Numbers don't tell whole story

TUCSON, Ariz. - Statistically, Temple and San Diego State are mirror images.

The second-seeded Aztecs (33-2) average 72.1 points per game, while the seventh-seeded Owls (26-7) average 70.8. Temple gives up 62.2 points per game, while San Diego State is holding teams to 58.6. And both teams block an average of 4.7 shots per game.

But folks here in at the McKale Center will see distinctly different teams in Saturday's NCAA tournament West Regional third-round matchup.

The Aztecs boast a dominant front court and a heady guard in D.J. Gay. The Owls, on the other hand, have a bunch of guards to go along with an accomplished forward in Lavoy Allen.

"We're going to try to take what they give us," Temple point guard Juan Fernandez said. "They are long and athletic. So we are going to have to pass the ball around."

The Aztecs front court features three high-flying forwards in 6-foot-7 sophomore Kawhi Leonard, 6-8 senior Billy White and 6-9 senior Malcolm Thomas.

San Diego State also has the luxury of bringing in 6-11, 300-pound senior center Brian Carlwell off the bench.

In Leonard, the Aztecs will have the most talented player on the court. Extremely versatile, he excels at both forward positions. Perhaps that's why he's a finalist for both the Naismith and Wooden national player of the year awards.

The 19-year-old leads the Aztecs' balanced attack in both scoring (15.6 points per game) and rebounds (10.6).

Thomas is second on the team in both categories, averaging 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds. Meanwhile, Gay, a senior generously listed at 6 feet, averaged 11.1 points and 3.2 assists.

"I'm looking at Gay's statistics," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. "They are ridiculous. His assists to turnovers ratio (2.69) is great. His personal fouls for the year are 29. How can that be for all the minutes (34 per game) he played?"

But as good as Gay is, Temple's best option might be to attack him and the Aztecs' other undersized guards. That's something San Diego State is fully aware of.

"We might see a post up or two," Gay said. "And you know, we just have to be aware of their size and them trying to use that to their advantage.

"So we are going to have to make adjustments on the fly and try to use our quickness around it."

Fernandez (6-4) and junior shooting guard Ramone Moore (6-4) will have two-to-four inch height advantages over their counterparts. .

At the same time, the Owls want to get Allen more involved offensively than he was Thursday against Penn State. The 6-9 senior power forward made just 1 of 5 field goals en route to finishing with three points.

"But as you watch their film, you see how good a team defensive group they are," Dunphy said. "We're not going to be having a whole lot of real clean looks early on. So we are going to have to work like crazy to get good shots. That may influence the tempo of the game."