The Connecticut Huskies square off against the Temple Owls in the third round of the AAC tournament at the Amway Center. The game starts at 3:00 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 12 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Owls beat South Florida 79-62 in the 2. Jaylen Bond was the team’s high scorer with 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The Huskies, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-97 win over Cincinnati in the 2. Daniel Hamilton played well, posting 32 points and 12 rebounds to claim his ninth double-double of the season.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Temple ranks 303rd in the nation in possessions per game (66.4 possessions per game), while Connecticut is 282nd (66.9). Furthermore, the defense of the Huskies should have an advantage in terms of eFG%. They’re seventh in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 44.4%), while the offense of the Owls ranks 296th in eFG% (47.1%).
The Owls have won both contests against the Huskies this season, including a 79-62 victory in their last matchup. Hamilton played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 32 points and 12 rebounds.
Notes
The Connecticut Huskies have a defensive rating of 95.1 (ranked 13th), while the Temple Owls have an offensive rating of 103.7 (ranked 219th).
Connecticut beats Temple in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Huskies average 66.9 possessions and 1.096 points per possession, while the Owls average 66.4 possessions with 1.037 points per possession.
The Temple Owls average an effective field goal percentage of 47.1% this season. The Connecticut Huskies have a losing record of 3-6 when opponents have an eFG% of 47.1% or greater.
On average, Temple attempts 23.0 three pointers and Connecticut attempts 19.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Temple Owls sit at 16-10 and the Connecticut Huskies are 8-5.
Connecticut, the 29th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.1 per game. Temple does worse, ranked 207th with 3.1.
The Temple Owls make an average of 5.4 steals per game. When the Connecticut Huskies allow 5 or more steals, they are a solid 11-7.
