Temple University Athletics
Saturday, December 30
Houston, Texas
5:00 p.m. CST/6:00 p.m. EST
Temple University
at
Houston
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Quick Turnaround Takes Men's Basketball to Houston on Saturday
12.29.17 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - It will be a quick turnaround for Temple men's basketball for its second American Athletic Conference game, as the Owls head to Houston for a 5 p.m. CST/6 p.m. EST contest on Saturday, Dec. 30 (ESPNU / 1210 AM WPHT). Temple (7-5, 0-1) is coming off a home loss to Tulane in its league opener, while Houston (11-2, 1-0) beat USF on the road by a score of 79-60.
Scouting Temple
> Temple will look for its first American Athletic Conference win at Houston after falling 85-75 to Tulane at home in its conference opener on Dec. 28. The Owls had previously won six straight against the Green Wave.
> Four players scored in double figures in the Tulane loss, led by junior Shizz Alston, Jr. and sophomore Quinton Rose who posted 17 points apiece. Senior Josh Brown added 14, and freshman Nate Pierre-Louis came off the bench for a career-high 11 points along with three steals.
> Prior to the holiday break, the Owls struggled in a non-conference match at Georgia on Dec. 22, falling 84-66 despite a career-high 27 points from senior forward Obi Enechionyia.
> Enechionyia hit a career-high seven three-pointers (7-of-9) at Georgia, the most by a Temple player since Devin Coleman went 7-for-7 in an upset of #8 SMU on Jan. 24, 2016.
> Quinton Rose is the Owls' leading scorer with 16.7 ppg, ranking eighth in the league. Alston is close behind at 14.9 ppg (12th in the AAC), and he leads all players in the conference with a free-throw percentage of .935.
> The Owls stand at No. 23 in the NCAA Division I RPI, ranking as the second-best team in the American Athletic Conference, one spot behind Wichita State (10-2) in 22nd.
> Either Rose or Alston have led or tied for the team lead in scoring in 11 of 12 of Temple's games in 2017-18.
> Temple has started the same five players - Josh Brown, Shizz Alston, Jr., Quinton Rose, Obi Enechionyia and Ernest Aflakpui - all season.
Scouting Houston
> The Cougars have won three straight games and 10 of their last 11, most recently defeating USF in its league opener, 79-60 on Dec. 28.
> Senior guard Rob Gray (19.9 ppg / 1st in AAC) has recorded seven 20+ point performances this season.
> The Cougars' home arena, the former Hofheinz Pavilion, is undergoing a $60 million renovation to become the Fertitta Center for the 2018-19 season. Houston is competing inside H&PE Arena on the campus of nearby Texas Southern in 2017-18.
> Houston went 21-11 in 2016-17 and lost 78-75 to Akron in the NIT First Round.
All-Time Series
> Temple and Houston are meeting for the seventh time, with Houston holding a 4-2 lead in the series.
> The Cougars won the only contest the two teams played in 2016-17, besting the Owls 79-66 in Houston on Jan. 28.
> In 2015-16, Houston won 77-50 on the Owls' home court on Jan. 2, but Temple rebounded for a 69-66 come-from-behind road win on Feb. 21.
> Houston won both meetings in 2013-14, but the Owls won 66-54 at home in the only meeting of the 2014-15 season.Â
> Fourth-year Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is 2-3 against Temple, losing for the first time 61-43 (March 17, 1996) in the NCAA First Round while he was the head coach at Oklahoma.Â
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Scouting Temple
> Temple will look for its first American Athletic Conference win at Houston after falling 85-75 to Tulane at home in its conference opener on Dec. 28. The Owls had previously won six straight against the Green Wave.
> Four players scored in double figures in the Tulane loss, led by junior Shizz Alston, Jr. and sophomore Quinton Rose who posted 17 points apiece. Senior Josh Brown added 14, and freshman Nate Pierre-Louis came off the bench for a career-high 11 points along with three steals.
> Prior to the holiday break, the Owls struggled in a non-conference match at Georgia on Dec. 22, falling 84-66 despite a career-high 27 points from senior forward Obi Enechionyia.
> Enechionyia hit a career-high seven three-pointers (7-of-9) at Georgia, the most by a Temple player since Devin Coleman went 7-for-7 in an upset of #8 SMU on Jan. 24, 2016.
> Quinton Rose is the Owls' leading scorer with 16.7 ppg, ranking eighth in the league. Alston is close behind at 14.9 ppg (12th in the AAC), and he leads all players in the conference with a free-throw percentage of .935.
> The Owls stand at No. 23 in the NCAA Division I RPI, ranking as the second-best team in the American Athletic Conference, one spot behind Wichita State (10-2) in 22nd.
> Either Rose or Alston have led or tied for the team lead in scoring in 11 of 12 of Temple's games in 2017-18.
> Temple has started the same five players - Josh Brown, Shizz Alston, Jr., Quinton Rose, Obi Enechionyia and Ernest Aflakpui - all season.
Scouting Houston
> The Cougars have won three straight games and 10 of their last 11, most recently defeating USF in its league opener, 79-60 on Dec. 28.
> Senior guard Rob Gray (19.9 ppg / 1st in AAC) has recorded seven 20+ point performances this season.
> The Cougars' home arena, the former Hofheinz Pavilion, is undergoing a $60 million renovation to become the Fertitta Center for the 2018-19 season. Houston is competing inside H&PE Arena on the campus of nearby Texas Southern in 2017-18.
> Houston went 21-11 in 2016-17 and lost 78-75 to Akron in the NIT First Round.
All-Time Series
> Temple and Houston are meeting for the seventh time, with Houston holding a 4-2 lead in the series.
> The Cougars won the only contest the two teams played in 2016-17, besting the Owls 79-66 in Houston on Jan. 28.
> In 2015-16, Houston won 77-50 on the Owls' home court on Jan. 2, but Temple rebounded for a 69-66 come-from-behind road win on Feb. 21.
> Houston won both meetings in 2013-14, but the Owls won 66-54 at home in the only meeting of the 2014-15 season.Â
> Fourth-year Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is 2-3 against Temple, losing for the first time 61-43 (March 17, 1996) in the NCAA First Round while he was the head coach at Oklahoma.Â
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