After looking like a contender in the American Athletic Conference tournament for much of the year, Temple hit its lowest point of the season two weeks ago. The Owls were blown out by 16 points by UAB on Feb. 23 to push their losing streak to six games.
Instead of continuing to freefall, Temple picked itself back up and started to gain steam. The Owls ended the season 3-0 in its last three games to go into the AAC tournament with momentum. Temple went on a Cinderella run to the championship game last year and will have to recreate that magic to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth since the 2018-19 season.
“It’s our turn to continue this legacy that was built here,” said head coach Adam Fisher. “Last year’s team is last year’s team. This year’s team is going to get one shot at it. This is our one shot to do this together.”
Here is everything you need to know as the Owls prepare for another tournament run.
HOW FAR CAN TEMPLE GO?
Temple will open its tournament by facing off against No. 10 seed Tulsa in the second round. The Owls split their season series against the Golden Hurricane with both teams stealing wins on the road. From there, the Owls would need to beat the No. 2 seed North Texas in the quarterfinals to advance to the semis.
Temple had a miraculous run to the championship game last season with a lower seed than they have this year, but a repeat performance might be tougher this time around. The Owls’ lackluster defense may get in the way of its goals as the team has been inconsistent throughout the season.
Despite knocking off No. 16 Memphis on Jan. 16 and hanging with the second-ranked team in the conference in North Texas on Jan. 22, the Owls have struggled to maintain constant success. The team hasn’t been able to knock off teams it should beat with ease. Temple went into double overtime against Charlotte on Jan. 29, who ranks last in the conference and lost to the 49ers on the road on Feb. 19 in overtime.
Temple has the potential to make a run if guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. is healthy and the team is firing on all cylinders, but the last month of the season has shown reason for concern.
RETURN OF THE MASH?
The biggest question heading into the tournament is if Mashburn will heal in time to return to the lineup. The guard hasn’t played in eight of Temple’s last nine games, including the final regular season game against North Texas on March 9. Whether or not the guard is back for the tournament, the Owls will have some adjustments to make.
Temple has the fourth-best scoring offense in the AAC, and Mashburn — the nation’s third-leading scorer — is a large reason for that. The Owls have adapted without him as other players have stepped up to take the responsibilities. However, they still find themselves in desperate need of cohesion.
“We’re missing [Mashburn’s] presence, his leadership, the way he can command the ball at the end of the game, get a bucket at any given time,” said forward Steve Settle III. “We’re missing all aspects of him.”
The Owls haven’t played with Mashburn since Feb. 26 and his transition back onto the floor might not be seamless. Temple has gotten used to other players taking the majority of the shots. Making a sudden switch back, especially in a single elimination environment, could cause problems.
DEFENSIVE STRUGGLES
The Owls have boasted a high-powered offense throughout the season but haven’t found success due to their lack of ability on the other side of the court. Temple’s defense has been its Achilles’ heel all season, being one of the worst in the conference and country.
Temple ranks last in the conference in scoring defense, giving up 78 points per game, the most it has allowed since the 2013-14 season. The defensive struggles have been even worse against AAC opponents, giving up at least 80 points in 11 games. Overall, Temple’s defense ranks 315th out of 355 teams in the country.
“Some things the team needs to focus on is really just defense,” said guard Shane Dezonie. “That’s something that we’ve been trying to work on for the longest, defense. Another thing, it’s just rebounding. Being in the American Conference, it’s a very tough and physical conference, so we’re trying to bring the physicality, bring that Temple, Broad Street, toughness, to the conference.”
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