Men's Basketball Hosts UConn on Wednesday at 6 PM

PHILADELPHIA - Fans should note the early start time of 6 p.m. for Temple men's basketball as the Owls get set to host American Athletic Conference rival UConn on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at the Liacouras Center. The Owls (16-6, 6-3) are returning from a 1-1 road trip, while the Huskies (13-9, 4-5) also went 1-1 last week.

Promotions
> Wednesday's game is presented by Temple Culinary Services.
> All-You-Can-Eat Food/Ticket Package: Enjoy unlimited hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels, and soda - plus a game ticket - for only $25! Call 215-204-TIXX
> Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night: All Temple Faculty and Staff are invited to watch the Owls take on UConn at The Liacouras Center. Discounted tickets for Faculty, Staff, and their families start at just $10 and are available at 215-204-TIXX.
> Rally Towel Giveaway courtesy of View Montgomery: The first 1,000 Temple students will receive a free rally towel.

Scouting Temple
> The Owls recovered from back-to-back losses with a 75-67 win at Tulane, getting 29 points from senior guard Shizz Alston, Jr. as they led from wire to wire. Alston hit 14-of-15 free throws, the most free throws by an Owl in a single game since Khalif Wyatt made 15 vs. Duquesne on Feb. 14, 2013.
> Temple's 16-6 start is the team's best since 2011-12, and the fastest the program has reached the 15-win mark since the 2009-10 season.
> Temple's bid for a second upset of #13/13 Houston fell short as a season-high tying 26 points from junior Quinton Rose wasn't enough and the Owls lost 73-66 on Jan. 31.
> The Owls did defeat then-#17/15 Houston in the first meeting this season at home on Jan. 9, making it 12 seasons in a row that Temple has defeated a Top 25 program. Temple remains the only team to defeat the Cougars this season.
> Alston and Rose average 18.4 and 17.1 points per game, respectively, to lead the team and rank fourth and seventh in the American Athletic Conference. Alston has scored 20 or more points nine times this season and has earned two co-AAC Player of the Week awards.
> Sophomore Nate Pierre-Louis had scored in double figures in nine straight games until an eight-point effort at #13/13 Houston. He then notched the second double-double of his season and career with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the win at Tulane on Feb. 2.

Scouting UConn
> The Huskies started the season 9-3 before losing six of their last 10 to stand at 13-9 overall. Last week, UConn lost 73-67 at preseason AAC favorite UCF before decisively defeating ECU, 76-52.
> UConn is led by three double-figure scorers: senior Jalen Adams (17.7), junior Christian Vital (13.8) and redshirt sophomore Alterique Gilbert (13.0).
> Vital (5.7) and sophomore Josh Carlton (5.7) are the leading rebounders, while Gilbert leads in assists (3.8) and Carlton in blocked shots (1.5).
> Head coach Dan Hurley is in his first season at UConn after two seasons at Wagner College and six at Rhode Island.
> Last year's UConn team went 14-18 and lost to SMU in the opening round of the AAC Tournament.

Series History vs. UConn
> Temple and UConn are meeting for the 19th time, with UConn narrowly leading 10-8 in the series.
> The Huskies have won three of the last four, with the teams splitting meetings last season. The Owls dominated in an 85-57 home win on Jan. 28, 2018, but lost 72-66 at UConn a month later on Feb. 28.
> In 2016-17, the Huskies handed the Owls a heartbreaking 64-63 loss in Philadelphia after also winning 73-59 in Storrs.
> The Owls had won four straight meetings including both in the regular season in 2015-16 before falling 77-62 in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals.
> Prior to the formation of the American Athletic Conference in 2013-14, the most recent game between the teams had been on Jan. 27, 1965 at UConn, a game the Huskies won 71-60.

Men's Basketball Hosts UConn on Wednesday at 6 PM

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Players Mentioned

Shizz Alston, Jr.

Nate Pierre-Louis

Quinton Rose

Khalif Wyatt

Temple University Athletics