A different Houston team could be awaiting Temple this weekend
Temple’s second COVID-related postponement in two weeks may feel like deja vú from last season.
The Owls were set to play Villanova at the Pavilion tonight, but the game was postponed Tuesday due to COVID protocol issues within their program. Before that, Temple had its matchup against Drexel on Dec. 18 postponed due to issues within the Dragons’ program.
An 85-48 home win over Delaware State on Dec. 22, fueled by Zach Hicks' record-setting shooting performance, was sandwiched between the two postponements.
Temple (7-5, 0-1 AAC) is scheduled to host Houston (11-2, 0-0 AAC) this coming Sunday, Jan. 2. Although no official decision has been made about the game, both teams have entered COVID protocol pauses in the last few days.
If the game does happen, it will be Temple’s second conference matchup and Houston’s first. A Temple spokesperson confirmed that the Owls did practice Wednesday but did so on a limited basis due to the program's COVID protocol issues.
And the two programs have something in common. Both are relying heavily on depth after losing their leading scorers to season-ending left foot injuries.
The Owls have been without Khalif Battle for four weeks after undergoing successful surgery on the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. Junior guard Marcus Sasser, who averaged 17.7 points for the Cougars while shooting a scorching 43.7 percent from three, will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured left foot, he announced on his Instagram Friday.
News of Sasser’s absence came just days after the team announced Tramon Mark would also be out for the season with a shoulder injury. The sophomore guard initially injured his shoulder in the preseason, then aggravated it in an 83-82 loss to Alabama on Dec. 11. He was averaging 10.1 points through 20.4 minutes per game.
Kelvin Sampson’s 2021-22 team looks a whole lot different than the one that beat Temple by 26 and 17 points in two meetings last season before eventually making a trip to the NCAA Final Four.
Not a single starter from that team – Quentin Grimes, Justin Gorham, DeJon Jarreau, Brison Gresham and Sasser – will be playing at the Liacouras Center on Sunday.
With that being said, Houston’s current group has wins over No. 23 Oregon, Virginia and Oklahoma State.
The Cougars are led by senior guard Kyler Edwards and graduate forward Fabian White Jr. Each has started in all 13 games, averaging double digit scoring and 25-plus minutes per contest.
Temple will continue to rely heavily on the production of its backcourt tandem Damian Dunn and Jeremiah Williams. They are averaging a team-leading 13.6 and 9.2 points per game, respectively.
Jahlil White has taken over Battle’s starting spot, largely because of what he can do defensively, while redshirt sophomore guard Tai Strickland is chipping in 8.2 points off the bench.
The Owls’ most recent win against Delaware State was fueled by a 35-point outburst and program-record 10 threes from Hicks, the true freshman from Camden Catholic High School.
The 6-foot-7 wing connected on only one of his last 19 3-point attempts before shooting 10 for 16 against the Hornets. If Hicks can continue to hit shots with any kind of consistency, he could be the added bench production head coach Aaron McKie has been vying for.