Don’t expect a high-scoring game when the Temple Owls (11-8) travel to South Florida to play the Bulls (5-17). The game starts at 2:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 31 and will air on CCS.
The Bulls were victorious over Tulane 73-60 on Wednesday. Jaleel Cousins had 17 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks for South Florida. The Owls are coming off a tough 64-61 loss to East Carolina on Wednesday. Quenton DeCosey scored 14 points and recorded 11 rebounds earning his third double-double of the season.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as South Florida ranks 301st in the nation in possessions per game (66.7 possessions per game), while Temple is 306th (66.5). The Owls should also expect to protect the ball well. They rank third at avoiding errors (TO% of 14.3%). Conversely, the Bulls force the third-fewest turnovers in the nation (opponents’ TO% of 13.9%).
South Florida is a seven-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 127 points. The Bulls enter the game with records of 5-17 Straight Up (SU) and 9-8 Against The Spread (ATS). South Florida has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 39.8 rebounds per game. Turning to the defensive side, teams have to fight for open shots against the Bulls, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .400. An area where the Bulls are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.8 blocks per game, 10th in Division I.
Across the court, Temple has a SU record of 11-8 and an ATS record of 11-6. Temple has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-2. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Owls. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.36. Temple’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents making only 5.0 shots from the three-point line per game.
The conference rivals will be facing off in their first head-to-head contest of the season. When they last met the Owls were winners, bringing their SU record to 3-2. The Owls also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 3-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – Temple, ATS Winner – Temple, O/U – Over
Notes
South Florida is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of South Florida’s last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of South Florida’s last 5 games when playing Temple.
South Florida scores an average of just 63.5 points per game (ranked 336th). Temple ranks 98th in points allowed, giving up 68.0 points per game.
In its last game, Temple lost by a margin of three points. South Florida is 1-2 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Temple has a 2-3 record in close games.
The South Florida Bulls average a field goal percentage of 41.6% this season. The Temple Owls have a winning 5-3 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 41.6% or greater.
The South Florida Bulls rank higher based on their field goal percentage (291st) than their effective field goal percentage (329th). The Temple Owls rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (307th) than their field goal percentage (321st).
Temple ranks 38th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.36. South Florida is ranked lower at 344th with an A/TO of .68.
South Florida, the 47th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 39.8 rebounds per game. Temple does worse, ranked 144th with 37.1.
Temple ranks 124th in offensive rebounds, while South Florida ranks at 83rd in defensive rebounds.
On average, South Florida forces a turnover rate of 13.9%. When Temple turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 6-3 record.
