Memphis @ Temple preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 12, 2017 ) Temple 74, Memphis 62

Jeremiah Martin has been on a two-game tear for Memphis and aims to carry over that momentum into Saturday's road date against Temple. Martin, a junior guard, has set a career high in points in each of the last two games following a stretch of three straight terrible outings.

Martin shot a combined 9-of-34 in losses to LSU, Cincinnati and South Florida, totaling 25 points in those defeats, before suddenly turning it on this week. He poured in 28 points in Saturday's win against Tulsa and followed that up with a new personal best Tuesday versus Tulane, when he totaled 31 points thanks to 15-of-15 foul shooting. “We just finding out who we are,” Martin said in the wake of rumors that he might transfer. “We might not be the most talented team, but we just going to go out and play hard every night and just do the little things to get us over the hump.” Temple, meanwhile, is coming off its first American Athletic Conference win, a huge road victory against SMU on Wednesday.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT MEMPHIS (11-6, 2-2 AAC): The Tigers have only three players who have made more than eight 3-pointers this season and only one of those (Kyvon Davenport) shoots at least 33 percent from the 3-point line. Martin has struggled from the arc over the last five games, going 7-of-29, but he continues to attempt 3s at a high rate, shooting 5.4 per game - twice as many as last season. Jimario Rivers bounced back from a quiet three-game stretch with 12 points against Tulane - his highest total in a contest since Dec. 2.

ABOUT TEMPLE (8-8, 1-4): The Owls had lost five in a row - including their first four in AAC play - before stunning the Mustangs behind Josh Brown's decisive bucket with 1.5 seconds left. Quinton Rose recorded 23 points and Obi Enechionyia added 16 for Temple, which outrebounded SMU 40-33 and limited the hosts to 41.8 percent shooting (33.3 percent from the arc). On the other hand, Shizz Alston Jr. shot 2-of-11 for five points and has totaled only seven points on 3-of-18 shooting over the last two outings.

TIP-INS

1. Since making 7-of-9 3-pointers against Georgia, Enechionyia is 5-of-29 from 3-point land.

2. Temple plays four of its next six games at home with one of the two road contests being against local foe Pennsylvania.

3. All six of the Tigers' losses have come by at least nine points.

PREDICTION: Temple 59, Memphis 57