Owls Look to Get Back on Track at Rice Wednesday Evening

Opening Tip

Following a pair of tight losses to top teams in the conference, the Temple University men's basketball team looks to get back on track on the road in the Lone Star State with a pair of conference battles. The Owls head to Houston to face Rice on Wednesday at 8 p.m. and will close the Texas swing at UTSA on Saturday.
Temple is coming off a 79-73 loss to Florida Atlantic at the Liacouras Center. The Owls held the lead for 65 percent of the contest before a late surge from the Boca Raton Owls.
With Temple leading 54-53 with 7:19 remaining, FAU closed the contest on a 27-19 run, in which the Sunshine State Owls caught fire by making nine of their final 13 field goal attempts for their fourth consecutive win.
Temple looks to get back on track, holding a 7-3 record over its past 10 games, with the Owls' three losses coming by a combined nine points.
Over the past 10 games, Derrian Ford is averaging 19.1 points per game, while Gavin Griffiths (15.0) and Aiden Tobiason (13.9) are also averaging double figures. Temple is scoring 75.3 points per game while allowing 64.9, good for a plus-10.4 scoring margin. The Owls are shooting .445 from the field, .355 from 3-point range and .752 at the foul line, while holding opponents to .400 overall, .257 from deep and .692 at the stripe.
After ranking last in the conference and 314th nationally in scoring defense at 77.7 points per game allowed in 2024-25, Temple now ranks second in the league and 86th nationally by conceding just 69.9 points per game.
The keys to victory for the Owls this season have been posting a better field goal percentage than their opponents (10-0), holding a halftime lead (9-1), winning the battle of the boards (6-2) and scoring at least 80 points (5-0). The Night Owls prefer to play at night, owning a 9-3 record in games tipped at 5 p.m. or later.

Scouting Rice

The Rice Owls enter the contest with an 8-10 overall record and a 2-3 conference mark, earning an 89-73 victory over in-state conference foe UTSA last Wednesday in their most recent contest.
Offensively, Rice leans into long distance shooting, ranking fourth in the conference in both 3-pointers per game (8.8) and 3-point percentage (35.7), while ranking fifth in 3-point attempts (24.6).
The Owls rank 33rd nationally and fourth in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (13.56) and add rim protection by averaging 4.1 blocks per contest, which ranks eighth in the league and 93rd in the country.
Trae Broadnax paces the attack at 14.8 points per game (12th in the conference), while Nick Anderson provides perimeter punch at 14.4 points per game and ranks third in the conference in free throw percentage (87.9). Anderson ranks sixth in the conference in 3-pointers made (44).
Temple will meet Rice for the seventh time in program history, holding a 5-1 advantage in the all-time series, which began in the 1948-49 season. The Broad Street Owls defeated the Owls from Houston, 73-70, in the latest matchup on Jan. 11, 2025, at Tudor Fieldhouse. Shane Dezonie posted a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double, while Jamal Mashburn Jr. registered 24 points.

Owls Look to Get Back on Track at Rice Wednesday Evening

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Players Mentioned

Shane Dezonie

Derrian Ford

Gavin Griffiths

Jamal Mashburn Jr

Aiden Tobiason

Temple University Athletics

Owls Look to Get Back on Track at Rice Wednesday Evening

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Shane Dezonie

Derrian Ford

Gavin Griffiths

Jamal Mashburn Jr

Aiden Tobiason

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