If there is one thing for certain, it is that the Penn men's basketball team will not have a size advantage when it takes on Temple tonight.
The Owls boast three starting forwards. The smallest of them is 6-foot-8, 210 pounds.
Even Temple's two starting guards average 6-5 and are able to grab rebounds as well as put points on the board.
"They have the perfect blend, I think, of strong, big people up front," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "Then their perimeter guys, not only are they good basketball players, but they have great size as well."
The Quakers (4-2, 1-0 Big 5) will have to keep this size difference in mind when they travel to the Liacouras Center for the first time since 2001 to take on their city rivals from North Broad Street.
And while the Quakers are riding a three-game winning streak, which includes a convincing 11-point victory over La Salle at the Big 5 Classic on Saturday, the Owls (2-3, 1-0) are coming off a big win of their own.
Temple hung on to beat Big 5 favorite Villanova, 53-52, at the Big 5 Classic in a game that went back and forth from the opening tip.
While the Owls received strong shooting performances from their guards, their stalwart frontcourt of Keith Butler, Wayne Marshall and Antywane Robinson was able to battle with Villanova's highly touted big men, Jason Fraser and Curtis Sumpter.
"The overall size of Temple is something we're going to have to deal with," Dunphy said. "Hopefully we can counter that with effective shot-making."
In order to neutralize Temple's incredible size advantage up front, the Quakers will have to use their full rotation of big men.
"We have a lot of guys who've been contributing inside for us," Penn sophomore Steve Danley said. "If we can keep sending out fresh guys, we can wear down some bigger and maybe a little bit slower guys."
That means that sophomore forwards Mark Zoller and Ryan Pettinella will be counted on even more off the Quakers' bench, especially if starting forwards senior Jan Fikiel and Danley find themselves in foul trouble.
The Owls offensive production relies heavily on junior captain Mardy Collins and freshman guard Mark Tyndale. Against Villanova, however, sophomore guard Dustin Salisbery came off the bench to hit the game-winning three for the Owls.
Collins tallied 18 points against Penn in Temple's 73-69 victory last season at the Palestra and leads the Owls this year with 13.6 points per game.
But the Quakers will not just be focusing on one player when they go over the defensive matchups for the game.
"I believe they have great balance," Dunphy said. "They are pretty solid overall, so we gotta combat that."
On the offensive side, Penn senior guard Tim Begley is coming off the best game of his career, a 29-point performance against La Salle. The Owls, however, know this as well.
"I saw Begley. We're going to put two guys on Begley," Temple coach John Chaney said at the press conference after the Temple-Villanova game. "And if I can get out there with a uniform on, I'm going to play his ass too."
While the Red and Blue took away many positives from their game against the Explorers on Saturday, the team realizes that Begley should not be counted on to deliver the same statistics against Temple.
"Obviously Begs is our best shooter ... we got good open shots for him" against La Salle, Danley said. "We're gonna need to step up and have other guys hit shots; it's not always gonna be Begs."
The Quakers practiced at the Liacouras Center yesterday, as they tried to acquaint themselves with Temple's home floor before the start of the game.
"It's a doubleheader [today], so we won't be able to shoot before the game," Dunphy said, referring to the Penn women's basketball game that will precede the men's contest.
Those Penn fans who make the trip to Temple will see the Owls celebrate the 35th anniversary of their 1969 national championship basketball team, which earned the top spot by winning the NIT. The star players of Temple's last championship team will be honored at halftime of the men's game.
Getting to the games For both games: Buses for season ticket holders leave from Weightman Hall at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Reserve a spot:In order to get a spot on a bus, you must email kfletch@pobox.upenn.edu by 10 a.m. By Train: Take a local train on SEPTA's Broad St. (Orange) Line. Get off at the Cecil. B. Moore stop, which is adjacent to the Liacouras Center.
