Memphis is back in action Wednesday night against Temple and will look to bounce back following a road loss against FAU. It will be the third game in a row that the Tigers have played a team with an owl opponent after playing Rice and FAU, and they’ll look to improve to 3-1 with a win tonight.
Temple enters Wednesday night’s game with an 11-5 record, and they’ve won seven games in a row. As a team, the Owls average 77.4 points per game, and they shoot 46.6 percent from the field, 38 percent from three and 72.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Adam Fisher’s team has four players averaging more than 11 points per game, and Arkansas State transfer Derrian Ford leads the team and averages 17.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Aiden Tobiason is another guard who has played well throughout the season, averaging 14.3 points and shooting 39.1 percent from deep.
In the frontcourt, the Owls lack size, and they start a 6-foot-7 guard and a 6-foot-8 forward. Gavin Griffiths, who transferred in from Nebraska, averages 12 points and shoots 41.4 percent from three.
While Temple has played well offensively, they have struggled defensively, and opposing teams are averaging 70.3 points per game. Opposing teams shoot 43.9 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point range, and they allow opponents to grab 33.4 rebounds per game.
The Owls only turn the ball over 8.8 times per game, but they don’t force a lot of turnovers on the other end of the court. Fisher’s team only forces 10.2 turnovers per game, and they average 14 points off turnovers.
Here’s a look at how to watch the Tigers’ game against Temple:
TV: N/A
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis
Line: Memphis -7.5
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
What to expect from Memphis against the Owls:
Memphis looks to bounce back following an 11-point loss against FAU. In that game, the Tigers shot the ball well, but they were dominated in some of the hustle categories.
Penny Hardaway’s team was out-rebounded 46-to-29, and the Owls recorded 14 offensive rebounds. John Jakus’ team turned those offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points, and they scored 38 points in the paint.
Temple hasn’t been great on the boards this season, and Memphis needs to take advantage of its size in the frontcourt.
Defensively, the Tigers struggled on Sunday, and they allowed FAU to shoot 50.7 percent from the field and 65.9 percent from two-point range. Temple has found some success shooting the ball, and Memphis must do a better job on the defensive end of the court.
Hardaway also rolled out another new starting lineup against FAU. It’s the 11th new lineup through 15 games, and it will be interesting to see if he changes things up against the Owls.
There’s a good chance Aaron Bradshaw will find himself in the starting five again after posting 21 points and five rebounds against FAU. Bradshaw played with a ton of confidence in Boca Raton, and Hardaway will look for his big man to build on that performance on Wednesday.
It also looks like the Tigers will be without Julius Thedford, who left Sunday’s game with an injury. Thedford has played a nice role for Memphis this season, and it looks like they’ll be without him again after he missed three games in December.
Hardaway said on Monday that there was no structural damage with Thedford’s injury, but it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to suit up against Temple.