Temple @ Central Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 22, 2017 ) Central Florida 71, Temple 69

Surging Central Florida hopes to keep things rolling Sunday afternoon when it visits Temple, a team trying to get back on the winning track. UCF has won seven of eight while the Owls have lost four consecutive games and five of their past six.

Knights' senior forward A.J. Davis has helped lead the way with 9.2 rebounds per game - which leads the American Athletic Conference - and reached double figures in scoring in each of the last seven games to average 11.5 points overall. Junior center Tacko Fall has also been a handful for opposing teams to deal with as he paces UCF in scoring (12.0) and tops the nation in shooting percentage at 77.3 while leading the conference with 2.1 blocked shots per game. Temple counters with guards Quinton Rose and Shizz Alston Jr., who combine for 30.3 points per game. Rose or Alston have either led or tied for the team lead in scoring in 12 of the 14 games this season.

TV: Noon ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT TEMPLE (7-7, 0-3 ACC): During the Owls four-game losing streak, the defense has struggled. Temple has allowed more than 75 points in three of the four losses, including giving up 85 to Tulane on Dec. 28 to open conference play. In those three losses, the Owls allowed each opponent to shoot better than 47 percent from the field.

ABOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA (11-4, 2-1): The Knights' recent run has been fueled by their suffocating style of defense, which now ranks sixth in the nation while allowing 60.2 points per game. Since the 83-45 loss to West Virginia on Nov. 24, UCF has not allowed an opponent to score more than 64 points - permitting 55.3 in the 10-game span - and held six of the opponents to fewer than 60. The Knights are also holding opponents to 37.8 percent shooting on the season, ranked 10th in the country.

TIP-INS

1. Temple holds a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series, though UCF swept the two-game series last season.

2. The Knights look to start conference play with a 3-1 record for the third consecutive season.

3. Temple has used the same starting five players for every game this season - G Josh Brown, F Obi Enechionyia, C Ernest Aflakpui, Rose and Alston.

PREDICTION: UCF 68, Temple 60