Tulane @ Temple preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 25, 2017 ) Tulane 76, Temple 86

Temple can sometimes survive when one of its top three scorers is off, but rarely when two of the "big three" are out of rhythm. The Owls aim to bounce back from a tough defeat Thursday when they welcome Tulane to town for both teams' American Athletic Conference opener.

Obi Enechionyia scored a career-high 27 points against Georgia on Friday, but Shizz Alston Jr. and Quinton Rose combined for 15 points on 6-of-25 shooting in an 18-point defeat. “We need those two guys,” coach Fran Dunphy told reporters after the game. “Those are two of our bigger threats. When they struggled like they did, that hurt us.” Rose is 7-for-26 from the field over the last two games and Alston is 9-of-33 over the last three contests. The trio hopes to put it all together Thursday against a Tulane team that squeaked past South Alabama its last time out for a second straight win.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT TULANE (9-3, 0-0 AAC): The Green Wave placed four starters in double figures - plus a fifth in reserve guard Caleb Daniels - in their win over South Alabama. Melvin Frazier led the way with 18 points and is averaging a team-high 16.8, while Cameron Reynolds (16.5) contributed 14 points and nine boards. Daniels, a freshman, set his season high for points after totaling nine points on 3-of-10 shooting over the previous three outings.

ABOUT TEMPLE (7-4, 0-0): Enechionyia had been 4-of-25 over the previous three games before his breakout performance against Georgia, which included zero turnovers for the third time in his last four outings. Despite his overall shooting struggles, Rose has been connecting from 3-point range (10-of-18 over the last four games), although Alston is 2-of-14 from behind the arc over a three-game stretch. Enechionyia leads the team in rebounding (6.4) and blocks (2.0) and has 20 3-pointers, tied with Rose and trailing only Alston's team-high mark of 25.

TIP-INS

1. Tulane G Jordan Cornish has 14 turnovers over the last two games.

2. Rose has registered multiple steals in six consecutive games.

3. Temple won both meetings last season, including a double-overtime affair when the teams met in Philadelphia.

PREDICTION: Temple 69, Tulane 66