TEMPLE (7-2, 0-0 BIG 5) VS. #3/3 VILLANOVA (9-0, 3-0 BIG 5) • DEC. 13, 2009 • LIACOURAS CENTER GAMES AT A GLANCE One of the most storied rivalries in Philadelphia college basketball tips off for Series: Villanova leads 43-40 the 84th time when Temple hosts #3/3 Villanova on Sunday (3:00 p.m./CBS At Temple: Temple leads 13-8 College Sports) at the Liacouras Center. The Owls enter the Philadelphia Big 5 At Villanova: Villanova leads 8-6 battle riding their best start (7-2) since the 1994-95 campaign while the Wildcats, At Palestra: Series tied 17-17 coming off a 2009 NCAA Final Four appearance, are a perfect 9-0. It is the first At Neutral Sites: Temple leads 2-0 city-series game for Temple while Villanova (3-0) is looking to sweep its Big 5 slate for the fourth Undetermined Sites: Villanova leads 9-3 time in the last five seasons. Streak: Villanova - Four Wins Defense continues to be the bread-and-butter for fourth-year head coach Fran Dunphy's Owls. Last Game: @Villanova 62, Temple 45 (12/29/08) Through the first nine games of the season Temple is holding opponents to 52.9 points per game and ranks sixth nationally according to the latest NCAA statistics (12/6). The Owls were also OWLS INFORMATION ranked sixth in three-point percentage defense (.229), seventh in scoring defense and 24th in field goal percentage (.370). Temple has held seven of its nine opponents to 56 points or less. Coach: Fran Dunphy (La Salle ‘70) Senior co-captain Ryan Brooks leads a balanced offensive attack with a 13.7 scoring average. Temple Record: 62-45 (4th year) Junior forward Lavoy Allen averages nearly a double-double (12.0 ppg., 9.4 rpg.) while sophomore Overall Record: 372-208 (21st year) guard Juan Fernandez (10.6 ppg.) rounds out the team's double-figure scorers. Senior co-captain Record vs. Villanova: 3-12 Luis Guzman (5.0 ppg.), who is coming off his first double-figure scoring game (12 vs. Miami) in two seasons, tops the squad with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. Sophomore Michael Eric (4.5 ppg.) WILDCATS INFORMATION returned to the starting lineup for the first time since injuring his knee in the Ball State game (11/17) Coach: Jay Wright (Bucknell ‘83) in the team's 64-42 win at Miami Tuesday. Junior Craig Williams (6.0 ppg.), sophomore Ramone Villanova Record: 187-91 (9th year) Moore (5.4 ppg.) and freshman Rahlir Jefferson (4.4 ppg.) provide depth off the bench. Overall Record: 309-176 (15th year) Villanova, under the direction of ninth-year head coach Jay Wright, is coming off a 97-89 win Record vs. Temple: 7-2 over rival Saint Joseph's at The Palestra Wednesday night. Senior guard Scottie Reynolds, the Most Outstanding Player at the 2009 NCAA East Regional, leads a Villanova offensive attack with a 16.0 BROADCAST scoring average. Junior forward Antonio Pena has been a force inside, averaging a double-double INFORMATION (13.0 ppg., 10.2 rpg.). Junior guard Corey Fisher (12.9 ppg.), sophomore forward Taylor King (12.4 ppg.), a transfer from Duke, and junior guard Corey Stokes (10.4 ppg.) round out the double-figure Television: CBS College Sports (Tom Hart, play- scorers. by-play; Steve Lappas, color analyst) OWLS AT A GLANCE Radio: 1210 AM WPHT (Harry Donahue, play- The Wildcats lead the series 43-40, and have won four straight and eight of the last 10 meetings by-play; John Baum, color analyst) Audio Streaming: http://www.owlsports.com 7-2 Overall • 3-0 Home • 3-1 Away • 1-1 Neutral • 0-0 Atlantic 10 • 0-0 Big 5 Video Streaming: none PROBABLE STARTERS 24 Lavoy Allen F 6-9 Jr. 12.0 ppg. 9.4 rpg. 1.6 bpg. 50 Micheal Eric F 6-11 So. 4.5 ppg. 3.5 rpg. 0.7 bpg. TEMPLE SPORTS 2 Ryan Brooks G 6-4 Sr. 13.7 ppg 5.4 rpg 2.1 apg. MEDIA RELATIONS 4 Juan Fernandez G 6-4 So. 10.6 ppg. 3.3 rpg. 4.0 apg. 10 Luis Guzman G 6-3 Sr. 5.0 ppg. 3.9 rpg. 3.2 apg Main: 215-204-7445 OFF THE BENCH Fax: 215-204-7499 1 Khalif Wyatt G 6-4 Fr. 0.0 ppg. 0.3 rpg. 2.3 mpg. 11 T.J. DiLeo G 6-2 Fr. 0.9 ppg 0.4 rpg. 4.6 mpg. Assoc. AD/Sports Media Relations 15 Carmel Bouchman F 6-8 Fr. 0.7 ppg. 0.0 rpg. 1.3 mpg. Men’s Basketball Contact 21 Rafael DeLeon F 6-5 Sr. 0.0 ppg. 0.0 rpg. 0.0 mpg. Larry Dougherty 23 Ramone Moore G 6-4 So.. 5.4 ppg. 3.6 rpg. .382 fg% Office: 215-204-2588 30 Craig Williams F 6-9 Jr. 6.0 ppg. 2.3 rpg. .350 3pt% Cell: 215-651-1822 31 Jake Godino G 6-0 So. 0.0 ppg. 0.0 rpg. 1.0 mpg. [email protected] 32 Rahlir Jefferson F 6-6 Fr. 4.4 ppg. 2.9 rpg. 1.0 spg. Email: 33 Scootie Randall F 6-6 So. 1.3 ppg 1.3 rpg. 4.3 mpg. 45 Chris Clarke F 6-8 So. 0.0 ppg. 0.0 rpg. 0.0 mpg. Credentials Head Coach: Fran Dunphy (La Salle ‘70/62-45 (4th year); 372-208 (21st year) Al Shrier Asst. Coaches: Dave Duke (Villanova ‘74), Matt Langel (Penn ‘00), Shawn Trice (Penn ‘95) Office: 215-204-2222 TEAM STATS Email: [email protected] FG% 3PT% FT% Pts. Reb. Asts. Stls. TO Temple .406 .292 .597 61.6 37.6 133 49 85 Opponents .370 .229 .694 52.9 35.1 75 39 117 OWLS VS. WILDCATS: This is the 84th meeting between the Philadelphia Big 5 rivals with 2009-10 SCHEDULE Villanova owning a 43-40 edge in the series that dates back to the 1914-15 season. Villanova has won four straight and eight of the last 10 meetings. The Wildcats topped the 100-point plateau for the first time Nov. 14 %at Delaware . 76-56 (W) against the Owls in their last game at the Liacouras Center, a 101-93 shootout on Dec. 9, 2007. The teams Nov. 17 at Georgetown (ESPN). 45-46 (L) have split four meetings in the arena. The last Temple win in the series was a 53-52 decision at The Palestra on Dec. 4, 2004. Nov. 21 %SIENA . 73-69 (W) TEMPLE-VILLANOVA COMPARISON Nov. 24 BALL STATE (DH) . 66-46 (W) Temple VU Nov. 27 %Virginia Tech (P-TCNP)61-50 (W) 61.6 Points Per Game 84.0 52.9 Opponents Points Per Game 69.1 Nov 28 %St. John’s (P). 48-55 (L) +8.7 Point Differential +14.9 Dec. 1 at Western Michigan . 76-70 (W) .406 Field Goal Percentage .432 .370 Field Goal Percentage Defense .391 Dec. 5 PENN STATE. 45-42 (W) 5.4 3PT Per Game 8.2 Dec. 8 at Miami (OH) . 64-42 (W) .292 3PT Percentage .363 Dec. 13 #VILLANOVA (CBS CS). 3:00 .229 Opp. 3PT Percentage .342 .597 Free Throw Percentage .746 Dec. 19 at Seton Hall . 7:00 37.6 Rebounds Per Game 43.7 Dec. 28 BOWLING GREEN (MGH) . 7:00 +2.5 Rebound Margin +8.9 14.8 Assists Per Game 14.4 Dec. 30 at Northern Illinois . 8:00 5.4 Steals Per Game 8.1 Jan. 2 KANSAS (ESPN2) . 5:30 3.0 Blocks Per Game 4.7 Jan. 6 *SAINT JOSEPH’S (TCNP+)7:00 9.4 Turnovers 14.7 Jan. 10 *at Rhode Island. 1:00 Jan. 13 #at Penn. 7:00 LAST MEETING (@Villanova 62, Temple 45 - Dec. 29, 2008): Villanova's Corey Fisher con- nected on all six of his second half field goal attempts to score a career-high 23 points in leading the Jan. 16 *MASSACHUSETTS (DH) . 2:00 #15/13 Wildcats to a 62-45 victory over Temple. The Owls could not find their rhythm in the second Jan. 20 *XAVIER (TCNP+) . 7:00 stanza, going 11:21 without a field goal. Lavoy Allen's lay-up with 14:34 to play gave Temple its largest lead Jan. 23 *at Fordham. 1:00 at 32-24, but from that point on, it was all Villanova. The Wildcats, who clinched the Big 5 Championship with the win, went on a 23-2 run over the next 9:01 to turn a close game into a blowout. Fisher played a Jan. 27 *at Charlotte (TCNP+) . 7:00 big role during the run, scoring 13 points, including a trio of backbreaking threes. As torrid as Villanova Jan. 30 *LA SALLE (DH-ESPN2) Noon was, Temple was just as cold. The Owls missed nine straight field goal attempts before Luis Guzman broke the spell with a lay-up at the 3:15 mark. The jump-shooting continued to miss the mark until Dionte Feb. 3 *DUQUESNE. 7:00 Christmas (13 points) connected on a three-pointer with 1:33 to play. It was one of just two outside shots Feb. 6 *RICHMOND (ESPNU) . 2:00 made by TU during the second half. The 45 points were the lowest during Dunphy's tenure at Temple and Feb. 13 *R. ISLAND (DH-CSN+) . 7:00 the lowest since losing 60-34 on Jan. 21, 2006 at Massachusetts. Feb. 17 *at St. Bonaventure .