Temple, ECU Set for Saturday Noon Showdown on ESPNU

Saturday, February 7

Greenville, N.C.

Noon

Temple University

East Carolina

Temple, ECU Set for Saturday Noon Showdown on ESPNU

2.6.26 | Men's Basketball

Watch (ESPNU)Listen Live Stats

Game Info

Saturday, Feb. 7 | Noon
Location: Greenville, N.C. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum

TV: ESPNU | Listen: OwlSports.com/listen | Live Stats | Game Notes
Twitter/X: @TUMBBHoops | Instagram: @tumbbhoops

Opening Tip

Following a thrilling 79-78 triumph over South Florida, the Temple University men's basketball team heads to Greenville, North Carolina, seeking a season sweep over East Carolina on Saturday at noon on ESPNU.
The Owls (14-8, 6-3) enter the contest tied with South Florida for third place in the league, sitting one game behind Tulsa and Charlotte, who are tied for first place.
Against USF, Mohamed Keita delivered late for Temple, knocking down two clutch free throws with 38 seconds left and tipping in the game-winner with six seconds remaining to lift the Owls past South Florida, 79-78, in a White Out atmosphere at the Liacouras Center.
Temple built momentum with a 13-0 second-half run and made key defensive stands late, including a shot-clock violation, before closing it out in the final seconds. Aiden Tobiason scored a game-high 22 points, Derrian Ford added 18 and Masiah Gilyard finished with 13 as Temple held the Bulls 12 points below their season scoring average and forced a USF season-high 18 turnovers.
The Owls have thrived from the free-throw line as of late, knocking down 41 of 46 attempts (89.1%) over the past two games. Against Charlotte, Temple shot 27 of 29 from the free-throw line, making its final 23 attempts of the evening. The Owls' 93.1 free-throw percentage was its best mark since Jan. 13, 2024. Temple went 14 of 17 at the line against USF in the pivotal one-point win.
Temple is seeking its third season sweep in four opportunities this season, securing a pair of wins against UTSA and a rare non-conference double-dip against Princeton.

Scouting East Carolina

After starting conference play with six consecutive losses, the Pirates are 2-2 over their past four games, most recently downing Florida Atlantic, 76-75.
ECU has leaned on physical play and free throws, ranking sixth in the league in both free throw attempts (23.0 per game) and free throws made (16.0), while also creating extra possessions with 12.41 offensive rebounds per game (74th nationally). The biggest challenge has been perimeter shooting, as ECU is last nationally in 3-point percentage (27.4) and has made just 5.0 3-pointers per game.
Former Owl Jordan Riley ranks sixth nationally in points per game (22.9) and ninth in total points (480), while also sitting first in the country in field goal attempts (400). He logs heavy minutes at 37:04 per game (fourth nationally) and has been active defensively with 36 steals (1.71 per game). Inside, Giovanni Emejuru anchors the glass and the paint, averaging 9.4 rebounds per game (28th nationally) and 1.86 blocks per game, while also ranking seventh nationally in offensive rebounds per game (4.14). In the backcourt, Corey Caulker has been ECU's primary distributor with 3.8 assists per game and a 2.24 assist-to-turnover ratio.

All-Time Series

Temple is 13-7 all time against ECU, with a 4-5 record in Greenville. The Owls seek their first win in North Carolina against the Pirates since the 2022-23 season. Temple has earned two wins in North Carolina this season, defeating Davidson in non-conference action and earning a road victory at Charlotte in its conference opener.
In the first meeting this season on Jan. 7, Gavin Griffiths registered a season-high 24 points, along with six rebounds, two assists and four blocks. The Owls built an 18-point second-half lead, but a 23-10 Pirate run cut the ECU deficit to five with 4:44 remaining. Temple outscored ECU 15-12 the rest of the way, securing its seventh consecutive victory. Riley led the Pirates with 29 points, while Emejuru added 19.