Saint Joseph's @ Temple preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 30, 2016 ) Temple 78, St. Joseph's 72

Temple is coming off perhaps its best defensive performance of the season and hopes that effort carries over into Saturday's home date with Saint Joseph's. This matchup is part of the Big 5 - a round-robin between five Philadelphia area schools that includes the Owls and Hawks, who are former Atlantic 10 rivals.

Temple won last season's matchup and is 90-69 all-time against Saint Joseph's, the team it has beaten more than any other in school history. The Owls enter this matchup on the heels of a quality 59-55 win against Wisconsin following wins over Auburn, Clemson and South Carolina earlier this season. Both of Temple's losses have come against former A-10 rivals (La Salle and George Washington). Saint Joseph's played its Big 5 opener last Saturday and absorbed an ugly 94-53 defeat at the hands of national power Villanova.

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT SAINT JOSEPH'S (4-4): The Hawks allowed Villanova to drain a school-record 19 3-pointers their last time out and shot only 5-of-24 from the arc themselves. James Demery scored a team-high 14 points and is averaging 16.8, although he has exceeded 40 percent shooting only once in his last six games. Shavar Newkirk averages 16.5 points and has exceeded 40 percent shooting only once in his last seven games for Saint Joseph's, which not surprisingly shoots barely over 40 percent as a team.

ABOUT TEMPLE (5-2): The Owls allowed fewer than 60 points for the first time this season in the win over Wisconsin, while Shizz Alston Jr. led the squad offensively with 22 points. Obi Enechionyia added 11 points but fell to 1-for-11 from 3-point range over his last three outings. Quinton Rose is the team's leading scorer at 17.6 points per game but was held to single digits for the first time all season Wednesday, when he totaled nine points in 35 minutes.

TIP-INS

1. Enechionyia has 15 blocks - four more than all of his Owls teammates combined.

2. Alston is 24-of-24 from the foul line this season.

3. Saint Joseph's F Taylor Funk has made multiple 3-pointers in seven of the eight games and is shooting 48.1 percent from the arc.

PREDICTION: Temple 59, Saint Joseph's 55