Outstanding defensive play has helped put Temple in the Top 25 for the first time in more than eight years. That doesn't bode well for Bowling Green and its struggling offense.
Following two impressive victories over Big East teams, the 21st-ranked Owls look to win their sixth straight as they host the Falcons on Monday night.
Temple (9-2) has had eight days off since defeating previously unbeaten Seton Hall 71-65 on Dec. 19, six days after upsetting then-No. 3 Villanova 75-65. The Owls have won five straight since a 55-48 loss to St. John's on Nov. 28, earning a spot in the Top 25 for the first time since it was ranked 25th in the final week of November 2001.
Defense has keyed Temple's impressive start. The Owls are ranked third nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to 55.1 points per game.
"We have guys who take pride in guarding and playing defense," said coach Fran Dunphy, whose team limited the high-scoring Pirates without a field goal over the final 5:07. "I'm very pleased with our defense."
The Owls held the Pirates to a season-low 34.9 percent from the field and became just the second team this season to keep them below 80 points. Seton Hall entered that contest averaging 90.8 points and was coming off a school-record 134-point performance against VMI.
"I'm very excited to be where we are right now," Dunphy said.
Temple has limited teams to 37.3 percent from the field and 23.9 percent from 3-point range, ranking second in country in that category.
Bowling Green (5-4) has shot 29.9 percent (20 of 67) from beyond the arc in the last five games, part of the reason it's averaging just 63.7 points for the season.
The Falcons do not have one player averaging more than 10.3 points.
Ryan Brooks leads Temple with 15.2 per game and has topped 20 in two straight, including a career-high 24 against Seton Hall.
The senior is complemented in the backcourt by sophomore Juan Fernandez, who had 21 points versus the Pirates following a career-best 33-point effort against Villanova. Fernandez is 10 for 15 (66.7 percent) from 3-point range over his last three games.
Bowling Green, meanwhile, had one of its highest-scoring games of the season in its last contest but had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 73-69 loss at Detroit on Dec. 19.
The Falcons got an unexpected boost from 5-foot-6 freshman Jordon Crawford, who had a career-best 15 points off the bench. He had two points or none in four straight games since he had 13 in a 90-83 overtime loss to Milwaukee on Nov. 28, his only other double-digit scoring game.
Bowling Green is in desperate need of more scoring from its backcourt. Starting guards Joe Jakubowski and Dee Brown have combined to shoot 40.7 percent.
Temple is 2-0 against Bowling Green, winning the last matchup 77-55 on the road Nov. 24, 2007.
