Temple University Athletics
Saturday, January 13
Denton, Texas
6:00 P.M.
Temple University
at
North Texas
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Men's Basketball Begins Two-Game Texas Trip
1.12.24 | Men's Basketball
Game Info:Â Saturday, January 13, 2024 -Â 6:00 p.m. EST
Location:Â The Super Pit - Denton, Texas
TV:Â ESPNUÂ | Listen: 1210 WPHT | Live Stats: Owlsports.com
Social Media
Twitter/X: @TUMBBHoops | Instagram: @tumbbhoops
Tweet #Team128
Opening Tip
The Temple University men's basketball team begins a swing to the Lone Star State, starting with a contest against the University of North Texas on Saturday, January 13. Tipoff from The Super Pit in Denton is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EST with the game being broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
Last Time Out - Owls Hang Tough with Pirates
Three players scored in double figures for the Owls, but a tough second half saw Temple topped by the East Carolina Pirates 73-62 on Wednesday evening.
BY THE NUMBERS
Lead At The Break
The trend of whoever leads at halftime wins the game continued on Wednesday against East Carolina. Temple is now 8-0 when leading at intermission and 0-8 when trailing at the break.Â
Going To The Line For Three
Another game, another day where Matteo Picarelli gets fouled shooting a three-pointer. The senior from Milan, Italy has been hit on a trey eight times this season and the Owls have gone to the line on a triple nine times overall with Hysier Miller being the other recipient. TU has made 82.6 percent (19-of-23) of its free throws in such situations.Â
Shooting Their Shot
Temple enters Wednesday's game 16th in the nation in three-point attempts, averaging 28.8 a contest after taking 27 against the Pirates. The Owls tied a program record when they attempted 38 triples against Old Dominion on December 22. TU is also among the top teams with 8.7 made threes a night.
Getting His Run
Hysier Miller has certainly his share of time on the court this season for the Owls. Despite playing a season-low 31 minutes against East Carolina, the junior from Neumann-Goretti high school is 11th nationally at 36.4 minutes per contest. No one else on Temple is playing more than 32 a game. Miller has gone the distance only twice this year, but has played 37 or more minutes nine times.Â
Dezonie Delivers
Since the Owls began their trip to Hawai'i, Shane Dezonie has been a key part of the Temple offense. In the six games, he is averaging 8.3 points per game and is shooting 46.3 percent (19-for-41) in 22.3 minutes a night with three games in double figure scoring. In the six games he played prior to December 22, he averaged 5.5 points in 10.3 minutes a contest. He has also improved his rebounding, going from 2.7 early on to 4.0 an outing in the last six games. He tied a season-high with five boards against East Carolina on Wednesday, the fourth time this season he has pulled in that many.Â
You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two
The Owls have done their best impression of the Artful Dodger this season, averaging 7.9 steals per game. The pace would be the highest total since 2018-19 when TU came away with 8.6 an outing. It is nearly three steals a contest more than last season when Temple took the ball off opponents 5.0 times. Individually, Steve Settle III and Hysier Miller are both in the top-15 in the AAC at 1.8 and 1.5 swipes per night, respectively.Â
More Thievery
Speaking of Settle's ability to take the ball off opponents, he has upped his totals since conference play started with 10 steals in three AAC matchups, including a career-high six takeaways against Wichita State. Overall, the Glenarden, Md. native has seven games with multiple steals this season and three games with four or more.Â
Scouting Report
North Texas is 9-5 on the season and 2-0 in the AAC. Winners of four in a row, most recently, the Mean Green downed Tulane 70-56 on January 6. UNT was picked sixth in the AAC preseason poll.
Leading the offense for North Texas is Jason Edwards at 16.9 points per game while playing starter minutes off the bench. Rubin Jones and Aaron Scott are close behind at 12.2 and 12.1 a contest, respectively. Robert Allen tops the team at 8.1 rebounds per night to rank fifth in the conference. Jones has 49 assists.Â
Defense has been the calling card for the Mean Green this season, sitting third in NCAA Division I allowing just 58.9 points per game. It holds down shooting percentages from all areas of the floor, ranking eighth in field goal percentage at 38.2 and allows the opposition to shoot just 29.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The offense is very isolation based as UNT is last in the AAC in assists per game at 10.8. It also has given away the ball at times, sitting in the bottom half nationally with 12.3 turnovers per game, resulting in a negative A:TO for the season.Â
Ross Hodge is in his first season as the head coach of the Mean Green, but is no stranger to the sidelines at the Super Pit, serving as associate head coach of UNT for the last six seasons. It is his first job as a Division I lead mentor after assistant coaching stops at Southern Mississippi and Arkansas State. He was also one of the most successful junior college coaches, posting a 146-28 record from 2016-11 at Paris JC and Midland College.
All-Time Series
Saturday is the first meeting in men's basketball between the Owls and the Mean Green.
Up Next
Temple stays in the state of Texas, making the short trip from Denton to Dallas where it will face SMU on Tuesday, January 16. Tipoff from Moody Coliseum is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST.
Location:Â The Super Pit - Denton, Texas
TV:Â ESPNUÂ | Listen: 1210 WPHT | Live Stats: Owlsports.com
Social Media
Twitter/X: @TUMBBHoops | Instagram: @tumbbhoops
Tweet #Team128
Opening Tip
The Temple University men's basketball team begins a swing to the Lone Star State, starting with a contest against the University of North Texas on Saturday, January 13. Tipoff from The Super Pit in Denton is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EST with the game being broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
Last Time Out - Owls Hang Tough with Pirates
Three players scored in double figures for the Owls, but a tough second half saw Temple topped by the East Carolina Pirates 73-62 on Wednesday evening.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Jordan Riley topped the Owls with 15 points.
- Shane Dezonie netted 11 and tied a season-high with five rebounds.
- Jahlil White tallied 13 and led Temple with seven rebounds.
- Matteo Picarelli scored nine, all of them in the second half.
Lead At The Break
The trend of whoever leads at halftime wins the game continued on Wednesday against East Carolina. Temple is now 8-0 when leading at intermission and 0-8 when trailing at the break.Â
Going To The Line For Three
Another game, another day where Matteo Picarelli gets fouled shooting a three-pointer. The senior from Milan, Italy has been hit on a trey eight times this season and the Owls have gone to the line on a triple nine times overall with Hysier Miller being the other recipient. TU has made 82.6 percent (19-of-23) of its free throws in such situations.Â
Shooting Their Shot
Temple enters Wednesday's game 16th in the nation in three-point attempts, averaging 28.8 a contest after taking 27 against the Pirates. The Owls tied a program record when they attempted 38 triples against Old Dominion on December 22. TU is also among the top teams with 8.7 made threes a night.
Getting His Run
Hysier Miller has certainly his share of time on the court this season for the Owls. Despite playing a season-low 31 minutes against East Carolina, the junior from Neumann-Goretti high school is 11th nationally at 36.4 minutes per contest. No one else on Temple is playing more than 32 a game. Miller has gone the distance only twice this year, but has played 37 or more minutes nine times.Â
Dezonie Delivers
Since the Owls began their trip to Hawai'i, Shane Dezonie has been a key part of the Temple offense. In the six games, he is averaging 8.3 points per game and is shooting 46.3 percent (19-for-41) in 22.3 minutes a night with three games in double figure scoring. In the six games he played prior to December 22, he averaged 5.5 points in 10.3 minutes a contest. He has also improved his rebounding, going from 2.7 early on to 4.0 an outing in the last six games. He tied a season-high with five boards against East Carolina on Wednesday, the fourth time this season he has pulled in that many.Â
You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two
The Owls have done their best impression of the Artful Dodger this season, averaging 7.9 steals per game. The pace would be the highest total since 2018-19 when TU came away with 8.6 an outing. It is nearly three steals a contest more than last season when Temple took the ball off opponents 5.0 times. Individually, Steve Settle III and Hysier Miller are both in the top-15 in the AAC at 1.8 and 1.5 swipes per night, respectively.Â
More Thievery
Speaking of Settle's ability to take the ball off opponents, he has upped his totals since conference play started with 10 steals in three AAC matchups, including a career-high six takeaways against Wichita State. Overall, the Glenarden, Md. native has seven games with multiple steals this season and three games with four or more.Â
Scouting Report
North Texas is 9-5 on the season and 2-0 in the AAC. Winners of four in a row, most recently, the Mean Green downed Tulane 70-56 on January 6. UNT was picked sixth in the AAC preseason poll.
Leading the offense for North Texas is Jason Edwards at 16.9 points per game while playing starter minutes off the bench. Rubin Jones and Aaron Scott are close behind at 12.2 and 12.1 a contest, respectively. Robert Allen tops the team at 8.1 rebounds per night to rank fifth in the conference. Jones has 49 assists.Â
Defense has been the calling card for the Mean Green this season, sitting third in NCAA Division I allowing just 58.9 points per game. It holds down shooting percentages from all areas of the floor, ranking eighth in field goal percentage at 38.2 and allows the opposition to shoot just 29.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The offense is very isolation based as UNT is last in the AAC in assists per game at 10.8. It also has given away the ball at times, sitting in the bottom half nationally with 12.3 turnovers per game, resulting in a negative A:TO for the season.Â
Ross Hodge is in his first season as the head coach of the Mean Green, but is no stranger to the sidelines at the Super Pit, serving as associate head coach of UNT for the last six seasons. It is his first job as a Division I lead mentor after assistant coaching stops at Southern Mississippi and Arkansas State. He was also one of the most successful junior college coaches, posting a 146-28 record from 2016-11 at Paris JC and Midland College.
All-Time Series
Saturday is the first meeting in men's basketball between the Owls and the Mean Green.
Up Next
Temple stays in the state of Texas, making the short trip from Denton to Dallas where it will face SMU on Tuesday, January 16. Tipoff from Moody Coliseum is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST.
Players Mentioned
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