Three games into its conference schedule, Temple stands at 10-6 with a 2-1 conference record and is hoping to ride a hot streak that can catapult them near the top of the American Athletic Conference standings.
The Owls entered the season projected to finish sixth in the AAC after returning just six players from the 2023-24 team and adding preseason first-team all-conference guard Jamal Mashburn Jr.. After last year’s Cinderella run in the AAC tournament that required them to win four games in as many days for a spot in the conference championship, head coach Adam Fisher hoped for an easier path this time around.
The Owls were battle-tested from the get-go, starting the season 3-0 for the second straight year. But Temple has slowed down since, going just 7-6 in its last 13, including a 94-65 thumping to Villanova in the Big 5 Classic on Dec. 7.
“[Basketball is] an emotional game,” Mashburn said. “Shots will miss, rebounds will tip certain ways. If we can stay together throughout all of that, which we did in the non-conference, and carry it to conference play, we’ll be just fine. Sky’s the limit for us, but we have to go out there and execute.”
Since the Big 5 Classic, Temple has won six of its last eight games with an average victory margin of more than 11 points. The hot stretch was highlighted by the 2,000th win in program history in a 62-61 comeback win against former Atlantic-10 foe Davidson.
“If you don’t care about your numbers, if you really care about winning and losing, you can do something special,” Fisher said. “That’s been our whole focus.”
Temple continued its winning ways by emerging victorious in the conference opener game against a tough Wichita State team on Jan. 3 but then lost to an underwhelming ECU team on Jan. 8 despite once holding a 10-point lead.
The Owls have discovered their strengths and weaknesses through their first 16 games. The transfer portal addition of Mashburn, improved play from guards Zion Stanford and Quante Berry and the emergence of freshman guard Aiden Tobiason transformed the Owls’ guard depth.
Mashburn has emerged as the Cherry and White’s offensive engine. He’s posting 20.7 points per game, third in the conference, on career highs of about 44% shooting from both the field and three-point range.
“I’ve always been an aggressive player throughout my career,” Mashburn said. “I’m going to continue to keep doing that and hopefully we keep winning games.”
The team’s guard depth has been impressive despite being largely without key transfer portal addition Lynn Greer III, who was suspended for the first nine games of the season for violating NCAA rules. Greer averaged less than four points per game when he returned but was suspended again on Jan. 11 and there is no timetable on his return.
In Greer’s place, Stanford and Berry have taken notable leaps in their sophomore campaigns. Stanford is the Owls’ third-leading scorer, posting 10.7 points per game on 46% shooting from the field. His role has fluctuated from starting to being the first player off the bench but has given Temple bursts of energy that have swung games in both roles.
Berry has become one of the Cherry and White’s most prominent two-way players after spending last season as a reserve. He’s producing 9.4 points per game, nearly seven points higher than last season, while being Temple’s second-leading rebounder with five boards per game.
“How many guys are staying now?” Fisher said. “If you do a stat, I’d love to see a project on guys that stay in a program with all this transfer portal and people moving around. [Berry] stayed. He continued to know our system, so now you’re not learning concepts. You’re just working on your game. He did an amazing job. Great credit to him all summer, all fall, working on his game.”
However, Temple’s guard play isn’t the only reason for the offensive’s success. Forward Steve Settle III has grown into an all-around player, notching per-game averages of 11.8 points and a career-high 6.9 rebounds. Fordham transfer Elijah Gray has also turned into a reliable threat off the bench. But after that, frontcourt depth has been a glaring weakness.
The Owls have lacked adequate frontcourt size, struggling to defend the rim and rebound against bigger teams. The Owls rank sixth in the conference in rebounds per game, they have produced 37.2 and rank second to last in rebounds given up, with 38 per game. In five of Temple’s six losses, it lost the rebound battle.
Fisher relied heavily on freshmen big men Babtunde Durodola and Dillon Battie to start the season. Durodola has become the Owls’ starting center and Battie gave a boost off the bench. However, Fisher has utilized a small ball lineup since the loss to Villanova at the Wells Fargo Center. The change includes Durodola being switched for Gray late in games while Battie has played just six minutes since the Owls’ loss to Rhode Island on Dec. 21.
“We can always improve [our rebounding],” Settle said. “That has been a focal point for us, rebounding and being more physical in the paint. That’s something we have to continue to improve on to get to where we’re trying to get to.”
Through the ups and downs, the Owls have doubled down on their identity, which is being a team that takes pride in their connectivity and values winning instead of individual success. For Temple to play meaningful basketball in March, it will need to find another gear.
“Just being happy for another’s success, playing as a team,” Settle said. “Every night it’s going to be someone different. We need to continue to play together, trust each other, and continue to get better every day, like we’ve been doing.”
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