Connecticut @ Temple preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 29, 2020 ) Temple 63, Connecticut 78

The turnaround to Connecticut's season began with a matchup against Temple. The Huskies won that game to ignite a 4-2 record in their last six outings and will try to improve that mark Thursday when they visit the Owls for an American Athletic Conference rematch.

UConn had lost four in a row and six of seven entering the first matchup with Temple, which the Huskies won 78-63 behind six double-digit scorers. Christian Vital (15 points) led the way and paced the team again the last time out, contributing 23 points in a three-point win against Memphis. On the downside for UConn, forward Akok Akok (5.8 points, 5.5 rebounds) tore his Achilles' tendon in that game and will miss the rest of the season. "It was a big win, obviously, but there's no joy in it when something like that happens in the first minute. Sports are brutal sometimes. Life is brutal sometimes," said coach Dan Hurley, whose team will try to break a tie for seventh with Temple in the league standings.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT UCONN (14-11, 5-7 AAC): The Huskies have two double-digit scorers in Vital (14.5) and James Bouknight (12.2), who has scored at least 12 points in seven straight games and is coming off his third no-turnover game of the season. Vital and Bouknight combined to shoot 11-of-33 from the field against Memphis, but they made 15-of-16 foul shots and UConn got solid contributions from a couple of big men, particularly after Akok's injury. Josh Carlton had 13 rebounds to go along with six points and two steals, while Isaiah Whaley logged 35 minutes off the bench and registered five points, seven rebounds and six blocks.

ABOUT TEMPLE (13-12, 5-7): The Owls fell to Villanova their last time out, dropping a 76-56 decision in which they shot 2-of-16 from 3-point range as part of a 36.7 percent shooting night overall. "(Shooting has) really been our Achilles' heel," Temple coach Aaron McKie told reporters after his team failed to push its winning streak to three games for the first time since starting the season 4-0. Quinton Rose led Temple with 22 points against Villanova and Nate Pierre-Louis added 16 points, although the rest of the Owls totaled only 18 points on 7-of-29 shooting.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Rose shot just 6-of-18 in the first matchup and committed four of the Owls' 16 turnovers.

2. UConn's last three games have been decided by a total of eight points.

3. Pierre-Louis has recorded 25 rebounds in the last two games.

PREDICTION: Temple 67, UConn 59