Memphis at Temple

When: Thursday, January 24th, 7:00 PM
Where: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA
TV/Streaming: CBS Sports Network

Memphis Tigers (12-6, 4-1)

Memphis, Tennessee
American Athletic Conference (T-3)
Enrollment: 17,394
FCS Sagarin Rating: 66 (11 in CSJ’s Sagarin High-Major Men’s Basketball Top 25)

Scouting Report:When the University of Memphis travels to Temple for an American Athletic Conference game Thursday night, Tigers senior G Kareem Brewton Jr., will have fond memories walking into the Liacouras Center.

Brewton hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer last season to give the Tigers a 75-72 overtime victory.

Thursday, Brewton will be coming off a career-high performance – he made six 3-pointers in Saturday’s league victory over SMU. He also scored a team-high 20 points, helping the Tigers (12-6) improve to 4-1 in league play. Memphis won for the seventh time in eight games.

Brewton doesn’t put much stock in what happened last January. It’s a new team, a new coach and a new season.

“That was last year,” Brewton said. “You don’t know what’s going to happen this year.”

This year has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride. But Brewton has handled the ups and downs with patience and is being rewarded.

Key Fantasy Player: G Kareem Brewton Jr.‘s return to the starting lineup has been an offensive shot in the arm for the Tigers and has to be close to a must-play with two 20 point games in his last two starts. He’s a bit boom-or-bust since his value mostly comes from scoring rather than other categories, but he’s worth it, especially if Penny Hardaway continues to increase his minutes.

Temple Owls (14-4, 4-1)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
American Athletic Conference (T-3)
Enrollment: 29,550
FCS Sagarin Rating: 78 (14 in CSJ’s Sagarin HIgh-Major Men’s Basketball Top 25)

Scouting Report: Temple and Memphis are meeting for the 20th time with the Owls holding a slim, 10-9 lead in the series. The Owls had won three straight until getting beaten in overtime at home last season, 75-72 on Jan. 13, 2018.

At 14-4 overall, Temple is off to its best start since the 2009-10 team went 19-4 before dropping its fifth game.

The Owls had won four straight and were undefeated at home until a 77-70 loss to Big 5 rival Penn on Jan. 19. Temple was the chasing team nearly all game, and got within five points near the final minute but could get no closer.

Key Fantasy Player: Senior G Shizz Alston Jr. had a dreadful day against Penn (14 points, 2 boards, 6 assists) and should be playing with some urgency at home to put that Big 5 performance behind him. Fantasy-wise he’s the type of guard that can deliver double-double and even triple-double potential each time he play. Tonight, it’s worth seeing if he can bounce back.

Fearless Prediction:

Was the Penn game an aberration, or a sign that all is not well at Temple? These two guard-oriented teams should put on a show tonight in the Liacouras center, with the Owls, a tad bit more desperate, on top. Temple 83, Memphis 79