Temple coach Fran Dunphy used the word “concerned” liberally in Saturday’s news conference discussing Indiana and a glance at the profiles of both teams justifies that sentiment. The Owls haven’t been a good defensive team this season and some of their deficiencies play directly into Indiana’s strengths.
Temple ranks 246th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense and the Hoosiers enter Sunday as the second-best 3-point shooting team in the country at 41.1 percent. Defensive rebounding isn’t a strength for the Owls either and IU’s ability to generate second-chance points by crashing the glass when it does miss has been pivotal all season. Temple has also struggled at times with fouls and keeping opponents off the foul line, which is a third area where the Hoosiers appear to have a distinct advantage.
Pace figures to be important for Temple, and while Wyatt mentioned the Owls can be successful when trying to run, he acknowledged it might not be the best strategy against IU. “They like to go up and down, but we can go up and down, too,” he said. “We want to make sure we control the pace.” Both teams are averaging a similar number of possessions per game (67 for Temple, 68 for Indiana), but look for Temple to attempt to grind out possessions in the halfcourt rather than taking quick shots that could open the floodgates for the Hoosiers in transition.
Indiana currently sits as a 12-point favorite and Pomeroy is even more bullish on the Hoosiers, predicting a margin of 15 points and an 88 percent chance of a victory. Temple is undersized on the frontline and doesn’t really have a physical presence who can body up to Zeller and push him off the block, nor do they have the compliment of defensive players capable of slowing down the nation’s best offense. Every team that has knocked off IU to this point ranks in the top 46 nationally in defensive efficiency and Temple comes in at No. 117.