by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Jan 24, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA
Where to watch: ESPN+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Temple -6
FanDuel: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Temple -6
Season record
South Florida: 9-11 (2-5 AAC)
Temple: 12-9 (6-2 AAC)
We’re nearing the halfway mark of the college basketball season and it’s been quite the ride so far. Will Rogers is going hard in the last 30 days with a 16-10-1 run, while Kyle Hunter has also had a strong run of form as of late at 28-24-0 (+$1,700). If they’ve been killing it as much as they were in the first half, what does the second half have in store? The only way you’re going to find out is by staying locked on bigal.com and following what our champion handicappers are up to heading into the second half. Trust us, you want to know.
USF - Temple preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
USF: won 85-72 vs. UCF
Temple: won 56-55 at No. 1 Houston
The Temple Owls will try to build off the momentum of one of the biggest wins in recent program history when they host the South Florida Bulls on Wednesday at the Liacouras Center.
The Temple Owls will try to build off the momentum of one of the biggest wins in recent program history when they host the South Florida Bulls on Wednesday at the Liacouras Center.
The Owls are coming off one of the biggest wins in the last couple of decades, knocking off the No. 1 Houston Cougars on Sunday, in Houston, 56-55, in what was an absolutely shocking defensive battle played by Temple. The Owls were 20-point underdogs at the time of closing.
Damian Dunn hit the go-ahead free throw, and Kur Jongkuch blocked the potential game-winning shot for Temple to improve to 3-18 all-time against No. 1 teams, and their first since beating Cincinnati on Feb. 20, 2000. Y2K was almost a thing and times were simpler back then.
Dunn finished with 16 points for Temple, who held Houston to 33.9 percent shooting and won the game despite turning the ball over 13 times and was outrebounded 39-33. Basketball is a weird sport.
“It was a cold celebration for me because the guys threw a lot of cold water on me, so it was pretty good,” Temple coach Aaron McKie said. “It’s just always fun to see guys just so excited about a win and just enjoying this game of basketball.”
Perhaps what was more impressive with Temple’s victory is it coincides with how good they’ve been in AAC play this season. Now with that win, Temple at 6-2 is a half-game back of Houston for the top spot in the conference. There is a logjam right behind with Memphis, Cincinnati and Tulane, but a win like that can really do something for a program. Considering this team was 6-7 after non-conference play wrapped up, the former NBA player turned college head coach has them on the right path.
“Any time you get the opportunity to beat the No. 1 team in the nation on their home floor, it was a great atmosphere and a really good win for our guys,” McKie said.
Temple has won three of its last four and has gone 4-0 in the last four against the spread.
South Florida has not been any better. The Bulls are coming off an 85-72 win over Central Florida but have lost five of their last seven overall. The game was taken over by Tyler Harris scoring a game-high 33 points by making six 3-pointers and going a perfect 13 of 13 from the free-throw line. Sam Hines Jr. chipped in with 11 points.
USF is 6-3 in its last nine against the spread, but just 3-3 in the last six. That includes as double-digit underdogs by 23.5 against Houston and 15 against Memphis. The win over UCF had USF as 4.5-point dogs with the easy cover at home.
Prediction
I can see all of this having the makings of an emotional letdown for Temple with the home crowd fired up off that big win, but USF seems a bit too inferior to think they can capitalize on this. I can see it closer than some would anticipate, though. Temple 65, USF 62
Betting trends
Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
Road team is 9-3 ATS in the last 12 meetings.
Temple is 5-1 ATS in their last six following an ATS win.
The under is 6-1 in Temple's last seven following a straight up win.
Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
Road team is 9-3 ATS in the last 12 meetings.
Temple is 5-1 ATS in their last six following an ATS win.
The under is 6-1 in Temple's last seven following a straight up win.
Projected starting lineup
USF:
PG: Tyler Harris
SG: Selton Miguel
SF: Sam Hines
PF: Keyshawn Bryant
C: Russell Tchewa
Temple:
PG: Hysier Miller
SG: Jahlil White
SF: Zach HIcks
PF: Nick Jourdain
C: Kur Jongkuch
Injury report
USF: Trey Moss (undisclosed, questionable)
Temple: Jamille Reynolds (thumb, out)
USF: Trey Moss (undisclosed, questionable)
Temple: Jamille Reynolds (thumb, out)
Statistical leaders
USF:
Points: Tyler Harris -- 17.1
Rebounds: Russell Tchewa -- 7.8
Assists: Selton Miguel -- 3.5
Temple:
Points: Khalif Battle -- 17.0
Rebounds: Jahlil White -- 5.5
Assists: Hysier Miller -- 3.4
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this USF - Temple prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
