Pennsylvania Quakers (5-7, 0-2 Big 5) @ Temple Owls (12-4, 0-1)
7:30 PM January 19, 2011
Liacouras Center Philadelphia, PA
ALL-TIME
Temple leads the series 43-22 and is 9-1 at games played on the North Philly campus.
LAST TIME
1/13/10 - Juan Fernandez scored 12 points to lead the Owls past the Quakers by a score of 60-45 at the Palestra. The game marked the first time that Fran Dunphy coached against former star player Jerome Allen. Micheal Eric chipped in nine points and five rebounds while Lavoy Allen notched six points and six rebounds. Penn kept the game interesting for much of the first half before the Owls asserted their will.
HEAD COACHES
Temple
Fran Dunphy
Record at Temple: 96-53 (5th season)
All-Time Record: 406-216 (21st season)
Penn
Jerome Allen
Record at Penn: 11-22 (2nd season)
All-Time Record: 11-22 (2nd season)
TOP PERFORMERS
Temple
PPG: G Ramone Moore - 15.4
RPG: F Lavoy Allen - 6.2
APG: G Juan Fernandez - 3.7
Penn
PPG: G Zack Rosen - 16.0
RPG: F Jack Eggelston - 7.8
APG: G Zack Rosen - 4.7
PROBABLE STARTERS
Temple
Lavoy Allen F - 10.7 ppg. 6.2 rpg. 1.3 bpg.
Scootie Randall F - 9.1 ppg 4.7 rpg. .466 fg%
Micheal Eric F - 6.9 ppg. 5.6 rpg. 1.6 bpg.
Juan Fernandez G - 10.8 ppg. 3.6 rpg. 3.2 apg.
Ramone Moore G - 15.4 ppg. 5.0 rpg. 2.3 apg
Penn
Miles Cartwright G - 11.9 ppg. 1.8 rpg. 30.1 mpg.
Zack Rosen G - 16.0 ppg. 3.8 rpg. 36.5 mpg.
Tyler Bernardini G - 9.7 ppg. 2.8 rpg. 27.7 mpg.
Jack Eggleston F - 12.9 ppg. 7.8 rpg. 38.0 mpg.
Conor Turley F - 6.2 ppg. 2.5 rpg. 18.4 mpg.
LAST OUTING
Temple (78-66 loss at Duquesne)
From the Associated Press:
Duquesne (11-5, 3-0 Atlantic 10) scored the game's first 10 points and held leads of 19-1 and 22-2 after making their first five shots -- four from 3-point range. The Owls, who shot 31 percent for the game, missed their first 14 shots and didn't make their first field goal until the 8:18 mark of the first half.
"Twenty-two to two, that's a great statement by Duquesne and not much of a statement by us," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said.
Saint Louis went 14:01 without a basket in a 67-45 Dukes' win on Wednesday.
Ramone Moore had 18 points to lead the Owls (12-4, 3-1), who had won nine of their previous 10.
Penn (89-83 loss at La Salle)
From the Associated Press:
The Explorers scored 10 of the first 12 points in OT, starting with Guillandeaux's three-point play. His two free throws extended the lead to 86-78 with 47 seconds left.
Penn's Jack Eggleston forced overtime by hitting three free throws with 24 seconds left in regulation.
Tyreek Duren scored 15 points and Jerrell Williams added 10 for La Salle.
Zack Rosen led Penn (5-7) with 19 points, Tyler Bernardini had 17, Eggleston had 16 points and 12 rebounds, Conor Turley added 13 and Miles Cartwrighthad 12.
THE MATCHUP
The once moribund Pennsylvania program is undergoing a renaissance of sorts under the guidance of former standout Jerome Allen. His 11-22 record in West Philly may not be great but he has done a lot to right the wrongs of the Glen Miller era. The talent has always been there with the likes of Zack Rosen, Tyler Bernardini, Miles Cartwright and Jack Eggleston but now it seems as though the pieces are starting to fall in place. The Quakers put a scare into Kentucky earlier this month and played admirably against Villanova last December.
Let's not kid ourselves, though, as the Quakers still have a long way to go to be relevant in the City Series. They may be able to turn a few heads in the Ivy League this season but they shouldn't be anything more than a minor annoyance for the Owls tonight. Penn scores 65.3 points per game but the majority of that scoring comes from the four aforementioned players: Rosen (16.0), Eggleston (12.9), Cartwright (11.9) and Bernardini (9.7).
They shoot the ball reasonably well at 45.2 percent but their best offensive games come against subpar competition; Penn averaged just over 57 points in their losses to Pitt, Villanova and Kentucky. I would say that the Owls are closer to that group then they are to UMBC, Marist and Delaware.
Another one of Penn's deficiencies is their rebounding. They average just 27.8 rebounds per game which is good enough for 343rd in the country, according to ESPN.com. Of course, the last time I pointed out an inferior rebounding team was when the Owls welcomed St. Louis to the Liacouras Center. The Billikens ended up outrebounding Temple 37-31.
Penn has decent size down low but I am not sure they have anyone who can match the athletic prowess of Micheal Eric. As has become customary in our previews, the junior forward/center is the x-factor tonight. If he can stay on the court and assert his dominance then the Owls should be able to cruise to an easy victory. A big-time matchup with Xavier is looming and the Cherry and White need to work out any kinks that were exposed against Duquesne.
PREDICTION
Temple is a perfect 7-0 at the Liacouras Center this season and I think that that trend is going to continue. As always, I look to Vegas and I see that the Owls are a solid 19 point favorite against Penn. Will they cover that number? Probably not as Big 5 games are always wild affairs but I certainly think they will win by at least 10 to 12 points. I think tonight is going to be a Juan Fernandez night; look for him to shoot the lights out. Temple 70, Penn 58