UofM men’s basketball team feels poised for home clash with Temple

After an emotional confidence-building road win against Wichita State on Saturday, the University of Memphis men’s basketball team returns home to face a competitive team in Temple Owls, who dealt them a loss earlier in the season when they met in Philadelphia.

With only three games left on the regular season slate, Tuesday night’s matchup is one with huge conference-seeding implications that neither team can afford to take lightly.  

Currently, the Tigers league record of 9-6 is good enough for fifth place. The Owls, whose record in conference play is 10-4, sit perched right above at fourth place. Once the American Atheltic Conference tourney begins, the teams with the top four records will receive first-round byes, meaning the top seeds must win only three games to win the championship instead of four games for those that do not fall among the top four. 

For a team like Memphis, whose best shot at making the NCAA tournament is to win the league tournament and clinch the corresponding automatic bid, this game against Temple is pivotal in jockeying for a position in the crowded AAC standings. Head coach Penny Hardaway said he feels confident his team may finally be playing their best basketball at the right time.  

“I thought we were ready a couple months ago,†Hardaway said. “We just couldn’t turn the corner. Now, with the way the guys are approaching shootaround, the way they’re approaching practice, the way they’re being attentive in film and with everybody buying in, now is the time that we’re heading in the right direction and peaking. I feel very confident that we’re more than ready to play these games this week.† 

In their previous matchup, the Owls raced to a quick start and used that momentum to fight off a furious Tigers come back to pick up an 85-76 victory on their home floor. Despite a stellar performance from Jeremiah Martin, who finished with 28 points, the play of Temple’s guards was too much for Hardaway’s team to handle as both Quinton Rose and Nate Pierre Louis scored in double figures, with Rose specifically dropping 26.  

“We spotted the 20 points,†Hardaway said. “The game-plan that we had failed because Quinton Rose was a guy that we wanted to shoot. He was shooting 19 percent, and then he made six threes in that game. We fought back into the game and were one layup away from being down one and kind of overtaking that and the momentum going into our favor. What we brought from that was that it’s not going to be easy, but we knew that we fought back hard in their building and pulled within three, having an opportunity to win that game.â€Â 

Although Martin scored 28 in a losing effort in the first meeting, he has been able to carry the Tigers to two straight victories while averaging a mind-boggling 40 points per game during that stretch.

While Temple is a team that relies heavily on the play of veteran guards, what Martin has been able to do in the last month is unprecedented in the AAC’s short league history. The senior point guard said he feels good about his team’s chances to pick up a much-needed win Tuesday night.  

“I feel like we should’ve beat them there,†Martin said. “We got it down to one, and then they took off from there. They made shots at home like every team is supposed to do. I feel like we’re in the best position right now to beat them. Coming off a win, everybody has got confidence throughout the whole team, and we’re just going to be ready.† 

Tip-off against the Owls at FedExForum is set for 8 p.m. on Feb. 26.