Temple University Athletics
Wednesday, January 9
Philadelphia, Pa.
7:00 p.m.
Temple University
vs
Houston
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Men's Basketball Hosts Unbeaten #17/15 Houston in AAC Home Opener Wednesday
1.7.19 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - Coming off an exciting, 85-81 come-from-behind overtime win at Wichita State, Temple men's basketball looks to remain undefeated at home this season as the Owls (11-3, 1-1) host #17/15 Houston (15-0, 2-0) on Wednesday, Jan. 9 (7 pm/ESPNews / 1210 AM WPHT).
Promotions
> Temple is offering an All You Can Eat Food/Ticket package. For $22, enjoy unlimited hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels and soda - plus a game ticket! Call 215-204-TIXX.
Scouting Temple
> At 11-3 overall, Temple is off to its best start since the 2010-11 team went 12-3 before dropping its fourth game.
> The Owls have won four of their last five and got their first American Athletic Conference victory in dramatic fashion, beating Wichita State in overtime for a second year in a row. Senior Shizz Alston, Jr. scored a team-high 22 points including the final seven of the 85-81 OT road victory.
> Last season was the 11th in a row in which Temple defeated a Top 25 program, beating #16/16 Wichita State in overtime at home, 81-79 on Feb. 1. The Owls fell 69-59 to #21/21 Villanova in their only game against a ranked team so far this season, but now have another chance vs. #17/15Â Houston.
> Sophomore guard Nate Pierre-Louis has caught fire of late, scoring 20 or more points in each of the last three games. He ranks third on the team with 13.2 points per game.
> Alston 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 it at Drexel and now has 1,045 points in just his third year. Alston hit the mark in Temple's win vs. Georgia on Nov. 13 and has now scored 1,218 points to rank 39th all-time in program history.
> Alston, who leads all players in the AAC with 19.4 points per game, has earned two co-AAC Player of the Week awards and three Weekly Honor Roll mentions including one on Jan. 7. 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 second with 2.7 steals per game.
> As a team, Temple ranks 14th in the nation with 9.4 steals per game. The Owls have posted double-digit steals in nine of 14 games so far.
Scouting Houston
> The #17/15 Cougars have an unblemished record so far in 2018-19, going 15-0 including wins in their first two AAC games against Tulsa and Memphis.
> Houston is not road-tested, having played just two road games overall, the last way back on Dec. 8.
> The Cougars rank second in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, with their opponents shooting just 36.2 percent. They also rank seventh nationally in scoring defense with opponents averaging 59.2 points per game.
> Leading Houston are senior guard Corey Davis, Jr. and junior guard Armoni Brooks with 15.5 and 14.9 points per game, respectively. Brooks also averages a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game.
> The Cougars went 27-8 last season, losing by a point in both the AAC Championship (Cincinnati) and the NCAA Second Round (Michigan).
Series History vs. Houston
> Temple and Houston are meeting for the ninth time, with Houston holding a 6-2 lead in the series.
> Houston swept the Owls last season, most recently winning 80-59 on Temple's home court on Feb. 18, 2018. The Cougars also won 76-73 in Houston after also handing the Owls a 79-66 loss in the only meeting of the 2016-17 season.
> The Owls' last win was a 69-66 come-from-behind road victory on Feb. 21, 2016.
> Houston won both meetings in 2013-14, but the Owls won 66-54 at home in the only meeting of the 2014-15 season.Â
> Fifth-year Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is 4-3 against Temple, losing for the first time 61-43 (March 17, 1996) in the NCAA First Round while he was the head coach at Oklahoma.Â
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Promotions
> Temple is offering an All You Can Eat Food/Ticket package. For $22, enjoy unlimited hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels and soda - plus a game ticket! Call 215-204-TIXX.
Scouting Temple
> At 11-3 overall, Temple is off to its best start since the 2010-11 team went 12-3 before dropping its fourth game.
> The Owls have won four of their last five and got their first American Athletic Conference victory in dramatic fashion, beating Wichita State in overtime for a second year in a row. Senior Shizz Alston, Jr. scored a team-high 22 points including the final seven of the 85-81 OT road victory.
> Last season was the 11th in a row in which Temple defeated a Top 25 program, beating #16/16 Wichita State in overtime at home, 81-79 on Feb. 1. The Owls fell 69-59 to #21/21 Villanova in their only game against a ranked team so far this season, but now have another chance vs. #17/15Â Houston.
> Sophomore guard Nate Pierre-Louis has caught fire of late, scoring 20 or more points in each of the last three games. He ranks third on the team with 13.2 points per game.
> Alston 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 it at Drexel and now has 1,045 points in just his third year. Alston hit the mark in Temple's win vs. Georgia on Nov. 13 and has now scored 1,218 points to rank 39th all-time in program history.
> Alston, who leads all players in the AAC with 19.4 points per game, has earned two co-AAC Player of the Week awards and three Weekly Honor Roll mentions including one on Jan. 7. 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 second with 2.7 steals per game.
> As a team, Temple ranks 14th in the nation with 9.4 steals per game. The Owls have posted double-digit steals in nine of 14 games so far.
Scouting Houston
> The #17/15 Cougars have an unblemished record so far in 2018-19, going 15-0 including wins in their first two AAC games against Tulsa and Memphis.
> Houston is not road-tested, having played just two road games overall, the last way back on Dec. 8.
> The Cougars rank second in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, with their opponents shooting just 36.2 percent. They also rank seventh nationally in scoring defense with opponents averaging 59.2 points per game.
> Leading Houston are senior guard Corey Davis, Jr. and junior guard Armoni Brooks with 15.5 and 14.9 points per game, respectively. Brooks also averages a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game.
> The Cougars went 27-8 last season, losing by a point in both the AAC Championship (Cincinnati) and the NCAA Second Round (Michigan).
Series History vs. Houston
> Temple and Houston are meeting for the ninth time, with Houston holding a 6-2 lead in the series.
> Houston swept the Owls last season, most recently winning 80-59 on Temple's home court on Feb. 18, 2018. The Cougars also won 76-73 in Houston after also handing the Owls a 79-66 loss in the only meeting of the 2016-17 season.
> The Owls' last win was a 69-66 come-from-behind road victory on Feb. 21, 2016.
> Houston won both meetings in 2013-14, but the Owls won 66-54 at home in the only meeting of the 2014-15 season.Â
> Fifth-year Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is 4-3 against Temple, losing for the first time 61-43 (March 17, 1996) in the NCAA First Round while he was the head coach at Oklahoma.Â
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Players Mentioned
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