Temple @ Wichita St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 15, 2020 ) Wichita St. 53, Temple 65

Wichita State has a bit of revenge on its mind Thursday when it hosts Temple in American Athletic Conference play. The Shockers fell at Temple by 12 points earlier this season, and their inconsistent run through conference play continued with a loss at Cincinnati the last time out.

Wichita State shot under 33 percent against Cincinnati and missed 19 of its 26 3-point attempts with the starters enduring a particularly tough day. The five Shockers starters combined to shoot 12-of-44 from the field (27.3 percent) and went 1-of-15 from the arc. Temple is coming off a poor shooting effort of its own, having shot just 35.5 percent overall and 6-of-24 from the 3-point line in a 67-63 loss to East Carolina. The team's starting guards of Quinton Rose, Alani Moore II and Nate Pierre-Louis combined to shoot 6-of-27 from the floor and 2-of-12 from 3-point land - and that will have to improve if the Owls want to avoid their third loss in four games.

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT TEMPLE (14-13, 6-8 AAC): The Owls are not even among the top 250 teams in the nation in scoring offense (69.5 points per game) and five of their top seven scorers shoot 41 percent from the field or worse. Rose averages 16.3 points but is 8-of-33 from the field in the last two games, and the senior guard is 1-of-17 from 3-point range over the last four outings. J.P. Moorman was a bright spot against ECU with nine points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes.

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (20-7, 8-6): The Shockers have seven players averaging between 7.1 and 11.7 points, led by Erik Stevenson, who is shooting just 7-of-28 in the last three games. Jaime Echenique (11.3 points) also struggled with his shooting last time out, going 2-of-10 against Cincinnati, but he finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the campaign. Jamarius Burton (9.9 points) is 1-of-14 from 3-point land since Jan. 21, but he is seeking his third straight double-digit scoring effort.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pierre-Louis, coming off a career-high 23-point effort against Connecticut, managed just two points on 0-of-4 shooting versus ECU.

2. Rose scored 19 points to pace Temple in the first matchup this season. Echenique had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead Wichita State.

3. Echenique has taken 21 foul shots over the last two games, making 18, while averaging 15 points and 10.5 rebounds during that stretch.

PREDICTION: Wichita State 70, Temple 60