Temple University Athletics
Saturday, December 31
Orlando, Fla.
4:00 p.m.
Temple University
at
UCF
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Men's Basketball Heads to UCF for New Year's Eve Conference Matchup
12.29.16 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - Looking for its first American Athletic Conference win after falling in the opener to #23/23 Cincinnati, Temple men's basketball will travel to UCF (10-3, 1-0) for a New Year's Eve contest at 4 p.m. (ESPNU / 1210 AM WPHT). The Owls (9-5, 0-1) have won four straight against the Knights including a pair of two-point contests last season.
Cincinnati was the fourth Top 25 team the Owls faced so far this season, and they have a record of 2-2 against nationally ranked opponents. Temple swept the series against the Bearcats last year, but was unable to overcome turnovers and poor shooting in a 56-50 loss on Wednesday. Prior to that defeat, Temple won back-to-back contests against NJIT and Yale thanks in large part to impressive free-throw shooting, including a 28-of-30 performance in the win over Yale.
Sophomore Shizz Alston, Jr. has scored in double figures in five straight games, and leads Temple with a 12.6 points per game average in that stretch. Junior Obi Enechionyia is averaging 15.5 ppg to lead the Owls and rank eighth in the conference, but has reached double figures in just one of the last four games after doing so in the first 10 straight to start the season.
Also coming on strong of late is senior Daniel Dingle, who has scored in double digits in four straight games and led the Owls with a game-high 15 points against Cincinnati.
UCF has had a strong start to the 2016-17 season, going 10-3 and winning its conference opener, 85-72 at Tulane. The Knights, who have won three straight, had four non-conference opponents in common with the Owls. They suffered losses to Villanova and George Washington as did Temple, but beat UMass (a loss for the Owls) and lost to Penn (a win for the Owls). Last year, UCF finished 12-18 overall and 6-12 in the league to place eighth.
Four players average in double figures for the Knights, led by redshirt sophomore guard B.J. Taylor with 16.0 points per game and redshirt senior guard Matt Williams with 15.7 ppg. Taylor has missed the last six games in a row with a hand injury, and his status is uncertain for Saturday. Leading UCF and the league in rebounding is 7-6 sophomore center Tacko Fall with 11.8 rpg.
Temple and UCF are meeting for the eighth time, with the Owls holding a 5-2 lead in the series. The Owls have won four straight against the Knights, including a 63-61 home win in the most recent meeting on Feb. 27, 2016. Temple has swept the season series in each of the last two seasons. Last time the teams met at CFE Arena, the Owls won 62-60 on Feb. 6, 2016.
Watch Live l Listen Live l Live Stats l Game Notes
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Cincinnati was the fourth Top 25 team the Owls faced so far this season, and they have a record of 2-2 against nationally ranked opponents. Temple swept the series against the Bearcats last year, but was unable to overcome turnovers and poor shooting in a 56-50 loss on Wednesday. Prior to that defeat, Temple won back-to-back contests against NJIT and Yale thanks in large part to impressive free-throw shooting, including a 28-of-30 performance in the win over Yale.
Sophomore Shizz Alston, Jr. has scored in double figures in five straight games, and leads Temple with a 12.6 points per game average in that stretch. Junior Obi Enechionyia is averaging 15.5 ppg to lead the Owls and rank eighth in the conference, but has reached double figures in just one of the last four games after doing so in the first 10 straight to start the season.
Also coming on strong of late is senior Daniel Dingle, who has scored in double digits in four straight games and led the Owls with a game-high 15 points against Cincinnati.
UCF has had a strong start to the 2016-17 season, going 10-3 and winning its conference opener, 85-72 at Tulane. The Knights, who have won three straight, had four non-conference opponents in common with the Owls. They suffered losses to Villanova and George Washington as did Temple, but beat UMass (a loss for the Owls) and lost to Penn (a win for the Owls). Last year, UCF finished 12-18 overall and 6-12 in the league to place eighth.
Four players average in double figures for the Knights, led by redshirt sophomore guard B.J. Taylor with 16.0 points per game and redshirt senior guard Matt Williams with 15.7 ppg. Taylor has missed the last six games in a row with a hand injury, and his status is uncertain for Saturday. Leading UCF and the league in rebounding is 7-6 sophomore center Tacko Fall with 11.8 rpg.
Temple and UCF are meeting for the eighth time, with the Owls holding a 5-2 lead in the series. The Owls have won four straight against the Knights, including a 63-61 home win in the most recent meeting on Feb. 27, 2016. Temple has swept the season series in each of the last two seasons. Last time the teams met at CFE Arena, the Owls won 62-60 on Feb. 6, 2016.
Watch Live l Listen Live l Live Stats l Game Notes
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Players Mentioned
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