Villanova @ Temple preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 5, 2018 ) Temple 59, Villanova 69

Villanova's recent stretch has been anything but easy and it may not lighten up much anytime soon as the 16th-ranked Wildcats embark on a three-game road trip, beginning with a non-league contest at Temple on Sunday. This game is part of the Big 5 - an annual round-robin in which five Philadelphia-area schools play each other for city bragging rights.

The Wildcats are looking to finish undefeated in this season's Big 5 contests, having already defeated La Salle, Pennsylvania and Saint Joseph's earlier in the campaign. The Owls topped La Salle and Saint Joseph's but lost to Penn, meaning they need to defeat the Wildcats on Sunday to share the Big 5 crown for 2019-20. Villanova recently lost three in a row before ending the skid with a one-point win against Marquette, after which coach Jay Wright said: "We're growing. But what's tough at this time of year is these juniors and seniors in the league have been in the Big East. They know it's getting to be crunch time. They know what to do. Our guys are still learning. We just have to find a way to gut it out - to improve as quickly as we can. We have a lot of room for improvement." The Owls, meanwhile, are seeking their fourth win in five games following a four-game slide.

TIME: 1 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT VILLANOVA (18-6): The Wildcats survived against Marquette thanks to freshman Jeremiah Robinson-Earl's 17 points and 11 rebounds and Collin Gillespie's 14 points, including a clutch 3-pointer down the stretch. "I just try to be a leader and lead by example," said Gillespie, who has scored in double figures in 11 straight games and ranks second on the team in scoring (15.6) behind Saddiq Bey (15.7). Bey had only 10 points against Marquette but still knocked down multiple 3-pointers for the 10th time in 11 games.

ABOUT TEMPLE (13-11): The Owls needed six straight points from Quinton Rose down the stretch to slip past Tulane 72-68 in their last contest, with Rose finishing with 23 points and Monty Scott adding 16. Rose (16.2 points) is the team's leading scorer and has reached the 20-point mark in five of the last seven outings, plus he's grabbed eight rebounds in each of the last two games. Scott (6.0 points), who has contributed minimally for most of the season, has 38 points in the last two games and has made all nine of his foul shots over that span.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Villanova's top six scorers all shoot at least 72 percent from the foul line and five of them shoot at least 79 percent.

2. The Wildcats have won the last six matchups with the Owls.

3. Villanova has won the Big 5 title outright in five of the past six seasons.

PREDICTION: Villanova 74, Temple 57