Section 215
Fansided

Temple Owls Set To Take On UConn On National TV

By George Kondoleon

Feb 9, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Temple Owls guard Daniel Dingle (4) and center Ernest Aflakpui (24) and guard Shizz Alston Jr. (3) and guard Alani Moore II (2) and forward Obi Enechionyia (0) walk onto the court after a timeout against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the second half at Liacouras Center. Southern Methodist Mustangs won 66-50. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Temple Owls guard Daniel Dingle (4) and center Ernest Aflakpui (24) and guard Shizz Alston Jr. (3) and guard Alani Moore II (2) and forward Obi Enechionyia (0) walk onto the court after a timeout against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the second half at Liacouras Center. Southern Methodist Mustangs won 66-50. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Temple Owls have been far from the team they were last season, but luckily for them the UConn Huskies have fell off as well.

As Fran Dunphy tries to have his team turn the corner, the Temple Owls will have themselves a nationally battle with the UConn Huskies. The Huskies are seeing themselves in a down year, but have amassed a decent conference record. Dunphy’s Owls, on the other hand, have a lowly 5-9 record and are trying to scrape through the rest of the season.

This has been one of the worst seasons in Dunphy’s tenure with Temple, but a hot end to the season can still take the team to an 18-13 season record and a .500 conference record. While that’s not NCAA Tournament worthy, it’d be a nice way to save face.

Temple will rely on, as always, Levan Shawn Alston (Shizz Alston) and Obi Enechionyia to carry the load on offense. The two have been outstanding this season, and have tried to keep the Owls afloat amongst a terrible conference stretch. The team is set to play three straight games at Liacouras Center before capping the regular season off at South Florida.

More from Temple Owls

The Temple Owls suffered a blowout loss in Connecticut, where the team scored just 59 points. The Huskies held Enechionyia to his worst shooting game of the season. He shot just 3 for 17 from the field, as UConn senior Kentan Facey led the Huskies with 23 points.

Obi has had his share of rough games, and for the most part, Temple has fallen when he has. Both teams have been inconsistent from the outside, and for the Owls to come through with this win they must focus on working the ball down low. Although the Temple Owls are more capable of hitting the outside shots, they put themselves in a hole early if they have a poor shooting day.

The problem with that is the presence of NBA prospect Amida Brimah down low. The last time the two teams squared off he racked up six blocks, the second highest total for him this season. The Temple Owls must also find a way to secure rebounds, a batlle they lost by ten last season.

UConn, while having a similar record to Temple, are the more talented team. Dunphy will have to coach the team to victory, to subdue the talent gap. Kevin Ollie and his Huskies may have the worse record, but should be favored in Philadelphia come Sunday.

Prediction: UConn 73-64 Temple.

Where and When To Watch: ESPN, 4:00 PM ET

Home/Temple Owls