Temple University Athletics
Wednesday, November 29
Philadelphia, Pa.
7:00 P.M.
Temple University
vs
La Salle
Photo by: Mike Conway
Owls Meet La Salle on Wednesday for Berth in Big 5 Classic Championship Game
11.28.23 | Men's Basketball
Game Info:Â Wednesday, November 29, 2023 -Â 7:00 p.m.
Location: Liacouras Center - Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: 1210 WPHT | Live Stats: Owlsports.com
Social Media
Twitter/X: @TUMBBHoops | Instagram: @tumbbhoops
Tweet #Team128
Promotions: There are several promotions during the game on Wednesday, including:
Opening Tip
With a spot in the Big 5 Classic championship on the line, the Temple University men's basketball team hosts their rivals from Olney, the La Salle Explorers on Wednesday, November 29. Tipoff from the Liacouras Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
All five starters scored in double figures, but a pair of free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining saw the Ole Miss Rebels slip past Temple 77-76 on November 22.Â
BY THE NUMBERSÂ
20/20 Vision
Hysier Miller has netted 20 or more points in back-to-back games. Coming into the season, he scored 20 points in a game twice in two years.Â
Leading The Way
With those two games of 20 or more points as well as scoring at least 15 in each game this season, Miller is leading the AAC in scoring coming out of the Thanksgiving holiday at 20.2 points per game.
Dynamic Duo From Deep
Both Matteo Picarelli and Hysier Miller have done a good portion of their scoring from beyond the arc as they pair are tied for the conference lead at 3.0 three-pointers per game. Additionally, Picarelli is in the top-50 nationally, connecting at 44.1 percent from distance.
I Walk (to) The Line
It's been documented already how important to the Owls the free throw line has been this season with 19.0 free throws made per game (19th in NCAAD1) and shooting at an 84.8 percent clip as a team (2nd in NCAAD1). Individually, Zion Stanford and Matteo Picarelli have stood out in their own right. The pair both are in the top-five in the AAC in free throw percentage with Stanford at 91.7 percent (11-of-12) at Picarelli at 90.9 percent (20-of-22).
Sharing Is Caring
For the first time this season, the Ole Miss game represented the first time someone other than Hysier Miller led the Owls in assists. Sam Hofman topped Temple with five dimes against the Rebels
Double Your Fun
TU placed five players in double figure scoring for the first time this season against Ole Miss as Hysier Miller (21), Matteo Picarelli (14), Zion Stanford (14), Sam Hofman (11) and Jordan Riley (10) each scored 10 or more. It hasn't been that long since the Owls have placed five players in double figures as it was done most recently on March 5, 2023 against Tulane. What does make it unique is that none of the players who scored 10+ against the Green Wave were among the group that did it against the Rebels.
Scouting Report
La Salle is off to a good start this season at 5-1, most recently coming away with an 81-62 win against Coppin State on Sunday. The start is even more impressive when it is noted that the Explorers were selected 15th out of 15 teams in the A10 preseason poll.
Four players are scoring in double figures for La Salle, led by Khalil Bradley at 15.7 points a game. Jhamir Brickus and Anwar Gil are tallying 14.0 and 13.7 a night, respectively, while Daeshon Shepherd rounds out the quartet at 10.2 an outing. Rokas Jocius leads the Explorers at 6.3 rebounds a game.Â
La Salle has done a good job of distributing the ball this season as Brickus (27), Gil (24) and Bradley (23) all are averaging 3.8 assists per game or better and the Explorers are in the top-25 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio with a mark of 1.69.Â
As a team, La Salle is reliant on its starting lineup, ranking in the bottom-20 in the country in bench scoring at 12.2 points from reserves a game. The Explorers have also allowed opponents to shot a high percentage, placing in the bottom 60 teams in NCAA Division I with opponents shooting 46.5 percent from the field.Â
A familiar face roams the sidelines for La Salle as former Temple and Penn head coach Fran Dunphy is in his second season with a record of 20-20 at his alma mater. A member of the Big 5 Hall of Fame, Dunphy has a 600-345 record as a collegiate mentor, has guided his teams to 18 seasons of 20 or more wins and made 17 trips to the NCAA tournament.
All-Time Series
In a series dating to the 1899-1900 season, Temple holds an 80-42 advantage against the Explorers and has won four in a row against La Salle.
Last Time Against La Salle
The Owls overcame an eight-point halftime deficit, shooting 59.3 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes, downing the Explorers 67-51 on November 30, 2022 at The Palestra.Â
Good To See You Again
Wednesday is the 123rd all-time contest between Temple and La Salle in men's basketball, the second-most frequest opponent for the Owls. Only Saint Joseph's has faced TU more often as the Hawks and Owls have played 164 times.Â
Big 5 Title Berth At Stake
There is a lot on the line in Wednesday's game as the winner of the contest will win its pod and play in the Big 5 Classic championship game at the Wells Fargo Center on December 2.Â
Up Next
The culmination of the reimagined Philadelphia Big 5 comes to fruition with the Big 5 Classic at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, December 2. Temple's opponent and game time will be determined by the results of the Owls game against La Salle and the contest between Saint Joseph's and Villanova on Wednesday.Â
Location: Liacouras Center - Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: 1210 WPHT | Live Stats: Owlsports.com
Social Media
Twitter/X: @TUMBBHoops | Instagram: @tumbbhoops
Tweet #Team128
Promotions: There are several promotions during the game on Wednesday, including:
- Dollar Dog Night
- $10,000 Series Shootout
- A giveaway for a pair of Eagles vs. 49ers tickets to a Temple Student
- Courtside seat giveaway to the Big 5 Classic to a Temple Student
Opening Tip
With a spot in the Big 5 Classic championship on the line, the Temple University men's basketball team hosts their rivals from Olney, the La Salle Explorers on Wednesday, November 29. Tipoff from the Liacouras Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
All five starters scored in double figures, but a pair of free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining saw the Ole Miss Rebels slip past Temple 77-76 on November 22.Â
BY THE NUMBERSÂ
- Hysier Miller scored 21 in the contest.Â
- Zion Stanford posted a career-high tying 14 in the game with a personal best seven rebounds. Â
- In his first start of the season, Jordan Riley netted 10 with seven boards. Both totals were personal bests in a Temple uniform. Â
- Matteo Picarelli was the fourth Owl in double figures, netting 14, nine of them in the second half. Â
- Sam Hofman had his first game with 10 or more in a Temple uniform, tallying 11 with five assists.Â
20/20 Vision
Hysier Miller has netted 20 or more points in back-to-back games. Coming into the season, he scored 20 points in a game twice in two years.Â
Leading The Way
With those two games of 20 or more points as well as scoring at least 15 in each game this season, Miller is leading the AAC in scoring coming out of the Thanksgiving holiday at 20.2 points per game.
Dynamic Duo From Deep
Both Matteo Picarelli and Hysier Miller have done a good portion of their scoring from beyond the arc as they pair are tied for the conference lead at 3.0 three-pointers per game. Additionally, Picarelli is in the top-50 nationally, connecting at 44.1 percent from distance.
I Walk (to) The Line
It's been documented already how important to the Owls the free throw line has been this season with 19.0 free throws made per game (19th in NCAAD1) and shooting at an 84.8 percent clip as a team (2nd in NCAAD1). Individually, Zion Stanford and Matteo Picarelli have stood out in their own right. The pair both are in the top-five in the AAC in free throw percentage with Stanford at 91.7 percent (11-of-12) at Picarelli at 90.9 percent (20-of-22).
Sharing Is Caring
For the first time this season, the Ole Miss game represented the first time someone other than Hysier Miller led the Owls in assists. Sam Hofman topped Temple with five dimes against the Rebels
Double Your Fun
TU placed five players in double figure scoring for the first time this season against Ole Miss as Hysier Miller (21), Matteo Picarelli (14), Zion Stanford (14), Sam Hofman (11) and Jordan Riley (10) each scored 10 or more. It hasn't been that long since the Owls have placed five players in double figures as it was done most recently on March 5, 2023 against Tulane. What does make it unique is that none of the players who scored 10+ against the Green Wave were among the group that did it against the Rebels.
Scouting Report
La Salle is off to a good start this season at 5-1, most recently coming away with an 81-62 win against Coppin State on Sunday. The start is even more impressive when it is noted that the Explorers were selected 15th out of 15 teams in the A10 preseason poll.
Four players are scoring in double figures for La Salle, led by Khalil Bradley at 15.7 points a game. Jhamir Brickus and Anwar Gil are tallying 14.0 and 13.7 a night, respectively, while Daeshon Shepherd rounds out the quartet at 10.2 an outing. Rokas Jocius leads the Explorers at 6.3 rebounds a game.Â
La Salle has done a good job of distributing the ball this season as Brickus (27), Gil (24) and Bradley (23) all are averaging 3.8 assists per game or better and the Explorers are in the top-25 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio with a mark of 1.69.Â
As a team, La Salle is reliant on its starting lineup, ranking in the bottom-20 in the country in bench scoring at 12.2 points from reserves a game. The Explorers have also allowed opponents to shot a high percentage, placing in the bottom 60 teams in NCAA Division I with opponents shooting 46.5 percent from the field.Â
A familiar face roams the sidelines for La Salle as former Temple and Penn head coach Fran Dunphy is in his second season with a record of 20-20 at his alma mater. A member of the Big 5 Hall of Fame, Dunphy has a 600-345 record as a collegiate mentor, has guided his teams to 18 seasons of 20 or more wins and made 17 trips to the NCAA tournament.
All-Time Series
In a series dating to the 1899-1900 season, Temple holds an 80-42 advantage against the Explorers and has won four in a row against La Salle.
Last Time Against La Salle
The Owls overcame an eight-point halftime deficit, shooting 59.3 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes, downing the Explorers 67-51 on November 30, 2022 at The Palestra.Â
Good To See You Again
Wednesday is the 123rd all-time contest between Temple and La Salle in men's basketball, the second-most frequest opponent for the Owls. Only Saint Joseph's has faced TU more often as the Hawks and Owls have played 164 times.Â
Big 5 Title Berth At Stake
There is a lot on the line in Wednesday's game as the winner of the contest will win its pod and play in the Big 5 Classic championship game at the Wells Fargo Center on December 2.Â
Up Next
The culmination of the reimagined Philadelphia Big 5 comes to fruition with the Big 5 Classic at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, December 2. Temple's opponent and game time will be determined by the results of the Owls game against La Salle and the contest between Saint Joseph's and Villanova on Wednesday.Â
Players Mentioned
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