Opposition Report: Temple Owls | CollegeLayup.com — Real and sincere college basketball analysis By Eldon Khorshidi

UConn vs. Temple: Tuesday, January 21, 2014

*I’ve observed Temple live once this season. 71-66 loss @ Rutgers.

Opposition Report: Temple Owls

Record: 5-11 (0-5)

Offense: 1.08 points per possession (112th)
Defense: 1.07 points allowed per possession (259th)

Notes:

— Temple has four “key players” — PG Will Cummings, SG Quenton DeCosey, SG Dalton Pepper, and PF Anthony Lee. They use 80% of Temple’s shot attempts. (By comparison, UConn’s four leading shot takers only use 66% of attempts.)

— Will Cummings is the only Temple player averaging more than 2 assists. However, he’s missed three straight games due to a head injury and his status is uncertain.

— Hardly any pick-and-roll (only 9% of offense; “bigs” don’t pose threat on pick-and-roll / pick-and-pop)

— Temple beats you with outside shooting and points in transition. Not much interior production.

Video: Transition

Keys to the Game:

1. Contest Quenton DeCosey at all times (6-5 shooting guard, complete player. can shoot and attack basket; force him into difficult shot attempts)

2. Close out on Dalton Pepper (good shooter, but struggles to finish around the basket. 75% of attempts are jump shots)

3. Force Will Cummings “right” (clearly favors attacking left side of court)

4. Make Will Cummings put the ball on the floor [good catch and shoot (1.4 points per attempt), but struggles shooting off the dribble (.42 points per attempt)]

5. Exploit Anthony Lee (terrible post defender; opponents shooting 58% in the paint against him; 3.5 fouls in 28 minutes per game; weak defensive fundamentals)

Quick Thoughts: Temple is essentially a four-player team: Cummings, DeCosey, Pepper and Lee. Three perimeter, one interior.

Assuming Cummings recovers in time, he is a crafty 6-2 guard who creates for himself and his teammates (16 points and 4 assists per game). However, his strengths and weaknesses are apparent. He’s a terrific shooter with his feet set (catch and shoot), and has a polished floater. But he struggles shooting off the dribble, and clearly prefers dribbling/attacking with his left hand.

If you can fluster Cummings, Temple will struggle to move the ball. And without ball movement, they’ll rely entirely on isolation basketball, which doesn’t lead to success.

Alongside Cummings in the backcourt are Quenton DeCosey and Dalton Pepper. DeCosey is a 6-5 athlete with range on his jump shot. He has “game changing” ability when he’s in a rhythm — I saw him shoot 9-14 (22 points) with six 3-pointers vs. Rutgers. DeCosey can shoot with his feet set or off the dribble, so it’s best to play “team defense” against him. Get a hand up when DeCosey shoots.

On defense, DeCosey struggles to defend the pick-and-roll. Indecisive whether to go over or under screens, and stays upright in his defensive stance. His .929 points allowed per pick-and-roll attempt ranks in the bottom 75th percentile nationally. Quicker guards, like Napier and Boatright, should expose DeCosey in pick-and-rolls.

Dalton Pepper is a strong guard with NBA range. But he’s limited athletically, and really struggles to finish at the rim. In fact, he doesn’t even try to attack the rim—75% of his shots this season have been jump shots, while only 25% have been inside the paint. You can’t lose focus on DeCosey and Pepper, because they will knock down shots. But if you contest shots and make them beat you one-on-one, you should be OK.

On the interior, Lee is a rangy 6-9 forward with bounce and athleticism. His success is predicated on tip-ins and energy plays. However, he’s not skilled offensively — he competes for buckets around the hoop, but has virtually no range beyond 10 feet. The most important thing is to match his activity and energy.

Defensively, Lee can be exposed. He’s too skinny in the post, and too slow on his feet to defend stretch-forwards. Napier/Daniels can run pick-and-pops all day here.

In summary — DeCosey, Pepper, Cummings and Lee. Let’s take a look at some video.

–

Connecticut Huskies

Point Distribution: 48% 2-Pointers | 30% 3-Pointers | 22% Free Throws

Shot Attempt Distribution: 55% Jump Shots | 34% Around Basket | 6% Post-Ups | 5% Runner

Temple Owls

Point Distribution: 56% 2-Pointers | 26% 3-Pointers | 18% Free Throws

Shot Attempt Distribution: 49% Jump Shots | 34% Around Basket | 10% Post-Ups | 7% Runner

Key Players:

1. Quenton DeCosey — 16.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 42% jump shots
Sophomore, SG, 6-5, 180

Strengths
— Gifted scorer
— Smooth jump shot
— Athleticism to finish in transition

Vulnerable
— Struggles defending pick-and-roll (.929 points allowed per pick-and-roll attempt ranks in the bottom 75th percentile. Napier and Boatright, should expose DeCosey in isolation pick-and-rolls)

Strengths

Scoring

Vulnerable

Finishing

Misses

Pick-and-Roll Defense

2. Dalton Pepper — 17 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 43% three-pointers
Senior, SG, 6-5, 220

Strengths
— NBA range (Seventy-five percent of shots are jumpers)
— Strong guard who can finish in transition

Vulnerable
— Struggles to finish around the basket
— Isolation defense (slow feet, can be exposed on P-n-R)

He’s a physical SG with terrific range on his jumper. He’s most effective in catch-and-shoot situations (shooting 54%), and is a consistent scorer for this Temple group. But he struggles to finish around the rim.

Strengths

Shooting

Vulnerable

Poor Isolation Defense

Finishing Struggles

Limited Skills

3. Will Cummings — 16 PPG, 3 RPG, 4 APG
Junior, PG, 6-2, 175

*Status for game uncertain

Strengths
— Spot-Up/Isolation
— Catch-and-Shoot
— Polished Floater

Vulnerable
— Doesn’t dribble much on perimeter shots (50% of spot-up/isolation attempts are one-or-two dribbles)
— Poor shooting off the dribble
— Favors left hand (pounds ball

Strengths

Catch-and-Shoot