GAME NOTES: The Temple Owls return from an extended 11-day break, as they open up the 2008 portion of their schedule taking on the ninth-ranked Duke Blue Devils in non-conference action at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. Fran Dunphy's Owls have certainly had their ups and downs this season and finished the 2007 calendar year at an even 6-6. The last time Temple was on the floor, the Owls dropped an 86-69 decision to two-time defending national champion Florida. Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils have won 11 of their first 12 games on the year. The lone loss came on December 20th, a heart-breaking 65-64 overtime setback to Pittsburgh in the Aeropostale Classic in New York City. The team has put some distance between itself and that loss with Sunday's 81-67 win over Cornell. Both teams will begin conference play following this game, with Duke welcoming ACC-foe Virginia to Durham this Sunday and Temple traveling to Charlotte on Saturday. The Blue Devils hold a 16-9 edge in the all-time series with Temple and have won seven straight matchups with the Owls.

The Blue Devils started slowly, but turned it on when it counted, posting a 14- point win over Cornell. DeMarcus Nelson matched his season-high with 23 points, while grabbing eight rebounds. Kyle Singler added 14 points and eight boards of his own, while Gerald Henderson and Greg Paulus chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively. The usually efficient Blue Devils shot a mediocre .446 from the floor, including a sluggish .261 from behind the arc (6-of-23). On the year, Duke is shooting a much better .493 overall, including .410 from three-point range. Four players are currently averaging double figures, leading to a hefty 86.3 ppg. Nelson is the team's top offensive threat, averaging nearly 14 points per game (13.8). Nelson is shooting .509 from the floor and .417 from long range and is also tied for the team-lead in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and ranks second in assists (37). Singler (13.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg) is one of the ACC's top freshmen. Henderson (13.3 ppg) and fellow guard Jon Scheyer (10.7 ppg) add to the perimeter depth.

The Owls will struggle to match the offensive intensity that Duke is sure to bring this evening. That doesn't mean Temple is void of offensive talent. On the contrary, the team possesses a potent one-two punch in guards Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale, but the scoring pool dries up after that. Christmas puts the ball up a lot, leading to a team-high 20.9 ppg. Christmas is responsible for 38 of the team's 86 three-pointers to date. He also leads the Owls in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and ranks second in both assists (33) and steals (15). Tyndale adds nearly 15 points per outing (14.8) and is also a well- rounded player, grabbing 6.2 rpg, while pacing the team in both assists (35) and steals (22). The team's lack of scoring depth was never more evident than in the loss to Florida before the Owls' break. Christmas was exceptional, hitting 11-of-17 from the floor to match a season-high with 32 points. No other Owl even came close to double digits. Tyndale struggled big time in the game, hitting just 3-of-13 from the floor and tallying seven points.

Christmas and Tyndale will get their points in this one, but that won't be enough, as Duke's balanced play will lead to an eighth straight victory over Temple.