Temple Faces No.1 Villanova

In a Big 5 showdown, Temple Men’s Basketball (6-2) gets set to take on No. 1 Villanova (10-0) on Wednesday, December 13. The game will tip-off at the Liacouras Center at 7 P.M. It will also air on ESPN2 and 1201 AM WPHT. With a Big 5 game against Philadelphia foe Nova, it’s Cherry Out night for fans.The first 500 students in attendance receive a free t-shirt.

The undefeated Wildcats come into the game after jumping from No. 4 to the top spot this past week. Temple is coming off winning their last two games, both at home, over Wisconsin and Saint Joseph’s in tight games by less than four points.

In the last two matchups, between the two, Villanova won both games by roughly 15 points. Temple is looking to break that two game loss. Temple is also looking to break the Wildcats Big 5 record. Nova has won 21 straight games against Philly opponents.

In Big 5 play so far this season, the Wildcats are 3-0 against Philadelphia opponents. Temple is 1-1 with their recent win coming against Saint Joseph’s on December 9.

Both teams have had impressive starts to their season. Villanova has already been marked as a top team across college basketball with the potential to win a national title again. Last week, Nova posted a dominant 16 point win over Gonzaga, a top 20 team, in the Jimmy V Classic on December 5. Villanova has held each of their opponents to a margin of at least eight points in their 10 straight wins.

Temple has had some tighter games. Recently, they defeated Wisconsin, a team that reached the Sweet 16 last year. Along with the Badgers, the Owls also defeated the University of South Carolina earlier this season. The Gamecocks are coming off a final four run in the NCAA tournament last year.

Temple is 2-17 in their program record for games versus teams ranked No.1 in the country. Last year Villanova defeated the Owls 83-67. Nova has the upper hand, having won nine of the 14 meetings between the two teams over the years.

Wednesday night’s game will be a true challenge for Temple. The Owls have faced a handful of teams with postseason experience and early road games. After being on the road for their first six games, Temple returned home to play four straight games at the Liacouras Center. The Owls face the Wildcats in their third straight home game.