Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
The Temple Owls and Houston Cougars will take the court on Sunday at the Fertitta Center. Houston is a 20.5-point spread favorite, and the game total is 132 points.
Temple, 11-9 SU and 12-7-1 ATS, defeated East Carolina on Wednesday, and Houston, 18-1 and 13-6 ATS, beat Tulane on Tuesday. The Cougars beat the Owls twice last season and lead the series 12-3.
Tip-off from Houston is at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Temple is 1.5 games behind Houston in the American Athletic Conference standings, giving the Owls an opportunity for a statement win on Sunday. Picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll, Temple has turned it on in conference play after going in 6-7 in non-conference games.
The Owls earned a 15-point home win in their last game with a solid second-half performance. Temple led East Carolina 33-28 at the half but turned it on after the break, outscoring the Pirates 45-25. Sophomore guard Damian Dunn scored 22 points, and sophomore guard Khalif Battle scored 20 points for Temple. The Owls were outrebounded and only shot 40.4 percent from the field, but won the turnover battle by a wide margin and converted 26-of-31 (83.9%) free throws.
Dunn Scores 22 to Lead Men's Basketball Past East Carolina, 73-58https://t.co/LbkM9qX2IE
— Te mple Men's Basketball (@TUMBBHoops) January 19, 2023
Temple averages 69.3 points (239th) on 42.2 percent shooting (301st), including 31.3 percent from long range (308th). The Owls convert 77.2 percent of their free throws (17th) and average 32.4 rebounds (170th) with a +0.1 rebounding margin. Temple is 144th in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Battle leads the Owls in scoring at 17.5 points per game. Other players to watch are Dunn (15.2 PPG and 3.6 RPG), sophomore forward Jamille Reynolds (11.1 PPG and 6.3 RPG), sophomore forward Zach Hicks (8.9 PPG and 5.0 RPG), and sophomore guard Hysier Miller (8.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 3.6 APG).
The Owls surrender 68.3 points per game (153rd), and their opponents shoot 42.0 percent from the floor (115th), including 30.2 percent from distance (48th). They're 120th in schedule-adjusted defensive efficiency and 205th in assist-per-turnover ratio (0.95).