Temple University Athletics
Thursday, March 12
Fort Worth, Texas
8:00 PM
Temple University
vs
SMU
Photo by: Richie Raspa
Men’s Basketball Opens AAC Championship against SMU Thursday
3.11.20 | Men's Basketball
FORT WORTH, Tex. – Temple Men's Basketball take on SMU in its first round gain at the 2020 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Thursday (8 pm ET/ESPNU/1210 AM WPHT). The #10-seed Owls (14-17) will be looking to snap its regular season ending five-game losing streak when they take on the #7-seed Mustangs (19-11) in their own backyard, Dickies Arena. SMU, which ended its regular season with three straight losses, split its two games with Temple, winning, 68-52, in Dallas on Jan, 18 while falling 97-90 in overtime at the Liacouras Center on Feb. 8.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Temple, under the direction of head coach Aaron McKie, has struggled down the stretch with four of its losses in the current five game by single digits, including the season-ending defeat at top-seed Cincinnati on a basket with 2.8 seconds to play.
> Senior guard Quinton Rose leads Temple (2nd AAC) in scoring (16.4 ppg), assists (3.5 apg/9th AAC) and steals (2.0 spg/3rd). A Second Team All-AAC selection, Rose is the AAC's all-time leader in points (1,860) and steals (231) and is the only player to rank in the Top 10 in the conference in these categories.
> Junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis leads Temple in rebounding (8.5 rpg/5th AAC), while ranking second in scoring (10.9 ppg), assists (3.1 apg) and steals (1.8/5th AAC).
> Senior Alani Moore II (8.4 ppg) has doubled his offensive output from last year (4.1 ppg) and is third in the AAC in threes per game (2.1) and three-point percentage (.398).
> Rounding out the starting five are senior Damion Moore (2.8 ppg/2.7 rpg) and junior J.P. Moorman II (5.8 ppg/5.1 rpg).
> Sophomore Jake Forrester (7.5 ppg/3.8 rpg), who has started 16 games, and junior De'Vondre Perry (6.2 ppg, .413 3P%) are the top front court reserves. Redshirt junior Monty Scott (7.2 ppg) and freshman Josh Pierre-Louis (3.8 ppg) provide depth in the Owls backcourt.
SCOUTING SMU
> The Mustangs, under the direction of fifth-year coach Tim Jankovich, are led by three Third Team All-AAC players in Tyson Jolly (14.5 ppg/7th AAC), Kendric Davis (14.2 ppg/8th AAC) and Isiah Mike (14.0 ppg/10th AAC). Davis also tops the conference and ranks among the Top 10 nationally in assists per game (6.7).
> Feron Hunt (11.0 ppg/6.7 rpg) also averages double figures for the Mustangs, which lead the conference in scoring at 72.9 ppg.
> SMU's three losses entering the AAC Championship came by a combined eight points, including Saturday's 61-60 defeat at USF.
SERIES HISTORY
> Temple and SMU are meeting for the 15th time with the series even at seven wins each.
> The Owls have won three of the last four games in the series, splitting two games this season while winning single games the last two seasons (82-74 in Philly, 2/13/19 & 66-64 in Dallas, 1/10/18).
> The teams have met once prior in AAC Championship play with the top-seed and #20 Mustangs topping the #4 seed Owls, 69-56, in the 2015 semifinals held at the XL Center in Hartford.
> Prior to meeting as American opponents in 2013-14, the most recent meeting was in 1955-56 when the Owls beat the Mustangs 90-81 in the NCAA Final Four third-place game.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Temple, under the direction of head coach Aaron McKie, has struggled down the stretch with four of its losses in the current five game by single digits, including the season-ending defeat at top-seed Cincinnati on a basket with 2.8 seconds to play.
> Senior guard Quinton Rose leads Temple (2nd AAC) in scoring (16.4 ppg), assists (3.5 apg/9th AAC) and steals (2.0 spg/3rd). A Second Team All-AAC selection, Rose is the AAC's all-time leader in points (1,860) and steals (231) and is the only player to rank in the Top 10 in the conference in these categories.
> Junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis leads Temple in rebounding (8.5 rpg/5th AAC), while ranking second in scoring (10.9 ppg), assists (3.1 apg) and steals (1.8/5th AAC).
> Senior Alani Moore II (8.4 ppg) has doubled his offensive output from last year (4.1 ppg) and is third in the AAC in threes per game (2.1) and three-point percentage (.398).
> Rounding out the starting five are senior Damion Moore (2.8 ppg/2.7 rpg) and junior J.P. Moorman II (5.8 ppg/5.1 rpg).
> Sophomore Jake Forrester (7.5 ppg/3.8 rpg), who has started 16 games, and junior De'Vondre Perry (6.2 ppg, .413 3P%) are the top front court reserves. Redshirt junior Monty Scott (7.2 ppg) and freshman Josh Pierre-Louis (3.8 ppg) provide depth in the Owls backcourt.
SCOUTING SMU
> The Mustangs, under the direction of fifth-year coach Tim Jankovich, are led by three Third Team All-AAC players in Tyson Jolly (14.5 ppg/7th AAC), Kendric Davis (14.2 ppg/8th AAC) and Isiah Mike (14.0 ppg/10th AAC). Davis also tops the conference and ranks among the Top 10 nationally in assists per game (6.7).
> Feron Hunt (11.0 ppg/6.7 rpg) also averages double figures for the Mustangs, which lead the conference in scoring at 72.9 ppg.
> SMU's three losses entering the AAC Championship came by a combined eight points, including Saturday's 61-60 defeat at USF.
SERIES HISTORY
> Temple and SMU are meeting for the 15th time with the series even at seven wins each.
> The Owls have won three of the last four games in the series, splitting two games this season while winning single games the last two seasons (82-74 in Philly, 2/13/19 & 66-64 in Dallas, 1/10/18).
> The teams have met once prior in AAC Championship play with the top-seed and #20 Mustangs topping the #4 seed Owls, 69-56, in the 2015 semifinals held at the XL Center in Hartford.
> Prior to meeting as American opponents in 2013-14, the most recent meeting was in 1955-56 when the Owls beat the Mustangs 90-81 in the NCAA Final Four third-place game.
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