Temple University Athletics
Thursday, January 4
Liacouras Center
9:00 p.m.
Temple University
vs
Cincinnati
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Men's Basketball Hosts #19/20 Cincinnati on Thursday at 9 PM
1.2.18 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - Looking for its first conference win as well as looking to extend a 10-year streak of beating a Top 25 team, Temple men's basketball hosts #19/20 Cincinnati on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 9 p.m. (ESPN2 / 1210 AM WPHT). The Bearcats (12-2, 1-0) have won five straight including their American Athletic Conference opener vs. Memphis, while the Owls (7-6, 0-2) are hoping to end a three-game skid.
Scouting Temple
> Temple will look for its first American Athletic Conference win vs. #19/20 Cincinnati after going 0-2 to start league play.
> The Owls narrowed a 15-point second-half deficit down to a single point at Houston on Dec. 30, but the final shot at the buzzer to tie the game fell short. Junior Shizz Alston, Jr. led the Owls with 18 points, while sophomore Quinton Rose added 14 and freshman Nate Pierre-Louis came off the bench for a season-high 11 points for the second straight game.
> Four players scored in double figures in the Tulane loss, led by Alston and Rose who posted 17 points apiece. Senior Josh Brown added 14, and Pierre-Louis scored 11.
> Rose is the Owls' leading scorer with 16.5 ppg, ranking eighth in the league. Alston is close behind at 15.2 ppg (12th in the AAC), and he leads all players in the conference with a free-throw percentage of .938.
> Either Rose or Alston have led or tied for the team lead in scoring in 12 of 13 of Temple's games in 2017-18.
> Temple has started the same five players - Josh Brown, Shizz Alston, Jr., Quinton Rose, Obi Enechionyia and Ernest Aflakpui - all season.
Scouting Cincinnati
> The #19/20 Bearcats are 12-2 overall and have won five straight, including their conference opener vs. Memphis, 82-48 on Dec. 31.
> Four players average in double figures in scoring for Cincinnati, led by junior guard Jacob Evans (13.5 ppg) and senior forward Gary Clark (12.5 ppg). Clark is also the team's leading rebounder with 8.7 rpg (2nd in the AAC).
> Last year's Cincinnati team went 30-6 overall (second-most wins in school history) and advanced to the NCAA Second Round.
> The Bearcats received a league-high seven first-place votes and 116 points overall in the AAC preseason poll to finish ahead of conference newcomer Wichita State, who gathered five first-place votes and 115 points overall.Â
All-Time Series
> Temple and Cincinnati are meeting for the 29th time with the Bearcats holding a 19-9 lead in the all-time series.
> Last season, a ranked Cincinnati team twice defeated Temple, winning 56-50 in Philadelphia on Dec. 28 as the #23 team, and topping the Owls 81-74 in Cincinnati as the #20 team on Jan. 18.
> The Owls had previously won three straight and swept the regular season series in 2015-16, winning 77-70 at #22/23 Cincinnati on Dec. 29, 2015 and coming out on top in double overtime, 67-65 at home on Jan. 16, 2016.
> 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 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 unranked TU topped #11 Cincinnati, 77-69 in the NCAA 2nd Round.
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Scouting Temple
> Temple will look for its first American Athletic Conference win vs. #19/20 Cincinnati after going 0-2 to start league play.
> The Owls narrowed a 15-point second-half deficit down to a single point at Houston on Dec. 30, but the final shot at the buzzer to tie the game fell short. Junior Shizz Alston, Jr. led the Owls with 18 points, while sophomore Quinton Rose added 14 and freshman Nate Pierre-Louis came off the bench for a season-high 11 points for the second straight game.
> Four players scored in double figures in the Tulane loss, led by Alston and Rose who posted 17 points apiece. Senior Josh Brown added 14, and Pierre-Louis scored 11.
> Rose is the Owls' leading scorer with 16.5 ppg, ranking eighth in the league. Alston is close behind at 15.2 ppg (12th in the AAC), and he leads all players in the conference with a free-throw percentage of .938.
> Either Rose or Alston have led or tied for the team lead in scoring in 12 of 13 of Temple's games in 2017-18.
> Temple has started the same five players - Josh Brown, Shizz Alston, Jr., Quinton Rose, Obi Enechionyia and Ernest Aflakpui - all season.
Scouting Cincinnati
> The #19/20 Bearcats are 12-2 overall and have won five straight, including their conference opener vs. Memphis, 82-48 on Dec. 31.
> Four players average in double figures in scoring for Cincinnati, led by junior guard Jacob Evans (13.5 ppg) and senior forward Gary Clark (12.5 ppg). Clark is also the team's leading rebounder with 8.7 rpg (2nd in the AAC).
> Last year's Cincinnati team went 30-6 overall (second-most wins in school history) and advanced to the NCAA Second Round.
> The Bearcats received a league-high seven first-place votes and 116 points overall in the AAC preseason poll to finish ahead of conference newcomer Wichita State, who gathered five first-place votes and 115 points overall.Â
All-Time Series
> Temple and Cincinnati are meeting for the 29th time with the Bearcats holding a 19-9 lead in the all-time series.
> Last season, a ranked Cincinnati team twice defeated Temple, winning 56-50 in Philadelphia on Dec. 28 as the #23 team, and topping the Owls 81-74 in Cincinnati as the #20 team on Jan. 18.
> The Owls had previously won three straight and swept the regular season series in 2015-16, winning 77-70 at #22/23 Cincinnati on Dec. 29, 2015 and coming out on top in double overtime, 67-65 at home on Jan. 16, 2016.
> 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 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 unranked TU topped #11 Cincinnati, 77-69 in the NCAA 2nd Round.
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