Temple University Athletics
Thursday, January 4
Tampa, Fla.
7:00 P.M.
Temple University
at
South Florida
Photo by: Anthony Getz
Owls Begin Conference Play at South Florida
1.3.24 | Men's Basketball
Game Info:Â Friday, January 4, 2024 -Â 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: Yuengling Center - Tampa, Fla.
TV:Â ESPN2Â | 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 gets American Athletic Conference play underway with a trip to the Sunshine State to take on the South Florida Bulls on Thursday, January 4. Tipoff from the Yuengling Center in Tampa is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Last Time Out - Owls Down Portland to Wrap Diamond Head Classic
Hysier Miller hit two free throws with 5.9 seconds remaining as Temple University closed its run at the Diamond Head Classic with a 55-54 win against the Portland Pilots on December 24.Â
BY THE NUMBERS
Get Ahead Early
Following the game against Portland, Temple is 7-0 when leading at the half and 0-6 when trailing at intermission.Â
Banker's Hours
Portland was the first win for the Owls this season in a game that started before 5:00 p.m. local time. TU has done fine in night games, with a 6-1 mark when tipoff is after 5:00 p.m.
Out Of Conference Experience
Temple finished its non-conference schedule 7-6. It is the sixth time in the last seven seasons the Owls have finished with a winning record in a full season outside of AAC play.Â
Upping The Offense
In the last four games, Sam Hofman has increased his offensive output, averaging 11.3 points per game to rank second on the Owls in the span. He also has shot 43.3 percent from beyond the arc and has seven assists and just two turnovers while playing 33.1 minutes a contest. In the first nine games of the season, the Brussels, Belgium native scored 5.4 an outing and was connecting on 32.4 percent of his attempts from distance.Â
Doubling Their Fun
With his 14 points and 12 rebounds against Portland, Jordan Riley recorded his first career double-double. It was the fifth such effort in 13 games for the Owls. Temple only had six double-doubles last season and nine total in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Of the 14 total double-doubles since the start of the 2021 season, Jahlil White has posted six of them, three this season.Â
End Of The Road
Thursday's game at South Florida is the last leg of a 32-day stretch between home games for TU. After playing Bloomsburg on December 6, the Owls have two true road games and four neutral site contests prior to playing Wichita State at home on January 7.Â
Scouting Report
South Florida enters play 7-4 overall and is coming off a 73-70 win against Alabama State on December 29. After a slow start to the year, the Bulls have won five in a row, including a victory against Florida State to start the stretch. USF was picked ninth in the AAC preseason poll.Â
Chris Youngblood and Selton Miguel lead the offense for South Florida at 14.7 and 14.3 points per game, respectively. Kasean Pryor tops the team at 6.3 rebounds per game. Jayden Reid has dished 47 assists.
Turnovers and free throws have been the story of the success for USF this season. The Bulls are in the top-50 nationally in turnovers forced per game at 15.0 a contest and rank inside the top-30 in turnover margin at +3.9. South Florida is also in the top-30 in both free throws taken and makes, scoring nearly 18 points a game at the line.Â
USF needs to drive and get to the line for its offense, as it has struggled to an extent from beyond the arc this season. The Bulls make just 7.5 threes an outing and shoot 32.4 percent from distance, both in the bottom half of NCAA Division I.Â
Amir Abdur-Rahim is in his first season as his head coach at South Florida. He came to USF after four years at Kennesaw State where he led a turnaround from a 1-28 record in 2019-20 to a 26-9 mark last season and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.Â
All-Time Series
Thursday is the 22nd all-time meeting between Temple and South Florida with the Owls holding a 15-6 advantage. TU has won three in a row between the schools.
Last Time Against USF
Temple scored the final four points in overtime as the Owls prevailed 79-76 against the Bulls on January 25, 2023 at the Liacouras Center. Jahlil White had seven points and a team-high seven rebounds while Hysier Miller scored nine and led the Owls with four assists.
Going To The Line For Three
Often times a player getting fouled in the act of shooting a three-pointer is a couple of times a season occurrence. TU has all but made it a part of the offense this season with seven such opportunities in 13 games. Matteo Picarelli has been the beneficiary six times and Hysier Miller once. Temple has made 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) of its free throws when fouled on a trey.
Half A Dozen
Temple has placed five players with 10 or more points in a game four times this year, but December 6 against Bloomsburg was the second time this season the Owls placed six players in double figure scoring. TU also accomplished the feat against La Salle. They are the first such games since February 7, 2018 when Quinton Rose (23), Josh Brown (17), Shizz Alston, Jr. (14), J.P. Moorman II (11), Ernest Aflakpui (10) and Nate Pierre-Louis (10) all tallied 10 or more in a 90-73 win against East Carolina.Â
Putting In Extra Work
By going to triple overtime, the game against La Salle on November 29 entered some rare territory. It was the first 3OT game for the Owls since an 83-82 win at Massachusetts on February 11, 1990. The game was also just the fifth triple overtime game in Big 5 history and the first since La Salle downed Villanova, 84-83 on December 20, 1980.Â
Up Next
Temple returns to the friendly confines of the Liacouras Center for the first time in more than a month when it hosts Wichita State on Sunday, January 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with the game being broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
Location: Yuengling Center - Tampa, Fla.
TV:Â ESPN2Â | 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 gets American Athletic Conference play underway with a trip to the Sunshine State to take on the South Florida Bulls on Thursday, January 4. Tipoff from the Yuengling Center in Tampa is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Last Time Out - Owls Down Portland to Wrap Diamond Head Classic
Hysier Miller hit two free throws with 5.9 seconds remaining as Temple University closed its run at the Diamond Head Classic with a 55-54 win against the Portland Pilots on December 24.Â
BY THE NUMBERS
- Steve Settle III scored 16 in the contest, his fifth game this season in double figures. He also pulled in six rebounds.
- Jordan Riley posted a career-high 12 rebounds, also scoring 14 for his first career double-double.
- Sam Hofman scored 10 with six rebounds and three assists. Shane Dezonie tallied nine and also delivered three dimes.
- It was the first time the Owls scored in the final 10 seconds of a game to win since January 8, 2022.
Get Ahead Early
Following the game against Portland, Temple is 7-0 when leading at the half and 0-6 when trailing at intermission.Â
Banker's Hours
Portland was the first win for the Owls this season in a game that started before 5:00 p.m. local time. TU has done fine in night games, with a 6-1 mark when tipoff is after 5:00 p.m.
Out Of Conference Experience
Temple finished its non-conference schedule 7-6. It is the sixth time in the last seven seasons the Owls have finished with a winning record in a full season outside of AAC play.Â
Upping The Offense
In the last four games, Sam Hofman has increased his offensive output, averaging 11.3 points per game to rank second on the Owls in the span. He also has shot 43.3 percent from beyond the arc and has seven assists and just two turnovers while playing 33.1 minutes a contest. In the first nine games of the season, the Brussels, Belgium native scored 5.4 an outing and was connecting on 32.4 percent of his attempts from distance.Â
Doubling Their Fun
With his 14 points and 12 rebounds against Portland, Jordan Riley recorded his first career double-double. It was the fifth such effort in 13 games for the Owls. Temple only had six double-doubles last season and nine total in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Of the 14 total double-doubles since the start of the 2021 season, Jahlil White has posted six of them, three this season.Â
End Of The Road
Thursday's game at South Florida is the last leg of a 32-day stretch between home games for TU. After playing Bloomsburg on December 6, the Owls have two true road games and four neutral site contests prior to playing Wichita State at home on January 7.Â
Scouting Report
South Florida enters play 7-4 overall and is coming off a 73-70 win against Alabama State on December 29. After a slow start to the year, the Bulls have won five in a row, including a victory against Florida State to start the stretch. USF was picked ninth in the AAC preseason poll.Â
Chris Youngblood and Selton Miguel lead the offense for South Florida at 14.7 and 14.3 points per game, respectively. Kasean Pryor tops the team at 6.3 rebounds per game. Jayden Reid has dished 47 assists.
Turnovers and free throws have been the story of the success for USF this season. The Bulls are in the top-50 nationally in turnovers forced per game at 15.0 a contest and rank inside the top-30 in turnover margin at +3.9. South Florida is also in the top-30 in both free throws taken and makes, scoring nearly 18 points a game at the line.Â
USF needs to drive and get to the line for its offense, as it has struggled to an extent from beyond the arc this season. The Bulls make just 7.5 threes an outing and shoot 32.4 percent from distance, both in the bottom half of NCAA Division I.Â
Amir Abdur-Rahim is in his first season as his head coach at South Florida. He came to USF after four years at Kennesaw State where he led a turnaround from a 1-28 record in 2019-20 to a 26-9 mark last season and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.Â
All-Time Series
Thursday is the 22nd all-time meeting between Temple and South Florida with the Owls holding a 15-6 advantage. TU has won three in a row between the schools.
Last Time Against USF
Temple scored the final four points in overtime as the Owls prevailed 79-76 against the Bulls on January 25, 2023 at the Liacouras Center. Jahlil White had seven points and a team-high seven rebounds while Hysier Miller scored nine and led the Owls with four assists.
Going To The Line For Three
Often times a player getting fouled in the act of shooting a three-pointer is a couple of times a season occurrence. TU has all but made it a part of the offense this season with seven such opportunities in 13 games. Matteo Picarelli has been the beneficiary six times and Hysier Miller once. Temple has made 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) of its free throws when fouled on a trey.
Half A Dozen
Temple has placed five players with 10 or more points in a game four times this year, but December 6 against Bloomsburg was the second time this season the Owls placed six players in double figure scoring. TU also accomplished the feat against La Salle. They are the first such games since February 7, 2018 when Quinton Rose (23), Josh Brown (17), Shizz Alston, Jr. (14), J.P. Moorman II (11), Ernest Aflakpui (10) and Nate Pierre-Louis (10) all tallied 10 or more in a 90-73 win against East Carolina.Â
Putting In Extra Work
By going to triple overtime, the game against La Salle on November 29 entered some rare territory. It was the first 3OT game for the Owls since an 83-82 win at Massachusetts on February 11, 1990. The game was also just the fifth triple overtime game in Big 5 history and the first since La Salle downed Villanova, 84-83 on December 20, 1980.Â
Up Next
Temple returns to the friendly confines of the Liacouras Center for the first time in more than a month when it hosts Wichita State on Sunday, January 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with the game being broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
Players Mentioned
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