Despite being up on Richmond in the first half, Temple faces some bad news in learning that junior forward Michael Eric will be out the rest of the year after fracturing his right patella in practice. The 6’10 Eric had been averaging career highs in points and rebounding for the Owls this season.
The Owls will continue to lean heavily on senior forward Lavoy Allen to anchor the defense and rebounding, but the recent success of junior Scootie Randall should lessen the burden on Allen. Randall is on pace to achieve double digits in points for the 8th straight game, after averaging less than 2 points last season.
With Craig Williams already out for the year, Eric’s loss leaves the Owls severely shorthanded up front. Depth has always been a problem with this Temple team and if Fran Dunphy hopes to get past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in March, he’ll need a ton of help from guard leaders Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez, who has been slumping all year.
The Owls are the 23rd ranked team in the nation with a 19-5 record. They lead Richmond in a crucial A-10 game thus far tonight.