Temple University Athletics
Friday, March 11
Fort Worth, Texas
3:00 P.M.
Temple University
vs
No. 5 Tulane
Men’s Basketball to Open AAC Championship Play with Quarterfinal Matchup with Tulane Friday
3.8.22 | Men's Basketball
FORT WORTH, Texas – It will be a battle of overachieving teams at Dickies Arena when fourth-seed Temple (17-11) takes on fifth-seed Tulane (13-14) Friday (3 pm ET/ESPN2/1210 AM WPHT) in the 2022 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championships.
The Owls, which clinched a first-round bye with its 75-47 win over South Florida Sunday, were picked to finish eighth in the conference in the preseason coaches' poll while the Green Wave was slated to tie for ninth.
The teams split the series this season with the Green Wave hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the Feb. 12 game in New Orleans to overtime where they won 92-83. Damian Dunn, who missed the first game, scored 19 points to lead the Owls to a 75-70 win at the Liacouras Center on Feb. 27.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Damian Dunn, who has scored in double figures a team-high 21 times, leads the Owls in scoring (15.2 ppg/6th AAC) and free throw percentage (121-145, .834/5th AAC).
> Jeremiah Williams, who has missed five of the last six games (shoulder), remains questionable. He is second on the team in scoring (9.5 ppg) and tops the Owls in assists (4.3 apg, 5th AAC), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.94/5th AAC), and is second in steals (30).
> Tai Strickland is averaging 8.4 ppg (3rd on team). He exploded for a career-high 27 points in the SMU win and tallied 11 points in his first collegiate start at Cincinnati.
> Zach Hicks (8.1 ppg), who has averaged 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds over the last nine games, leads the Owls with 59 three-pointers (.381). He has been red-hot of late from deep, making 53 of his treys over the last 17 games (3.1 pg), including a school-record 10 treys against Delaware State.
> Nick Jourdain (6.8 ppg), who scored a career-high 23 at Tulsa, leads TU in blocks (1.8 bpg/2nd AAC), and offensive rebounding (2.4 pg/4th AAC) while is second in overall rebounding (5.4 rpg/18th AAC).
> Jahlil White (7.5 ppg), who came off the bench to tie his career scoring high (17 pts) at Memphis, leads the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg/t-11th AAC).
> Hysier Miller (4.1 ppg), who has averaged 8.7 ppg and 3.7 apg since joining the starting lineup at Tulane, scored a career-high 16 points at Memphis.
SCOUTING TULANE
> The Green Wave posted their most conference wins (9) since joining the AAC and best AAC finish (5th) in school history.
> Tulane lost three of its last four games heading into the AAC Championship, including its 75-70 defeat at Temple.
> Freshman Jalen Cook, who leads the Green Wave and ranks second in the AAC at 18.0 points per game, has missed the team's last two games after suffering an injury at Temple. He is questionable for the game.
> Preseason All-AAC honoree Jaylen Forbes (16.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg) also averages double figures as does sophomore forward Kevin Cross (13.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg).
> Tulane leads the conference in three-point accuracy (.368), ranks third in three-pointers per game (8.3), and fourth in scoring (73.6 ppg). The Green Wave, however, are last in scoring defense (71.6 ppg).
SERIES HISTORY
> This is the 20th meeting between the teams with Temple holding a 13-6 advantage.
> The teams split the series this season with each winning at home.
> The Owls have won nine of the last 13 meetings.
> The teams have met only once in AAC Championship play. The seventh-seeded Owls beat 10th-seeded Tulane, 82-77, in the first round of the 2018 Championship.
TOURNAMENT TIDBITS
> The Owls are playing in their seventh American Athletic Conference Tournament after 30 years of Atlantic 10 Tournaments.
> Temple's overall record in the American Tournament is 3-6.
> In 2021, the ninth-seeded Owls lost to eighth-seeded South Florida, 73-71, in the first round.
> In 2020, the #10-seed Owls were preparing to take on #7-seed SMU when the AAC canceled the tournament the day of the first round due to Covid.
> In 2019, the third-seeded Owls fell to sixth-seeded Wichita State, 80-74, in the quarterfinals at the FedEx Forum.
> In 2018, the seventh-seeded Owls beat 10th-seeded Tulane, 82-77, in the first round before falling to #14/11 and second-seeded Wichita State by a score of 89-81 in the
quarterfinals.
> In 2017, the eighth-seeded Owls lost 80-69 to ninth-seeded ECU in the first round.
> In 2016, the top-seeded Owls rolled past South Florida in the quarterfinals, 79-62, but lost 77-62 to fifth-seeded UConn in the semifinals.
> In 2015, fourth-seeded Temple beat fifth-seeded Memphis, 80-75 in quarterfinals before falling 69-56 to top-seeded
SMU in the semifinals.
> In 2014, eighth-seeded Temple fell 74-70 in double overtime to ninth-seeded UCF in the first round.
> Temple had more success in Atlantic 10 Championship play than any other conference member. The Owls won more
games (53), played in more semifinals (26) and championships (16) than any member of the league, past or present.
> Temple won a record nine Atlantic 10 Championships (2010, 2009, 2008, 2001, 2000, 1990, 1988, 1987 and 1985).
The Owls, which clinched a first-round bye with its 75-47 win over South Florida Sunday, were picked to finish eighth in the conference in the preseason coaches' poll while the Green Wave was slated to tie for ninth.
The teams split the series this season with the Green Wave hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the Feb. 12 game in New Orleans to overtime where they won 92-83. Damian Dunn, who missed the first game, scored 19 points to lead the Owls to a 75-70 win at the Liacouras Center on Feb. 27.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Damian Dunn, who has scored in double figures a team-high 21 times, leads the Owls in scoring (15.2 ppg/6th AAC) and free throw percentage (121-145, .834/5th AAC).
> Jeremiah Williams, who has missed five of the last six games (shoulder), remains questionable. He is second on the team in scoring (9.5 ppg) and tops the Owls in assists (4.3 apg, 5th AAC), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.94/5th AAC), and is second in steals (30).
> Tai Strickland is averaging 8.4 ppg (3rd on team). He exploded for a career-high 27 points in the SMU win and tallied 11 points in his first collegiate start at Cincinnati.
> Zach Hicks (8.1 ppg), who has averaged 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds over the last nine games, leads the Owls with 59 three-pointers (.381). He has been red-hot of late from deep, making 53 of his treys over the last 17 games (3.1 pg), including a school-record 10 treys against Delaware State.
> Nick Jourdain (6.8 ppg), who scored a career-high 23 at Tulsa, leads TU in blocks (1.8 bpg/2nd AAC), and offensive rebounding (2.4 pg/4th AAC) while is second in overall rebounding (5.4 rpg/18th AAC).
> Jahlil White (7.5 ppg), who came off the bench to tie his career scoring high (17 pts) at Memphis, leads the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg/t-11th AAC).
> Hysier Miller (4.1 ppg), who has averaged 8.7 ppg and 3.7 apg since joining the starting lineup at Tulane, scored a career-high 16 points at Memphis.
SCOUTING TULANE
> The Green Wave posted their most conference wins (9) since joining the AAC and best AAC finish (5th) in school history.
> Tulane lost three of its last four games heading into the AAC Championship, including its 75-70 defeat at Temple.
> Freshman Jalen Cook, who leads the Green Wave and ranks second in the AAC at 18.0 points per game, has missed the team's last two games after suffering an injury at Temple. He is questionable for the game.
> Preseason All-AAC honoree Jaylen Forbes (16.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg) also averages double figures as does sophomore forward Kevin Cross (13.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg).
> Tulane leads the conference in three-point accuracy (.368), ranks third in three-pointers per game (8.3), and fourth in scoring (73.6 ppg). The Green Wave, however, are last in scoring defense (71.6 ppg).
SERIES HISTORY
> This is the 20th meeting between the teams with Temple holding a 13-6 advantage.
> The teams split the series this season with each winning at home.
> The Owls have won nine of the last 13 meetings.
> The teams have met only once in AAC Championship play. The seventh-seeded Owls beat 10th-seeded Tulane, 82-77, in the first round of the 2018 Championship.
TOURNAMENT TIDBITS
> The Owls are playing in their seventh American Athletic Conference Tournament after 30 years of Atlantic 10 Tournaments.
> Temple's overall record in the American Tournament is 3-6.
> In 2021, the ninth-seeded Owls lost to eighth-seeded South Florida, 73-71, in the first round.
> In 2020, the #10-seed Owls were preparing to take on #7-seed SMU when the AAC canceled the tournament the day of the first round due to Covid.
> In 2019, the third-seeded Owls fell to sixth-seeded Wichita State, 80-74, in the quarterfinals at the FedEx Forum.
> In 2018, the seventh-seeded Owls beat 10th-seeded Tulane, 82-77, in the first round before falling to #14/11 and second-seeded Wichita State by a score of 89-81 in the
quarterfinals.
> In 2017, the eighth-seeded Owls lost 80-69 to ninth-seeded ECU in the first round.
> In 2016, the top-seeded Owls rolled past South Florida in the quarterfinals, 79-62, but lost 77-62 to fifth-seeded UConn in the semifinals.
> In 2015, fourth-seeded Temple beat fifth-seeded Memphis, 80-75 in quarterfinals before falling 69-56 to top-seeded
SMU in the semifinals.
> In 2014, eighth-seeded Temple fell 74-70 in double overtime to ninth-seeded UCF in the first round.
> Temple had more success in Atlantic 10 Championship play than any other conference member. The Owls won more
games (53), played in more semifinals (26) and championships (16) than any member of the league, past or present.
> Temple won a record nine Atlantic 10 Championships (2010, 2009, 2008, 2001, 2000, 1990, 1988, 1987 and 1985).
Players Mentioned
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