Temple vs USC: 2019-20 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Temple and USC meet as a pair of unbeaten teams off to solid starts to their seasons. Will the Trojans grab another home win or will the Owls head back home with a big victory?
TV schedule: Friday, November 22, 11:00 pm ET.
Arena: Galen Center in Los Angeles, California
Early returns on this season look good for Temple (3-0), though this is certainly the start of a new era for the Owls. First-year head coach Aaron McKie and this squad have taken care of business early on, most recently winning on Saturday at La Salle 70-65. They’ll travel much further for this game, but will a solid defense make the trip?
Junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis (18.7 ppg, 11.0 rpg) leads a trio of returning starters who look to propel the Owls back to the NCAA Tournament. Pierre-Louis has been impressive all over the court and they’ll need him to play just as well to topple the Trojans. The other returning starters are senior guard Quinton Rose (16.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and junior forward De’Vondre Perry (7.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg), who are clearly also playing roles for this team.
With lower expectations this season, Temple’s first three victories have done little to boost their stock. They currently sit at 98th in KenPom, with the general consensus that this is a top 100 team, but likely not a Tournament qualifier. They’ve played three great defensive games against inferior competition, but their lack of size and rebounding ability could start hurting them very soon.
While seventh-year coach Andy Enfield has presided over some success with USC (5-0), he knows that getting this team back to the NCAA Tournament is the clear goal. This is certainly doable this season, though his Trojans will need to win games like this one to solidify their case. USC held on for a 91-84 home win over Pepperdine on Tuesday, but can they make it six straight to start the year?
One of the exciting new players for the Trojans is freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu (18.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg), part of strong recruiting class for Enfield. Senior forward Nick Rakocevic (16.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg) returns for his final year, having just put up 27 points and 16 rebounds on South Dakota State last week. Another hot name to watch is freshman forward Isaiah Mobley (9.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg), a top 20 prospect who will continue to develop and should help create a strong frontcourt for the Trojans.
Already entering their sixth game of the year, the Trojans enter at 49th in KenPom, ranking 31st in offensive efficiency. Offensive rebounding has been something that USC has excelled at in the early going. Combine that with their interior defense and they’ll look to make it a long day for those Temple big men.
For the Owls, they’ll need to Pierre-Louis to have another fantastic game while that defense will need to stiffen against these USC bigs. For the Trojans, controlling the game in the interior will be their strength. Limiting Temple’s ability to hit outside shots will go a long way towards securing this game at home.
Next. . dark
Anything could happen his early in the year, but I see it difficult for this Temple team to travel across the country and get this victory. USC has the clear advantage in the paint, though you never know if Temple’s guards have enough offense in them to offset this disadvantage.