Missouri (4-4) vs. Temple (6-1)
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two guards will be on display as Dru Smith and Missouri will go up against Nate Pierre-Louis and Temple. The senior D. Smith is averaging 9.8 points and five assists over the last five games. Pierre-Louis, a junior, is averaging 10.8 points over the last five games.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: The Tigers have been led by D. Smith and Mark Smith. D. Smith is averaging 11 points, four rebounds and 4.6 assists while M. Smith is putting up 12.4 points and five rebounds per game. The Owls have been led by Pierre-Louis and Quinton Rose, who have combined to score 27.3 points per outing.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Rose has either made or assisted on 46 percent of all Temple field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has accounted for 15 field goals and 17 assists in those games.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Owls have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Tigers. Temple has an assist on 45 of 70 field goals (64.3 percent) across its past three contests while Missouri has assists on 32 of 64 field goals (50 percent) during its past three games.
CAREFUL OWLS: The diligent Temple offense has turned the ball over on just 16.1 percent of its possessions, the 27th-lowest mark in all of Division I. 21.5 percent of all Missouri possessions have resulted in a turnover.
