Temple University Athletics
Sunday, January 6
Wichita, Kan.
4:00 p.m.
Temple University
at
Wichita State
Men's Basketball Completes Conference Road Trip at Wichita State on Sunday
1.4.19 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - In the second of a two-game road swing to begin its American Athletic Conference slate, Temple men's basketball will head to Wichita State for a 4 p.m. (ET) contest on Sunday, Jan. 6 (ESPNews / 1210 AM WPHT). Both the Owls (10-3, 0-1) and the Shockers (7-6, 0-1) are looking for their first AAC win.
Scouting Temple
> Although Temple dropped its American Athletic Conference opener at UCF, the Owls are an impressive 10-3 to start the season which matches their best start since the 2012-13 team also went 10-3 before dropping its fourth game.
> The Owls had won three straight prior to a narrow, 78-73 loss at UCF, winning the first two of those by just two points each before downing Drexel 82-64 at the Palestra before the holiday break.
> Senior guard Shizz Alston, Jr. and junior guard Quinton Rose have both surpassed 1,000 career points this season, becoming the 12th duo to do so in program history. Rose did so in Temple's recent game at Drexel and now has 1,028 points in just his third year. Alston hit the mark in Temple's win vs. Georgia on Nov. 13 and has now scored 1,196 points to rank 39th all-time in program history.
> Alston, who leads all players in the AAC with 19.2 points per game, has earned two co-AAC Player of the Week awards. He has twice hit the 30-point mark this season, scoring a career-high 31 points in Temple's come-from-behind win vs. UMass on Dec. 12.
> Rose is averaging 16.4 ppg to rank eighth in the AAC, while also ranking in a tie for second with 2.5 steals per game.
> Sophomore guard Nate Pierre-Louis ranks third on the team with 12.6 points per game, with that average on the rise recently after a career-high 22 points in a win at Drexel followed by a team-best 21-point effort at UCF.
> As a team, Temple ranks 14th in the nation with 9.4 steals per game. The Owls have posted double-digit steals in eight of 13 games so far.
Scouting Wichita State
> The Shockers are coming off back-to-back road losses, dropping games at VCU and then at Memphis in their league opener.
> Wichita State went 25-8 in 2017-18 and earned an NCAA Tournament berth, but is just 7-6 so far this year after losing leading scorer and All-American Landry Shamet to the NBA (Philadelphia 76ers) and its three other leading scorers to graduation.
> Senior forward Markis McDuffie is the Shockers' current leader with 18.8 points per game. Senior guard Sam Haynes-Jones also averages in double figures at 12.3 ppg.
> Junior and 6-11 forward Jaime Echenique leads the team in rebounds (5.9) and blocks (15).
Series History vs. Wichita State
> Temple and Wichita State are meeting for the seventh time, and fourth as conference opponents after playing three times against each other in 2017-18. The Owls won the first four games in series history before dropping the last two.Â
> The teams first met as AAC rivals on Feb. 1, 2017, with the Owls upsetting the #16/16 Shockers 81-79 in OT at the Liacouras Center.
> Last season's second meeting saw Wichita State win at home, 93-86 on Feb. 15. The Owls were then knocked out of the AAC Tournament by the Shockers in the quarterfinals, losing 88-81 on March 9.
> The most recent meeting prior to last season was an 78-74 overtime victory for Temple in the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Nov. 20, 2011. Prior to 2011, the teams had met once in 1983 and once in 1985. The Owls won 78-73 in Kansas on Dec. 22, 1983, and won 62-60 at home on Dec. 7, 1985.
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Scouting Temple
> Although Temple dropped its American Athletic Conference opener at UCF, the Owls are an impressive 10-3 to start the season which matches their best start since the 2012-13 team also went 10-3 before dropping its fourth game.
> The Owls had won three straight prior to a narrow, 78-73 loss at UCF, winning the first two of those by just two points each before downing Drexel 82-64 at the Palestra before the holiday break.
> Senior guard Shizz Alston, Jr. and junior guard Quinton Rose have both surpassed 1,000 career points this season, becoming the 12th duo to do so in program history. Rose did so in Temple's recent game at Drexel and now has 1,028 points in just his third year. Alston hit the mark in Temple's win vs. Georgia on Nov. 13 and has now scored 1,196 points to rank 39th all-time in program history.
> Alston, who leads all players in the AAC with 19.2 points per game, has earned two co-AAC Player of the Week awards. He has twice hit the 30-point mark this season, scoring a career-high 31 points in Temple's come-from-behind win vs. UMass on Dec. 12.
> Rose is averaging 16.4 ppg to rank eighth in the AAC, while also ranking in a tie for second with 2.5 steals per game.
> Sophomore guard Nate Pierre-Louis ranks third on the team with 12.6 points per game, with that average on the rise recently after a career-high 22 points in a win at Drexel followed by a team-best 21-point effort at UCF.
> As a team, Temple ranks 14th in the nation with 9.4 steals per game. The Owls have posted double-digit steals in eight of 13 games so far.
Scouting Wichita State
> The Shockers are coming off back-to-back road losses, dropping games at VCU and then at Memphis in their league opener.
> Wichita State went 25-8 in 2017-18 and earned an NCAA Tournament berth, but is just 7-6 so far this year after losing leading scorer and All-American Landry Shamet to the NBA (Philadelphia 76ers) and its three other leading scorers to graduation.
> Senior forward Markis McDuffie is the Shockers' current leader with 18.8 points per game. Senior guard Sam Haynes-Jones also averages in double figures at 12.3 ppg.
> Junior and 6-11 forward Jaime Echenique leads the team in rebounds (5.9) and blocks (15).
Series History vs. Wichita State
> Temple and Wichita State are meeting for the seventh time, and fourth as conference opponents after playing three times against each other in 2017-18. The Owls won the first four games in series history before dropping the last two.Â
> The teams first met as AAC rivals on Feb. 1, 2017, with the Owls upsetting the #16/16 Shockers 81-79 in OT at the Liacouras Center.
> Last season's second meeting saw Wichita State win at home, 93-86 on Feb. 15. The Owls were then knocked out of the AAC Tournament by the Shockers in the quarterfinals, losing 88-81 on March 9.
> The most recent meeting prior to last season was an 78-74 overtime victory for Temple in the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Nov. 20, 2011. Prior to 2011, the teams had met once in 1983 and once in 1985. The Owls won 78-73 in Kansas on Dec. 22, 1983, and won 62-60 at home on Dec. 7, 1985.
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