Temple Owls
Record: 21-11 (14-4 American Athletic Conference)
Head coach: Fran Dunphy (10th season)
Season Recap: Competing against postseason-banned Southern Methodist in the American Conference, Temple surprised many by grabbing the top spot in regular-season play. But after being ousted by Connecticut in the conference tournament semifinals, the Owls squeaked into the NCAA tournament field as the tenth seed in the South region. Led by senior guard Quenton DeCosey—who averages 15.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game—Temple prefers to slow the game down and control the pace of the game, often giving the ball to DeCosey late in the shot clock.
How they make a run: DeCosey brings his game to another level as the Owls rely on their slow pace to keep them within striking distance against a talented Iowa squad.
How they falter: Hawkeye forward Jarrod Uthoff creates matchup problems for Temple’s man-to-man defense, resulting in an early deficit. The Owls are forced to speed up their offense more than they are comfortable with, spelling a first-round exit.
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