Temple-South Florida preview

Temple at South Florida

StartText

Sunday 2 p.m. the Sun Dome, Tampa, Florida

TV/Radio: CBS Sports Network/WPHT-AM (1210)

Records: Temple, 11-8 overall, 5-3 American Athletic Conference; USF, 5-17, 2-7.

On Temple: The Owls will look to rebound from Wednesday's 64-61 loss at East Carolina when the winners converted a three-point play with 1.8 seconds left. That was ECU's second conference win of the season. and second in a row.

On USF: The Bulls have won two in a row after Wednesday's 73-60 victory at Tulane. Also in this mini streak is a 71-62 win over Houston, a team that won at Temple by 27 points on Jan. 2.

Insights

These are teams with two different styles, as USF will look to kick the ball inside, and Temple will score more from the perimeter. . . . Senior forward Jaylen Bond has missed Temple's last two games with a back injury, and if he is out again the Bulls will have a major advantage inside. . . . USF will start two 6-foot-11 players, Jaleel Cousins and Ruben Guerrero. . . . Cousins, the brother of DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings, is averaging 8.2 points and 8.2 rebounds. . . . The one outside threat Temple has to worry about is 6-5 freshman Jahmal McMurray, who is averaging 15 points and shooting 35.0 percent from three-point range to lead the team in both categories. . . . The Bulls are last in the AAC in three-point shooting (.275), so Temple will likely dare most players (not McMurray) to beat the Owls from the perimeter. . . . Look for Temple to push the ball up the court, especially since USF has played the last two games with only seven players, including just six on scholarship. Junior forward Chris Perry has been out the last two games due to a team suspension, and sophomore guard Rodney Peters has been sidelined since Dec. 13 with a fractured foot. . . . Temple senior guard Quenton DeCosey has scored in double figures in 17 of the 19 games and should get his fair share of open shots. He was 6 of 12 against ECU but may have to shoot at least 15 times for Temple to be successful.

- Marc Narducci
EndText