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Temple Basketball: 2018-2019 season preview for the Owls

By Stu Luddecke

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 11: during the final game of the 2018 AAC Basketball Championship against at Amway Center on March 11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 11: during the final game of the 2018 AAC Basketball Championship against at Amway Center on March 11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 01: Temple Owls fans rush the court after the win at the Liacouras Center on February 1, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Temple men’s basketball team defeated 16th ranked Wichita 81-79 in overtime. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 01: Temple Owls fans rush the court after the win at the Liacouras Center on February 1, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Temple men’s basketball team defeated 16th ranked Wichita 81-79 in overtime. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

Expectations for Temple this upcoming season

This Owls team has a lot of things going for it. They have a good coach that wants to go out on a strong note, a fantastic backcourt, and depth all across the board. On top of that, this year’s AAC isn’t overflowing with competitive teams. Except for the usual suspects and a few others like Memphis and UCF., there aren’t too many teams to watch out for in the conference, and there’s definitely room for the Owls to contend.

With all those factors in mind, it’s certainly possible for the Owls to be top 4 in the AAC and even make the Tournament, but they’ll need their role players, especially in the frontcourt, to step up and make a serious impact. Rose and Alston won’t be able to do get the job done by themselves, no matter how talented they are as individuals. 

Next. Preseason AAC Rankings for 2018-19. dark

If nobody steps up to help, with their schedule as tough as it is, it would be all too easy for the Owls to lay a few eggs and spiral out of control early on. All things considered, though, I’ll take an inspired effort for Dunphy’s last go and a more talented backcourt than last year to lead them to an improved record and conference ranking.