Temple University Athletics
Temple University
USF
Men’s Basketball Opens Play at AAC Championship Thursday with USF
3.9.21 | Men's Basketball
FORT WORTH, Tex. – Temple (5-10, 4-10) takes on a very familiar foe in USF (8-12, 4-10) in the first round of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Thursday, March 11 at noon ET (ESPNU/1210 AM WPHT). The Owls and Bulls are the first game of the tournament which runs through Sunday at Dickies Arena.
The Owls, which paused basketball activities on Feb. 27, had played the Bulls in their last two games, winning 62-47 at USF to snap a six-game skid on Feb. 24 and falling 83-76 at home on Feb. 21. This marks the first time Temple has played the same opponent in three straight games.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Sophomore Khalif Battle, who has averaged 25.0 ppg and 7.7 rpg over the last three games, now leads the Owls in scoring (14.7 ppg) and is second in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and threes made (21). He has started the last three games in place of redshirt freshman Damian Dunn, who has been out with a knee injury.
> Junior Jake Forrester, who tops the team in rebounding (6.1/9th AAC) and FG% (.565/4th AAC), and freshman Jeremiah Williams, who is fifth in the AAC in assists (4.2), are close behind at 9.4 and 9.3 ppg, respectively.
> Senior captains De'Vondre Perry (7.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and J.P. Moorman II (7.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg) are right behind as is grad transfer Brendan Barry (6.6 ppg), who is tied for the lead among DI reserves in minutes per game (27.5 mpg), tops the Owls and is third in the AAC in three-point percentage (.426).
> Freshmen Nick Jourdain, who has averaged 7.0 ppg, 4,0 rpg as a starter the last two games, rounds out the Owls starting five.
SCOUTING USF
> USF is on a four-game skid, dropping its regular-season finale at Wichita State, 80-63.
> The Bulls' last win came at Temple (83-76) on Feb. 21.
> David Collins leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 ppg. Collins is the team's lone double-figure scorer.
SERIES HISTORY
> Temple and USF have met 17 times, with the Owls leading 13-4 in the all-time series.
> The Owls had won 11 in a row prior to falling at home last season.
> The teams split the series this season with USF winning at Temple (83-76, 2/21) and the Owls topping the Bulls (65-47, 2/24) in Tampa.
> The first meeting in the series was nine years ago in the NCAA Second Round at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. The Bulls won by a score of 58-44 after trailing Temple, 19-15, at halftime. USF also won the first-ever meeting as conference opponents on Jan. 9, 2014, 75-82, but did not win again until last season.
