Temple University Athletics
Thursday, March 7
Philadelphia, Pa.
7:00 P.M.
Temple University
vs
UAB
Photo by: Nic Terry Productions
Men's Basketball Readies to Host UAB on Thursday
3.6.24 | Men's Basketball
Game Info:Â Thursday, March 7, 2024 -Â 7:00 p.m. EST
Location:Â Liacouras Center - Philadelphia, Pa.
TV: ESPN2 | Listen: 1210 WPHT | Live Stats: Owlsports.com | Tickets
Social Media
Twitter/X: @TUMBBHoops | Instagram: @tumbbhoops
Tweet #Team128
Opening Tip
The Temple University men's basketball team wraps its regular season home slate, hosting the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the game broadcast on ESPN2.
Last Time Out - Owls Drop Heartbreaker to Tulsa on Senior Day
Trailing by as many as 13 in the second half, Temple cut the lead to one with under a minute remaining, but the Owls were upended in a Senior Day heartbreaker, 72-67 by the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
BY THE NUMBERS
Seeing The Progress
Temple saw an impressive jump in its numbers in the month of February in nearly every aspect of the game. The Owls shot 41.1 percent in the month, a 32 point improvement from the first 21 games of the season. Three-point shooting also improved from 30.1 percent to 31.0. While it has held on to the ball well all season long, arguably the biggest difference for TU came in the turnover area. In its opening 21 games this year, the Owls had a respectable 10.7 giveaways a contest. February saw Temple turn the ball over just 9.0 times an outing, including a season-low tying five against Charlotte and ending the month with a five-game streak in single digits.Â
Something About Tulsa
We're not sure what it is, but facing Tulsa brings out the best in Emmanuel Okpomo. He had five points and four rebounds against the Golden Hurricane on Saturday, both season-highs. The only other game in a Temple uniform where he put up better numbers was also against Tulsa when he had six points and eight boards on January 10, 2023.Â
Dialing From Distance
Hysier Miller had one of his best weeks from beyond the arc, going 9-for-16 from distance versus Rice and Tulsa. He posted a 4-for-7 performance on Wednesday in Houston before tying a career-high with five treys at home on Saturday. Overall, he has nine games with three or more triples this season with his 59 makes from deep more than doubling his career total heading into the season.Â
Scouting Report
UAB is 18-11 overall with a 10-6 mark in the American following a 106-87 loss against Memphis on Sunday. The Blazers remain in the hunt for a double bye in the conference championship, trailing Memphis by half a game and Charlotte by a game with two remaining.Â
It is an incredibly balanced scoring attack for UAB that is topped by Yaxel Lendenborg at 13.6 points per game. Four other players average double figures with Eric Gaines at 11.4 an outing and Efrem Johnson netting 10.8 a night. Alejandro Vazquez and Javian Davis tally 10.5 and 10.2 a game respectively. Lendenborg tops the conference in rebounding at 10.2 a contest. Gaines is second in the AAC with 154 assists.Â
The free throw line has been a major component of the Blazers success this season. They are 12th nationally at 17.6 makes an outing at the charity stripe and take the 22nd most free throws. Defensively, they are good at protecting the rim, ranking in the top-50 in NCAA Division I with 4.6 blocks per game with Lendenborg topping the AAC at 2.1.Â
An area that has been a struggle for UAB this season has been the turnover column. They are below 200th nationally and 11th in the American at 12.1 giveaways a game. It also hasn't taken the ball off its opponents often at 11.7 an outing, leading to a rank of 230th in turnover margin. The Blazers have also had trouble at times keeping the opposition from scoring, allowing 76.0 points per game and 44.9 percent from the floor, both below 240th nationally.Â
Alumnus Andy Kennedy is in his fourth year as the head coach at UAB with a record of 96-36 in Birmingham. In 17 total seasons as a collegiate mentor, he has compiled a mark of 362-205 with previous stops at Cincinnati and Ole Miss. He has guided his squads to the NCAA Tournament three times, advanced teams to the NIT semifinals or championship game four times – with at least one trip at all three institutions – and has posted 13 20-win seasons.Â
All-Time Series
Thursday is the fifth time the Owls and Blazers square off and the first time since 2013. Temple holds a 3-1 series advantage.
Last Time Against UAB
The Owls turned on the afterburners in the second half, outscoring UAB 48-27 on their way to an 87-66 win on November 24, 2013 at the Charleston Classic. Dalton Pepper led Temple with 24 points. Quenton DeCosey added 18 while Will Cummings scored 17. Anthony Lee had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Up Next
Temple plays its regular season finale on Sunday, March 10 when it travels to UTSA. Tipoff from the Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EDT.Â
Location:Â Liacouras Center - Philadelphia, Pa.
TV: ESPN2 | Listen: 1210 WPHT | Live Stats: Owlsports.com | Tickets
Social Media
Twitter/X: @TUMBBHoops | Instagram: @tumbbhoops
Tweet #Team128
Opening Tip
The Temple University men's basketball team wraps its regular season home slate, hosting the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the game broadcast on ESPN2.
Last Time Out - Owls Drop Heartbreaker to Tulsa on Senior Day
Trailing by as many as 13 in the second half, Temple cut the lead to one with under a minute remaining, but the Owls were upended in a Senior Day heartbreaker, 72-67 by the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Hysier Miller led the Owls with 19 points and added four assists. His five three-pointers tied a career-high.
- Jordan Riley scored 12.
- Steve Settle III led Temple with eight rebounds. Sam Hofman added seven.
- Jahlil White had nine points in the second half.
- Emmanuel Okpomo had season-highs with five and four rebounds. The two games in his Temple career with the most rebounds have now come against Tulsa. He grabbed eight against the Golden Hurricane on January 10, 2023.
- As a team, TU connected on eight second half treys.
Seeing The Progress
Temple saw an impressive jump in its numbers in the month of February in nearly every aspect of the game. The Owls shot 41.1 percent in the month, a 32 point improvement from the first 21 games of the season. Three-point shooting also improved from 30.1 percent to 31.0. While it has held on to the ball well all season long, arguably the biggest difference for TU came in the turnover area. In its opening 21 games this year, the Owls had a respectable 10.7 giveaways a contest. February saw Temple turn the ball over just 9.0 times an outing, including a season-low tying five against Charlotte and ending the month with a five-game streak in single digits.Â
Something About Tulsa
We're not sure what it is, but facing Tulsa brings out the best in Emmanuel Okpomo. He had five points and four rebounds against the Golden Hurricane on Saturday, both season-highs. The only other game in a Temple uniform where he put up better numbers was also against Tulsa when he had six points and eight boards on January 10, 2023.Â
Dialing From Distance
Hysier Miller had one of his best weeks from beyond the arc, going 9-for-16 from distance versus Rice and Tulsa. He posted a 4-for-7 performance on Wednesday in Houston before tying a career-high with five treys at home on Saturday. Overall, he has nine games with three or more triples this season with his 59 makes from deep more than doubling his career total heading into the season.Â
Scouting Report
UAB is 18-11 overall with a 10-6 mark in the American following a 106-87 loss against Memphis on Sunday. The Blazers remain in the hunt for a double bye in the conference championship, trailing Memphis by half a game and Charlotte by a game with two remaining.Â
It is an incredibly balanced scoring attack for UAB that is topped by Yaxel Lendenborg at 13.6 points per game. Four other players average double figures with Eric Gaines at 11.4 an outing and Efrem Johnson netting 10.8 a night. Alejandro Vazquez and Javian Davis tally 10.5 and 10.2 a game respectively. Lendenborg tops the conference in rebounding at 10.2 a contest. Gaines is second in the AAC with 154 assists.Â
The free throw line has been a major component of the Blazers success this season. They are 12th nationally at 17.6 makes an outing at the charity stripe and take the 22nd most free throws. Defensively, they are good at protecting the rim, ranking in the top-50 in NCAA Division I with 4.6 blocks per game with Lendenborg topping the AAC at 2.1.Â
An area that has been a struggle for UAB this season has been the turnover column. They are below 200th nationally and 11th in the American at 12.1 giveaways a game. It also hasn't taken the ball off its opponents often at 11.7 an outing, leading to a rank of 230th in turnover margin. The Blazers have also had trouble at times keeping the opposition from scoring, allowing 76.0 points per game and 44.9 percent from the floor, both below 240th nationally.Â
Alumnus Andy Kennedy is in his fourth year as the head coach at UAB with a record of 96-36 in Birmingham. In 17 total seasons as a collegiate mentor, he has compiled a mark of 362-205 with previous stops at Cincinnati and Ole Miss. He has guided his squads to the NCAA Tournament three times, advanced teams to the NIT semifinals or championship game four times – with at least one trip at all three institutions – and has posted 13 20-win seasons.Â
All-Time Series
Thursday is the fifth time the Owls and Blazers square off and the first time since 2013. Temple holds a 3-1 series advantage.
Last Time Against UAB
The Owls turned on the afterburners in the second half, outscoring UAB 48-27 on their way to an 87-66 win on November 24, 2013 at the Charleston Classic. Dalton Pepper led Temple with 24 points. Quenton DeCosey added 18 while Will Cummings scored 17. Anthony Lee had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Up Next
Temple plays its regular season finale on Sunday, March 10 when it travels to UTSA. Tipoff from the Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EDT.Â
Players Mentioned
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