Men's Basketball Finally Back in Action; Hosts Cincinnati Tuesday

PHILADELPHIA - After a 13-day break due to scheduling and covid protocol issues with its last two opponents, Temple finally returns to action Tuesday (7 pm/ESPNU/1210 AM WPHT) when it hosts Cincinnati at the Liacouras Center.

The Owls are currently on a three-game win streak following close wins over UCF, East Carolina and Tulsa and are 3-2 in conference play and 10-6 overall.

Like Temple, the Bearcats enter the game on a three-game win streak, defeating East Carolina, Wichita St and Tulsa and are 14-5 overall and 4-2 in conference play.

This game is part of Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers® Week, a nationwide event that unites basketball coaches across the country for a common cause – saving lives from cancer. The coaches and their staff from both teams will wear sneakers with their suits or Coaches vs. Cancer branded attire during the game to raise awareness in the fight against cancer.

PROMOTIONS
> Game sponsored by Fox School of Business
> Meme Night with popular memes will be incorporated into the in-game experience (cams, situational memes/GIFs)
> Taco Tuesday - $2 off tacos at the Taco Truck Stand located in section 114
> Temple Jawn T-Shirt giveaway – while supplies last
> $10,000 Half Court Shot - one randomly selected Temple student will have the chance to shoot a half court shot for $10,000
> Student-Athlete Recognition - the Owls' 16 varsity teams that earned above 3.00 grade point averages for the fall semester will be honored at halftime

SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Temple comes into the game on a three-game winning streak with road wins against UCF and Tulsa sandwiching a home victory over East Carolina.
> Damian Dunn provided the heroics in the first two wins, making a three to put the Owls ahead in the final minute against UCF and a buzzer-beating three to complete a career-high 33 point game against East Carolina.
> Dunn leads the Owls in scoring (15.2 ppg/8th AAC), free throw percentage (70-82, .854/3rd AAC) and steals (19) while ranking second in assists (34) .
> Jeremiah Williams is second on the team in scoring (9.2 ppg) and runs the show offensively. He leads the Owls in assists (4.9 apg, 5th AAC), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.05/5thAAC), steals (19) and minutes per game (32.4/8th AAC).
> Nick Jourdain (6.6 ppg), who set career scoring highs in consecutive games (ECU-16, Tulsa-23), has averaged 11.7 ppg since joining the starting lineup six games ago. He also leads the team in blocks (1.6 bpg/3rd AAC) and is second in rebounding (4.8 rpg).
> Another recent starter making noise is Jahlil White (6.1 ppg). Coming off his first career double-double (11 pts, 10 rebs) at Tulsa, White is averaging 10 ppg and 8.8 rpg in his five starts. He leads the team in rebounding (4.9 ppg) and ranks third in steals (15).
> Zach Hicks (6.1 ppg), who set a school record with 10 threes vs. Delaware State, leads the Owls with 26 three-pointers. He has been red-hot of late from deep, making 20 of his treys over the last four games while shooting 45.5 percent during that span.

SCOUTING CINCINNATI
> Cincinnati is currently on a three-game win streak and is third in the American Athletic Conference standings at 4-2.
> Jeremiah Davenport leads the Bearcats in scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg). The 6-7 junior guard also is tied for the conference lead in threes per game (49, 2.72 pg) and fourth in percentage (.377).
> David DeJulius is Cincinnati's only other double-figure scorer (13.3 ppg). He also ranks second in three-pointers made (27).
> Mika Adams-Woods (8.5 ppg, 71 assists), John Newman III (7.1 ppg, 20 steals) and Abdul Ado (2.6 ppg, 30 blocks) round out the UC starters.
> Mike Saunders, Jr. (7.8 ppg), Victor Lakhin (5.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Ody Oguama (4.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg) are the top reserves on a deep bench.
> Defense has led the way with the Bearcats ranking second in the AAC in scoring (62.7 ppg) and field goal percentage (.378) defense.

SERIES HISTORY
> Temple and Cincinnati are meeting for the 36th time with UC holding a 26-9 lead in the series.
> The Bearcats have won nine straight over the Owls, the longest active streak by any opponent. The first Bearcat win in this current stretch came on Dec. 28, 2016.
> The Owls had won three straight prior to the start of the streak, sweeping the regular-season series in 2015-16, winning 77-70 at #22/23 Cincinnati on Dec. 29, 2015 and coming out on top in double overtime, 67-65 at home on Jan. 16, 2016. That was the last Temple win in the series.
> Before being members of The American, the teams last met on Dec. 9, 2006 at the Atlantic City Lenape Trail Classic at Boardwalk Hall. Cincinnati won that game, 80-71.
> Temple won three contests in a row before 2006, each time upsetting Cincinnati as the Bearcats were ranked #11, 4 and 1.
> On Feb. 20, 2000, the 15th-ranked Owls upset top-ranked Cincinnati 77-69 on the Bearcats' home court. It is one of only two wins by Temple over the #1 team in the nation.
> Temple advanced to the Sweet Sixteen on March 14, 1999, after unranked TU topped #11 Cincinnati, 77-69 in the NCAA 2nd Round.

Men's Basketball Finally Back in Action; Hosts Cincinnati Tuesday

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Players Mentioned

Damian Dunn

Zach Hicks

Nick Jourdain

Jahlil White

Jeremiah Williams

Temple University Athletics