Rutgers on the Road: Temple

Rutgers travels down the Turnpike--or Route 1 depending on the route they take--to face the 5-13 (0-7) Temple Owls.  Rutgers beat Temple to open conference play when Junior Etou made a lay-up and the ensuing free throw.  Since then, Temple has given a couple of teams fits (including Cincinnati), but has been unable to get in the win column.

Here are the keys:

Which Rutgers Shows Up?: If the Rutgers who played UConn, Temple, UCF, and Louisville shows up, the Scarlet Knights should be in good shape.  If it's the Texas Two-Step Rutgers . . . or worse, they're in trouble.

Match Temple's Intensity: You know the Owls are looking at this game as a potential win.  They are going to come out hungry and hustling.  Rutgers isn't good enough to take anyone lightly (see FDU), and they have yet to win a road game.  Not to mention, they've lost 3 in a row themselves.  They need to match or exceed the Owls' intensity.

Limit One of Temple's Scorers: Quenton DeCosey and Dalton Pepper both got hot at Rutgers last time.  In his last game, Pepper went off from beyond the arc.  DeCosey is just as good, and a Jersey boy.  Rutgers has to slow one of them, at the very least.

Kadeem Consistency, Mack Re-Emergence: Kadeem Jack showed up against UConn with a double double.  Myles Mack only scored 6.  Clearly, Rutgers needs both of them going tomorrow night.  Add a sprinkle of Jerome Seagears and a dash of Junior Etou, and you might have something.

Winnable game for Rutgers, but it is no slam dunk.  Rutgers better bring their A game.