Temple @ Wichita St. preview

Temple at Wichita St.

Last Meeting ( Feb 27, 2020 ) Temple 69, Wichita St. 72

Sticky defense from Dexter Dennis might be the most consistent attribute that fuels Wichita State.

That, and offensive punch from Tyson Etienne, who entered the weekend as the leading scorer in the American Athletic Conference with a 17.9-point average.

Although he entered the season as the Shockers' top defender, Dennis seems to be improving on his skills with Wichita State (10-4, 6-2 AAC) set to close out a three-game homestand Sunday against Temple (4-6, 3-6).

"He never gives up on a play," said Shockers interim coach Isaac Brown. "We call those winning plays. I love his effort."

Wichita State carries an eight-game homecourt win streak against AAC rivals and is tied with league-leading Houston in the loss column. Yet Brown raised legitimate concerns about his team after Tulane sliced a 21-point lead to six in the final eight minutes Wednesday before the Shockers won 75-67.

"You can't settle," Brown said. "Good teams don't play like that."

Dennis blocked four shots while holding Tulane's top scorer, Jaylen Forbes, to 0-for-13 shooting.

While he understands concerns over finishing poorly, Dennis considers the late fallout against Tulane as a learning opportunity.

"Even after wins we still find ways to get better," he said. "There's always room to get better."

Particularly when the Shockers feature two key pieces: Dennis to guard opponents' top scorers and Etienne to be a go-to scorer.

COVID-19 restrictions have created a busy schedule that finds Temple in the middle of a 17-day stretch with six games. The Owls are coming off a 63-60 loss Thursday to Cincinnati, which played its first game since Jan. 10 after its schedule got ravaged by virus-related issues.

The Owls tied a season high with 19 turnovers against the Bearcats, including three in the final minute. They rank last in the AAC in turnover margin (minus-2.4).

"It's bothersome because you never want to beat yourself," Temple coach Aaron McKie said. "We just had so many uncharacteristic, unforced turnovers, whatever the reasons may be. A lot of our turnovers seem uncharacteristic and we must clean it up."

Temple is among the worst scoring teams in the AAC with a 63.9-point average and struggles to defend the arc, allowing opponents 35.1-percent shooting from deep.

Damian Dunn leads the Owls with a 14.3-point average. Khalif Battle (11.4) ranks second as a sixth man who averages 29.2 minutes. Jake Forrester averages a team-high 6.4 rebounds but has been troubled by foul problems.

--Field Level Media