Temple @ Connecticut preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 6, 2019 ) Connecticut 63, Temple 81

Temple appears to be in good shape to make the NCAA Tournament, but a loss to Connecticut wouldn't help its case. The Owls look to sweep the two-game season series from the Huskies when the teams meet Thursday in Connecticut.

Temple has won four of its last five, most recently an 11-point win over Tulane in which Quinton Rose scored a career-high 29 points. “I was feeling it,” said Rose, who hit 13 of 21 shots. “I thought I could get to the basket any time and I was trying to have an emphasis on finishing when I got there, and I did so today.” The junior guard had struggled in two of his previous three games, but will seek a bit of consistency as he faces Connecticut, which had dropped six in a row before beating South Florida its last time out. The Owls made 10 of their first 11 shots in the first meeting between the teams and cruised to an 81-63 triumph.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT TEMPLE (21-8, 11-5 American): The Owls made just 7-of-29 3-pointers against Tulane, but they knocked down a blistering 64 percent of their 2-pointers. Damion Moore, who had not scored more than three points in a game since November, had 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Shizz Alston Jr. passed the 20-point mark for the fifth straight game, notching 22 points and shooting 6-of-6 from the foul line to raise his season percentage to 90.5.

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (14-15, 5-11): Josh Carlton posted 16 points and nine rebounds in the win over USF, while Alterique Gilbert added 15 in the two-point victory. Standout guard Jalen Adams, who hurt his knee in the first matchup with Temple, will not play on Senior Night in what would have been his final home game. Adams' absence was evident against USF, as the team missed all 15 of its 3-pointers - the first time in more than nine years that the Huskies failed to make a shot from outside the arc.

TIP-INS

1. Nate Pierre-Louis, who averages 13.6 points for Temple, had a season-low three against Tulane.

2. Carlton is looking to score in double digits in three straight games for the first time this season.

3. In the first matchup, Temple shot 11-of-23 from 3-point land. UConn was 4-of-18.

PREDICTION: Temple 70, UConn 66