaining to break a tie and lift the Owls to victory.
• The Owls finished the regular season with 11 home wins, and have now won 10 or more games at home in eight of the last nine seasons.Â
• Overall, the Owls have won 12 of their last 15 games including a streak of five straight, and they have a 7-2 record against the next five teams in the conference standings.
• With a win vs. #8 SMU on Jan. 24, Temple has now taken down a Top 10 team in seven of the last eight seasons.
• The Owls rank third in the nation in fewest turnovers per game at 9.2. They have recorded single digit turnovers in 18 of 30 games, tallying as few as five (vs. Delaware on Nov. 29, at USF on Jan. 31 and vs. Memphis on March 3).
• With 7.9 made three-pointers per game, Temple leads all teams in the American Athletic Conference.
• The Owls have three regular-season wins over Top 25 teams, the most since 1999-00. This season also marks the first since 1998 that the Owls have beaten two Top 25 opponents on the road. Temple has beaten at least one ranked opponent for nine straight seasons.
Temple vs. East Carolina
• Temple and East Carolina have met four times after beginning the all-time series last season. The Owls are 3-1 after winning the first three meetings but losing 64-61 at ECU on Jan. 27.
• The Owls swept the series last year and won 78-60 at home earlier this season on Jan. 9.
• In 2014-15, Temple earned a 66-53 victory at home on Feb. 14, and followed it up with a 70-56 win on the road on March 5.
• ECU head coach Jeff Lebo is 2-3 all-time against Temple, with the two wins coming in 2004-05 and 2005-06 while he was head coach at Auburn.
Temple vs. USF
• Temple and USF have met seven times, with the Owls leading 5-2 in the all-time series.
• The Owls have won five in a row including a regular season sweep this season with a 70-63 win on January 31 at USF and a 77-65 win at home on Feb. 14. Temple senior Quenton DeCosey scored a career-high 30 points in the firsts of those victories for the Owls, while senior Jaylen Bond and sophomore Obi Enechionyia scored 18 points apiece in the second win.
• Temple won both meetings last season. The Owls won 73-48 on Jan. 22 at home, and later won 61-48 at USF on Feb. 4.
• The teams split meetings in 2013-14, with each winning on the other's home court. On Jan. 9, USF used a late run to beat the Owls 82-75 in Philadelphia. Two months later on March 8, Temple edged the Bulls 66-65 in Tampa after a thrilling comeback over the last eight and a half minutes.
• The first meeting in the series was three years ago in the NCAA Second Round at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. The Bulls won by a score of 58-44 after trailing Temple 19-15 at halftime.
• The NCAA win was an upset for the Bulls, who were seeded 12th against the fifth-seeded Owls.
Tournament Tidbits
• The Owls are playing in their third American Athletic Conference Tournament after 30 years of Atlantic 10 Tournaments.
• Temple's overall record in the American Tournament is 1-2.
• Last year, fourth-seeded Temple beat fifth-seeded Memphis 80-75 in the American Tournament Quarterfinals before falling 69-56 to top-seeded SMU in the semifinals. Senior guard Will Cummings was named to the American All-Tournament Team.
• In 2013-14, eighth-seeded Temple fell 74-70 in double overtime to ninth-seeded UCF in the American Tournament First Round.
• Temple had more success in Atlantic 10 Championship play than any other conference member. The Owls won more games (53), played in more semifinals (26) and championships (16) than any member of their previous league, past or present.
• Temple won a record nine Atlantic 10 Championships (2010, 2009, 2008, 2001, 2000, 1990, 1988, 1987 and 1985).Â
• Only five times, in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2012 & 2013, Temple failed to win at least one game in the A-10 Championship.
• Temple was 26-4 in quarterfinal play of the A-10 Championship.Â
• Thirty-seven Owls were named to the A-10 All-Tournament team, the last being Lavoy Allen in 2011.
• Fran Dunphy owns the second-highest winning percentage in A-10 Championship play by a coach with five or more appearances (10-4, .714, '06-13).  John Calipari (UMass, '89-96, 17-3, .850) ranks first while former Temple Hall of Fame coach John Chaney (43-18, .705, '82-06) is in third place.
Owls Win 14th Regular Season Conference Championship
With the Owls' win at Tulane on Sunday, Temple clinched the American Athletic Conference regular season championship outright. The achievement marks the 11th time Temple has won a regular season title since joining the East Coast Conference in the 1974-75 season. The Owls' last such title came in 2011-12, their second-to-last season as a member of the A-10. Five of Temple's 10 A-10 regular season titles were followed by tournament victories, and the Owls earned NCAA Tournament berths in nine of the 10 seasons in which they won an A-10 regular season title.
Head coach Fran Dunphy led Temple to A-10 regular season titles in 2010 and 2012, and has won 13 such titles all-time after leading Penn to 10 Ivy League Championships.
DeCosey Unanimously Selected to All-Conference First Team
Temple senior guard Quenton DeCosey was a unanimous selection to the 2015-16 American Athletic Conference First Team, announced on Tuesday, March 8 by the league office. DeCosey, who has scored in double figuers in 27 of 30 games, leads the Owls and ranks fourth in the conference this season with 15.7 points per game. He also ranks in the fifth in the league in minutes played per game (34.2), eighth in free-throw percentage at .780, 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.388), 12th in steals per game (1.2), and 17th with 5.9 rebounds per game.
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Three-Conference Winner
With the Owls' regular season title in the American Athletic Conference, head coach Fran Dunphy has now led teams to shared or outright titles in three different conferences (Ivy League, Atlantic 10, American). Dunphy is now one of just eight coaches to achieve this in the past 20 years.
Mike Davis   Big Ten, Conference USA, SWAC
Fran Dunphy   Ivy, Atlantic 10, American
Ben Howland   Big Sky, Big East, Pac-12
Jim Larranaga   MAC, Colonial Athletic , ACC
Thad Matta   Horizon, Atlantic 10, Big Ten
Rick Pitino   Conference USA, Big East, AAC
Bill Self   WAC, Big Ten, Big 12
Bruce Weber   MVC, Big Ten, Big 12
Temple Tournament Central l Temple Tournament Guide l Video Preview | American Tournament Central l Listen Live l Watch LiveÂ
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Headlines
• With the Owls' win at Tulane last Sunday, they earned the American Athletic Conference regular season title outright with a record of 14-4. Temple's previous win, a 72-62 home victory over Memphis on March 3, had already clinched the #1 seed for the Owls in the tournament.
• Temple's regular season conference title is its first since 2012 in the Atlantic 10, and its 11th all-time shared or outright regular season conference title since joining the A-10 in the 1982-83 season.
• Senior guard Quenton DeCosey has been named a unanimous selection to the 2015-16 American Athletic Conference First Team. DeCosey is Temple's leading scorer with 15.9 points per game, ranking fourth in the conference, and has scored in double figures in 27 of 30 contests. He has scored 1,459 points to tie for 22nd all-time in program history. When he scores at least 15 points, the Owls are 14-1 this season.
• Sophomore Obi Enechionyia, who is averaging 15.5 ppg over the last 12 games, led Temple with 18 points in the Tulane win. Senior Jaylen Bond notched his ninth double-double with 10 points and a season-high 16 rebounds.
• Enechionyia hit 6-of-9 from long range en route to a career-high 26 points in a win at Houston on Feb. 21, and has been the Owls' leading scorer in four of the last five games.
• With 8.3 rebounds per game, Bond leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference.
• Temple's win at Tulane was its 20th of the season, marking the 36th time in program history the team has won at least 20 games. Head coach Fran Dunphy has now led the Owls to eight 20-win seasons in his 10 years at the helm.
• Five players scored in double figures in the Memphis win, as the Owls achieved that feat for a second time this season after also doing so in a win vs. USF on Feb. 14. Leading the way was Bond who scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.
• The Owls have won three in a row, with the first being a nail-biter, 63-61 against UCF on Feb. 27. Senior Quenton DeCosey drained a 15-foot jumper with three seconds remaining to break a tie and lift the Owls to victory.
• The Owls finished the regular season with 11 home wins, and have now won 10 or more games at home in eight of the last nine seasons.Â
• Overall, the Owls have won 12 of their last 15 games including a streak of five straight, and they have a 7-2 record against the next five teams in the conference standings.
• With a win vs. #8 SMU on Jan. 24, Temple has now taken down a Top 10 team in seven of the last eight seasons.
• The Owls rank third in the nation in fewest turnovers per game at 9.2. They have recorded single digit turnovers in 18 of 30 games, tallying as few as five (vs. Delaware on Nov. 29, at USF on Jan. 31 and vs. Memphis on March 3).
• With 7.9 made three-pointers per game, Temple leads all teams in the American Athletic Conference.
• The Owls have three regular-season wins over Top 25 teams, the most since 1999-00. This season also marks the first since 1998 that the Owls have beaten two Top 25 opponents on the road. Temple has beaten at least one ranked opponent for nine straight seasons.
Temple vs. East Carolina
• Temple and East Carolina have met four times after beginning the all-time series last season. The Owls are 3-1 after winning the first three meetings but losing 64-61 at ECU on Jan. 27.
• The Owls swept the series last year and won 78-60 at home earlier this season on Jan. 9.
• In 2014-15, Temple earned a 66-53 victory at home on Feb. 14, and followed it up with a 70-56 win on the road on March 5.
• ECU head coach Jeff Lebo is 2-3 all-time against Temple, with the two wins coming in 2004-05 and 2005-06 while he was head coach at Auburn.
Temple vs. USF
• Temple and USF have met seven times, with the Owls leading 5-2 in the all-time series.
• The Owls have won five in a row including a regular season sweep this season with a 70-63 win on January 31 at USF and a 77-65 win at home on Feb. 14. Temple senior Quenton DeCosey scored a career-high 30 points in the firsts of those victories for the Owls, while senior Jaylen Bond and sophomore Obi Enechionyia scored 18 points apiece in the second win.
• Temple won both meetings last season. The Owls won 73-48 on Jan. 22 at home, and later won 61-48 at USF on Feb. 4.
• The teams split meetings in 2013-14, with each winning on the other's home court. On Jan. 9, USF used a late run to beat the Owls 82-75 in Philadelphia. Two months later on March 8, Temple edged the Bulls 66-65 in Tampa after a thrilling comeback over the last eight and a half minutes.
• The first meeting in the series was three years ago in the NCAA Second Round at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. The Bulls won by a score of 58-44 after trailing Temple 19-15 at halftime.
• The NCAA win was an upset for the Bulls, who were seeded 12th against the fifth-seeded Owls.
Tournament Tidbits
• The Owls are playing in their third American Athletic Conference Tournament after 30 years of Atlantic 10 Tournaments.
• Temple's overall record in the American Tournament is 1-2.
• Last year, fourth-seeded Temple beat fifth-seeded Memphis 80-75 in the American Tournament Quarterfinals before falling 69-56 to top-seeded SMU in the semifinals. Senior guard Will Cummings was named to the American All-Tournament Team.
• In 2013-14, eighth-seeded Temple fell 74-70 in double overtime to ninth-seeded UCF in the American Tournament First Round.
• Temple had more success in Atlantic 10 Championship play than any other conference member. The Owls won more games (53), played in more semifinals (26) and championships (16) than any member of their previous league, past or present.
• Temple won a record nine Atlantic 10 Championships (2010, 2009, 2008, 2001, 2000, 1990, 1988, 1987 and 1985).Â
• Only five times, in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2012 & 2013, Temple failed to win at least one game in the A-10 Championship.
• Temple was 26-4 in quarterfinal play of the A-10 Championship.Â
• Thirty-seven Owls were named to the A-10 All-Tournament team, the last being Lavoy Allen in 2011.
• Fran Dunphy owns the second-highest winning percentage in A-10 Championship play by a coach with five or more appearances (10-4, .714, '06-13).  John Calipari (UMass, '89-96, 17-3, .850) ranks first while former Temple Hall of Fame coach John Chaney (43-18, .705, '82-06) is in third place.
Owls Win 14th Regular Season Conference Championship
With the Owls' win at Tulane on Sunday, Temple clinched the American Athletic Conference regular season championship outright. The achievement marks the 11th time Temple has won a regular season title since joining the East Coast Conference in the 1974-75 season. The Owls' last such title came in 2011-12, their second-to-last season as a member of the A-10. Five of Temple's 10 A-10 regular season titles were followed by tournament victories, and the Owls earned NCAA Tournament berths in nine of the 10 seasons in which they won an A-10 regular season title.
Head coach Fran Dunphy led Temple to A-10 regular season titles in 2010 and 2012, and has won 13 such titles all-time after leading Penn to 10 Ivy League Championships.
DeCosey Unanimously Selected to All-Conference First Team
Temple senior guard Quenton DeCosey was a unanimous selection to the 2015-16 American Athletic Conference First Team, announced on Tuesday, March 8 by the league office. DeCosey, who has scored in double figuers in 27 of 30 games, leads the Owls and ranks fourth in the conference this season with 15.7 points per game. He also ranks in the fifth in the league in minutes played per game (34.2), eighth in free-throw percentage at .780, 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.388), 12th in steals per game (1.2), and 17th with 5.9 rebounds per game.
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Three-Conference Winner
With the Owls' regular season title in the American Athletic Conference, head coach Fran Dunphy has now led teams to shared or outright titles in three different conferences (Ivy League, Atlantic 10, American). Dunphy is now one of just eight coaches to achieve this in the past 20 years.
Mike Davis   Big Ten, Conference USA, SWAC
Fran Dunphy   Ivy, Atlantic 10, American
Ben Howland   Big Sky, Big East, Pac-12
Jim Larranaga   MAC, Colonial Athletic , ACC
Thad Matta   Horizon, Atlantic 10, Big Ten
Rick Pitino   Conference USA, Big East, AAC
Bill Self   WAC, Big Ten, Big 12
Bruce Weber   MVC, Big Ten, Big 12
Temple Tournament Central l Temple Tournament Guide l Video Preview | American Tournament Central l Listen Live l Watch LiveÂ
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Players Mentioned
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