For the second straight year, John Chaney brings his Temple Owls into the University of Dayton Arena for a key early season match-up of Atlantic 10 heavyweights. Entering the game, Temple is 8-7 overall, and tied for first in the conference with a 2-0 league record. The UD Flyers stand at 10-4 overall, and 1-0 in the conference. Both teams are coming into the game playing well: the Owls have rolled off four straight wins (only surrendering 52.5 points in those four games), while Dayton is in the midst of a five-game winning streak.

It has been an up and down year for Temple. Almost expectedly, the Owls have struggled at times trying to overcome the departure of Pepe Sanchez. Perhaps the perfect player in Chaney’s system, his unheard-of 4:1 assist to turnover ratio, defense at the top of the matchup zone, and overall leader of the team has been difficult to replace. Witness: Temple did not score 70+ points in a game until the 12th game of the season. Temple has surrendered 93 points in a game at home (albeit to Duke). Temple, after winning their first four games, suffered through a SEVEN-game losing streak.Lynn Greer, a junior out of Philadelphia, has been handed the unenviable task of replacing Sanchez. Thus far, his assist to turnover ratio is a sparkling 2.5:1. Contrary to Sanchez though, he is Temple’s main scoring threat, averaging almost 17 per game. The downside? He is shooting at a 37% clip from the field. Complimenting Greer on the inside is 6’9″ 240 lb junior Kevin Lyde. Lyde, second on the team in scoring at 12.3 per game, pulls down almost nine rebounds each contest. His weakness? Only 43% from the free-throw line. If he gets the ball in good position, perhaps Dayton Head Coach Oliver Purnell will have his troops commit the foul.Rounding out the Owls on offense are Alex Wesby and Quincy Wadley. Wesby, much like Brooks Hall, presents matchup problems for teams: he lists at 6’6″, but like Gree,r he has hoisted over 90 three-pointers (6 per game). Wadley may be even more important however. One of only two seniors on the Temple squad, Wadley missed four games earlier this year – of which the Owls lost three. His return means 11 more points to the lineup.Known for scheduling tough competition, Chaney held to form this year. The Owls have faced #2 Duke twice (losing by two at Cameron Indoor), Indiana at Assembly Hall, #17 Wisconsin, and #6 Wake Forest. On February 2, the Owls have a non-conference date with the DePaul Blue Demons.

Keys to the game: With Temple, it is simple. Stay patient on offense and move the ball quickly around the matchup zone. This can be done in two ways. First, skip passes to the opposite side out of the low post. Nate Green (9.6 ppg, 4.5 rbs), Yuanta Holland (11.2 ppg, 6.4 rbs), and Keith Waleskowski (11.0 ppg, 7.4 rbs) all must expect Lyde and company to collapse and trap. From this, passes to open shooters on the opposite side should be open. Second, David Morris (7.4 ppg, 5.1apg) must continue his strong play of late. He is not turning the ball over, but more importantly, he has been able to get himself into the lane via penetration — and more often than not has made the good decision and the good pass. As always against a zone, Dayton must shoot well. Tony Stanley (17.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg) must lead Dayton -– a shooting effort like the one against Marshall will not bode well for the Flyers; Temple is too good. Finally, along the same lines, UD cannot afford any lapses. Most games this year have seen the Flyers almost sleepwalk for 10-minute stretches. Against Siena and Duquesne the Flyers can get away with it. Against Temple, they cannot.