Iowa Basketball: Five Things to Know About Temple
By Dylan Burn
If you look at the stats, it wouldn’t look like Temple finished with a 14-4 record and first in the conference standings. They rank 8th in the conference in points per game at 68.7 and 10th in the conference in field goal percentage at 41 percent.
Those numbers don’t exactly jump out at you in a positive way. The Owls beat you on defense and by not turning the ball over. In 22 of the 32 games they played, they were in the single digits in terms of turnovers. They also rank first in the AAC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.5.
They are tough on the glass, but the stats also don’t show that. They ranked eighth in the conference in rebounding offense at 36.8 and 10th in rebounding defense at 38.2. Iowa could really exploit them on the glass with how big they are, but expect Temple to bring everything they’ve got.
One area that does worry me is Temple’s ability to make the outside shot. Iowa sometimes fails to find shooters and will often sit in a zone from time-to-time. The Owls average 7.8 made three point field goals per contest, which ranks first in the AAC. Illinois made 10 in their defeat of Iowa on Thursday, so that is something Temple is likely looking at.
Even though they might not show it in a lot of stat categories, Temple is a tough out, especially when they are taking care of the ball and making the outside shot.
Next: Head Coach, Fran Dunphy