Temple University Athletics
Thursday, January 24
Philadelphia, Pa.
7:00 p.m.
Temple University
vs
Memphis
Photo by: Jesse Garber
Men's Basketball to Host AAC Foe Memphis on Thursday
1.22.19 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - The second of three straight home games has Temple men's basketball hosting American Athletic Conference foe Memphis on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. (CBSSN / 1210 AM WPHT). The Owls (14-4, 4-1) and the Tigers (12-6, 4-1) are two of five teams with only one AAC loss so far.
Scouting Temple
> At 14-4 overall, Temple is off to its best start since the 2009-10 team went 19-4 before dropping its fifth game.Â
> The Owls had won four straight and were undefeated at home until a 77-70 loss to Big 5 rival Penn on Jan. 19. Temple was the chasing team nearly all game, and got within five points near the final minute but could get no closer.
> Senior center Ernest Aflakpui recorded back-to-back double-doubles last week and led the Owls with a career-high 21 points along with a career-high 15 rebounds against Penn.
> Temple is 3-0 in overtime games this season and is 7-1 on its home court. Close games have nearly all gone the Owls' way, as they stand at 7-1 in games decided by five or fewer points.
> In their most recent win, the Owls improved to 5-2 on the road with an 85-74 victory at ECU on Jan. 16. Senior guard Shizz Alston, Jr. made 7-of-10 three-point attempts and finished with a team-high 23 points.
> Alston averages 18.9 points per game to lead the team and rank third in the American Athletic Conference. He has scored 20 or more points eight times this season and has earned two co-AAC Player of the Week awards.
> Sophomore Nate Pierre-Louis scored a season-tying 22 points to lead Temple to an 82-80 OT win vs. USF on Jan. 12. Pierre-Louis has averaged a team-best 19.6 ppg in the Owls' five AAC contests.Â
> Junior Quinton Rose is averaging 16.6 ppg to rank eighth in the AAC, while also ranking third with 2.5 steals per game.
> Temple ranks 12th in the nation with 9.2 steals per game. The Owls have posted double-digit steals in nine games.
Scouting Memphis
> The Tigers have picked things up after a lackluster, 3-4 start to the season, since going 9-2. They have won three straight, most recently defeated SMU at home, 83-61.
> Memphis leads all teams in the AAC with 84 points per game, with its field-goal percentage of .467 ranking second in the league.
> Senior forward Kyvon Davenport leads Memphis with 15.2 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game
> The Tigers are not very road-tested this season at just 1-2, with a 1-3 record in neutral-site contests.
> Penny Hardaway, a two-time All-American at Memphis and four-time NBA All-Star, is in his first season as head coach at Memphis and first season as a collegiate head coach. Hardaway spent the previous three years as a high school head coach in the city.
Series History vs. Memphis
> Temple and Memphis are meeting for the 20th time with the Owls holding a slim, 10-9 lead in the series.
> The Owls had won three straight until getting beaten in overtime at home last season, 75-72 on Jan. 13, 2018.
> Temple won both regular season meetings in 2016-17, winning 77-66 at home on Jan. 25, and 74-62 at Memphis on Feb. 12.
> In 2015-16, Memphis edged Temple in a nail-biter, 67-65 in Memphis on Jan. 13, but the Owls rebounded for a 72-62 Senior Night win at Temple on March 3.
> Four years ago, the teams met in the 2015 American Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals on March 13, with Temple winning 80-75 to advance. The win was the 500th career victory for head coach Fran Dunphy.
> Memphis had won four straight prior to the 2014-15 season, including a 78-77 victory in the NIT Semifinals at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2002.
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Scouting Temple
> At 14-4 overall, Temple is off to its best start since the 2009-10 team went 19-4 before dropping its fifth game.Â
> The Owls had won four straight and were undefeated at home until a 77-70 loss to Big 5 rival Penn on Jan. 19. Temple was the chasing team nearly all game, and got within five points near the final minute but could get no closer.
> Senior center Ernest Aflakpui recorded back-to-back double-doubles last week and led the Owls with a career-high 21 points along with a career-high 15 rebounds against Penn.
> Temple is 3-0 in overtime games this season and is 7-1 on its home court. Close games have nearly all gone the Owls' way, as they stand at 7-1 in games decided by five or fewer points.
> In their most recent win, the Owls improved to 5-2 on the road with an 85-74 victory at ECU on Jan. 16. Senior guard Shizz Alston, Jr. made 7-of-10 three-point attempts and finished with a team-high 23 points.
> Alston averages 18.9 points per game to lead the team and rank third in the American Athletic Conference. He has scored 20 or more points eight times this season and has earned two co-AAC Player of the Week awards.
> Sophomore Nate Pierre-Louis scored a season-tying 22 points to lead Temple to an 82-80 OT win vs. USF on Jan. 12. Pierre-Louis has averaged a team-best 19.6 ppg in the Owls' five AAC contests.Â
> Junior Quinton Rose is averaging 16.6 ppg to rank eighth in the AAC, while also ranking third with 2.5 steals per game.
> Temple ranks 12th in the nation with 9.2 steals per game. The Owls have posted double-digit steals in nine games.
Scouting Memphis
> The Tigers have picked things up after a lackluster, 3-4 start to the season, since going 9-2. They have won three straight, most recently defeated SMU at home, 83-61.
> Memphis leads all teams in the AAC with 84 points per game, with its field-goal percentage of .467 ranking second in the league.
> Senior forward Kyvon Davenport leads Memphis with 15.2 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game
> The Tigers are not very road-tested this season at just 1-2, with a 1-3 record in neutral-site contests.
> Penny Hardaway, a two-time All-American at Memphis and four-time NBA All-Star, is in his first season as head coach at Memphis and first season as a collegiate head coach. Hardaway spent the previous three years as a high school head coach in the city.
Series History vs. Memphis
> Temple and Memphis are meeting for the 20th time with the Owls holding a slim, 10-9 lead in the series.
> The Owls had won three straight until getting beaten in overtime at home last season, 75-72 on Jan. 13, 2018.
> Temple won both regular season meetings in 2016-17, winning 77-66 at home on Jan. 25, and 74-62 at Memphis on Feb. 12.
> In 2015-16, Memphis edged Temple in a nail-biter, 67-65 in Memphis on Jan. 13, but the Owls rebounded for a 72-62 Senior Night win at Temple on March 3.
> Four years ago, the teams met in the 2015 American Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals on March 13, with Temple winning 80-75 to advance. The win was the 500th career victory for head coach Fran Dunphy.
> Memphis had won four straight prior to the 2014-15 season, including a 78-77 victory in the NIT Semifinals at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2002.
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Players Mentioned
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