CSJ Men’s Hoops Preview: Memphis at Temple, How to Watch, Fantasy Tips, and Fearless Prediction

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

Chuck has been writing about Lehigh football since the dawn of the internet, or perhaps it only seems like it. He’s executive editor of the College Sports Journal and has also written a book, The Rivalry: How Two Schools Started the Most Played College Football Series.
Reach him at: this email or click below: