American Athletic Conference foes will collide when the Temple Owls (14-8) face the Connecticut Huskies (17-6) at Liacouras Center. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 11 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Owls come into this game on a high note after edging UCF 62-60 in their last matchup. Josh Brown had six points, seven rebounds, and four assists for Temple. The Huskies are coming off an 85-67 win over East Carolina in their last game. Daniel Hamilton played well, recording 12 points and 16 rebounds to claim his seventh double-double of the season.
Over the last five games, Quenton DeCosey has taken his game to another level for the Owls, averaging 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers.
The top-notch Connecticut defense should have a clear edge in terms of eFG%. It ranks fifth in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 42.9%), while the brick-laying Temple offense is 299th with a mark of 46.9%.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Owls winning the first matchup 55-53. Shonn Miller had a standout performance with 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one block in the loss.
The Owls have gone 14-8 Straight Up (SU) and 12-9 Against The Spread (ATS). Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Temple, which ranks 35th at 1.38. The Temple defense is doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games. It is allowing an average of 57.7 points per game, well under their season average of 67.9. Teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Owls, who have allowed only 5.0 three-pointers to opponents per game.
Over on the other bench, Connecticut has a SU record of 17-6 and an ATS record of 10-9-1. Most recently, Connecticut is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games. The Huskies are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .764 free throw percentage that ranks eighth in Division I. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Huskies allow just 61.4 points per game, ranking them ninth in the nation. The Huskies have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .368. Blocking shots is an area where Connecticut has excelled. The Huskies average 5.1 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation. Connecticut has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 11.1 per game.
Temple won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bumping its SU record to 3-2 over Connecticut in their most recent meetings. Furthermore, with a 3-2 record, Temple has the advantage ATS. Temple and Connecticut each held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once over the last five matchups.
Predictions: SU Winner – UConn, ATS Winner – UConn
Notes
Temple averages 69.4 points per game, placing the team just 200th in the nation. Connecticut ranks ninth in points allowed, giving up 61.4 points per game.
Temple scores just 73.1 points per home game (ranked 188th). Connecticut ranks fifth in points allowed on the road, giving up 62.5 points.
The Connecticut Huskies have a defensive rating of 91.6 (ranked fifth), while the Temple Owls have an offensive rating of 103.8 (ranked 214th).
With 66.8 possessions and 1.038 points per possession, the Temple Owls perform worse on both metrics than the Connecticut Huskies. Connecticut averages 67.6 possessions and 1.101 points per possession.
Temple has an average effective field goal percentage of 46.9%. Connecticut is a losing 1-3 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Temple Owls average 23.0 three point attempts per game and are 10-8 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Connecticut Huskies average 19.0 attempts and have a winning record (6-3) when attempting 20 or more.
Connecticut, the 36th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.1 per game. Temple does worse, ranked 187th with 3.3.
The Temple Owls make an average of 5.1 steals per game. When the Connecticut Huskies allow 5 or more steals, they are a solid 8-5.
