Temple -- Friday, December 30th @7:00PM in McGonigle Hall

2011 Temple Snapshot: 24-9, 13-1 Atlantic 10, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

Last Meeting: December 30th, 2010: Seniors and Shay Trump Temple, 71-64.

Current Records: Duke 8-2, Temple 5-6

Current Rankings: Duke #9, Temple is unranked.

Significant Losses: The Owls lost big-time wing scorer Qwedia Wallace (13.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 34% 3FG), guard Satoria Bell (8 ppg, 42% 3FG) and forward Marli Bennett (5 ppg, 5 rpg).

Returning Players: Two of Temple's three top scorers return, led by guard Shey Peddy (14 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg, 37% 3FG) and forward Kristen McCarthy (13 ppg, 5 rpg, 32 % 3FG). Posts Natasha Thames (6 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Victoria MacCaulay (4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg) also return to clog up the middle. Guards BJ Williams (4 ppg, 39% 3FG) and Brittany Lewis (2 ppg, 2 rpg) also saw a good bit of action, as did forward Joelle Connelly (2 ppg, 2.5 rpg).

The Skinny: This is a tough-minded team that outworked Duke in Cameron last year but succumbed to Duke's superior talent, and to foul trouble. The team doesn't have a lot of skilled size, but they make up for it with an aggressive three point shooting attack. Tonya Cardoza's club plays a deliberate, physical style that tries to grind down opponents, and it worked last year as their only A-10 loss was to league champ Xavier and the Owls later gave Notre Dame a hard time in the NCAA tournament. Last year's team lost four of their first six games and this year's squad has started off 2-5; it's Cardoza's philosophy to play a tough schedule. Temple lost to ranked teams Ohio State, Texas A&M and Rutgers, and only the Rutgers game (on the road) was a blowout. Of course, the Owls did just lose a game to mediocre Villanova at home along with dropping a contest to Northern Illinois; both games were marked by deep freezes on offense.

As such, Duke's physical style of play and intimidating defense will once again make for a gritty, ugly contest between the two programs. Duke wants to push tempo with pressure, whereas Temple wants to slow things down and rely on its shotblocking and rebounding. The team's shooting, outside of Peddy, has not been great (just 29%), making scoring a bit of a chore for the Owls at time. That said, they are generally a better team at home and I expct there to be a decent sized crowd for this game. Duke needs to home in on Peddy above all else, but they also need to force BJ Williams to become a shooter instead of a penetrator/passer. If she can create open looks for her teammates and enable the Owls to get a lead, Duke might have to play from behind for a while. If the Devils can force the Owls to come into the post, Elizabeth Williams will be waiting to block shots. This will be Duke's first game after a long period of time off, and we'll see if Duke comes out as focused on the road as they were at home when they played UNC-Wilmington. Considering that Duke has looked shaky on the road so far, this is a chance for the team to display some newfound maturity and confidence. As long as the focus is on defensive communication and rebounding, everything else will follow.

Peddy getting open looks from three.